WOW! You have to see this old volcano. They call it the house of the riseing sun. It is also called the crater. It was the highlight of the trip. Start out very early and dress warm because it is very cold and windy up there. It''s very educatinal for kids. There is a book store there and the people there will tell you all about it. You can also rent Bikes and ride down by bike. The company will pick you up at your hotel and bring you to the top them you ride down by bike. They even supply you with hooded Coulmbia jackets.

This is a must if you visit Maui. They say to visit it at sunrise, but that means getting up at about 4 a.m. if you're staying near Lahaina. The real reason to visit it early in the day is because if there are clouds, they will settle into the crater about 10 a.m. and stay for several hours. If you have the time (two plus hours) and guts, ride a bike down the volcano. It's mostly downhill (98%?) and quite a rush. Most of the view areas near the top are great! The one near the Visitor's Center is particularly nice in that you can use the panarama setting on your digital camera to photograph the crater of the volcano. It takes maybe 3-5 photos to get it all in. The crater is colorful in person, but not when you see your photos. It is relatively drab. It's likely that a polarizer will help some, but making the photo more colorful is tricky. Take it early enough in the day when the sun doesn't wash it out. The sun faces you directly from most view points which is a problem. Perhaps use the bulb setting before the sun is over the rim. If you arrive on a day when it's snowed on top, expect to visit the scene with thousands of your best friends. It's a rare wonder so I hear.

During much of 2002, the volcano was erupting on Hawaii (the Big Island). After September 12, it had passed the road and was heading towards the cliffs about 1/2 mile away and then into the water. As of mid-November (when we went), all you could see was two clouds of steam rising from the ocean in the distance where the lava was entering. There was no view of the lava itself. If you're going to the Big Island to see lava flowing, you're going to be disappointed. Unless there's another eruption, the lava is not in sight from ground level. Perhaps it is from a helicopter, but that is unconfirmed. And now for the good stuff. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is fascinating. Take the crater rim drive. Take the chain of craters road. It now dead ends into a pile of lava. Don't worry. There's a sign that tells you not to continue on the road. As if you could if you wanted to. If you're staying on Maui, it's probably easier to take a tour. We took the Polynesian tour and it was great. Go to a macadamia nut farm. Go to an orchid farm. The tour takes you there. All sights are in the SE part of the Big Island so they're convenient.

First of all, you have look up from the bottom of the volcano to see if there are any clouds obscuring the peak. If there are, then visibility is a few hundred feet at best on top. It may also be raining on top. Go to the beach and snorkel. If the clouds are minimal, drive up early in the morning.

Take your time driving up. Stop a few places. Enjoy the drive through the ranchland. This will help you acclimate to the elevation. Take your time driving down, too. Use a low gear. In both directions, watch out for the bike riders.

Take layers of clothes and a snack or lunch for day hikes. I hiked down with all my layers. I had a long sleeve shirt, a fleece jacket, and a gortex rain jacket. The wind can be icy-cold and the sun can be very hot. Make sure you have a hat, light gloves, sunglasses, and camera.

The multi-color lava is great. The path down to Ka Lu u o ka Oo crater is something a person who walks regularly can do. Just take your time and rest on the way up. The path is soft sand and gravel. I found that hiking boots were not necessary. I hiked just past Pu u o Pele (See the map at this website). I was scuba diving the next day, so I did not go any farther.

I drove up the volcano twice, but I only did one day of hiking. The first day I drove up, the clouds covered the top. I hiked early in the week and went scuba diving later in the week. After diving, I could not go back up to that elevation to hike. I hate to say that I was disappointed because I did not get to hike more than one day. I was diving instead! But I do hope I get to return to hike more.

Seeing the remains of the most recent Maui lava flow is a startling experience; the black rock and lack of vegetation stand out against the green that is everywhere else on Maui. For a real adventure, and one heck of a long day of driving, you can actually circumnavigate Haleakala. There is a significant stretch of unpaved (gravel & rock) road. To make things more interesting, the road goes down to one lane (or less) as it winds between the ocean and the mountain that meets the ocean. The only thing separating you from the water and the rock is your car door, as there are no guardrails (there is no room to put them). You do not need to subject yourself to this driving stress, though. Coming around from the west (on Pi'ilani Highway) allows you to stay on the paved/gravel road for a long time. You get a great view of the lava field from the paved portion of the road anyway, although continuing on (east towards Hana) for some time gives you some great views of "pure Maui"...the only indication of human intervention is the ribbon of road ahead of you.

One attraction on this part of the road is the Tedeschi Winery and Tasting Room. They have a fairly interesting exhibit on the history of the winery and the Hawaiian cowboys that used to run it; they also have a number of picnic benches scattered on the grounds that make a great place to have lunch. If you didn't pack a lunch, the Ulupalakua General Store is across the street from the winery, so you can get something there. The winery (and the wine) of course will not compare to anything in Napa or Sonoma.

The town of Makawao might not be considered "upcountry", but it has a couple blocks of very interesting shops, art galleries, watering holes (taverns), and restaurants. The commercial area is centered around the intersection of Baldwin Ave and Makawao Ave. As I happen to like spicy food, one store really caught my interest. Hawaii Hearth and Leisure (3460 Baldwin Ave) sells barbecues and stoves, but the surprising thing was the wall of hot sauces. Countless brands were stacked up on the shelves...some of the names gave us a pretty good chuckle. They also have a wide variety of spices. While certainly not "Hawaiian", I have never seen a store like it.