Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [208]
When Polynesians arrived on Hawai′i, Mauna Kea came to play a central role in Hawaiian cosmology. Mauna Kea is believed to be the firstborn child of the gods Wakea and Papa, who also gave birth to taro and the first human (from whom Hawaiians and all people descend). The mountain is also considered a sacred realm of the gods (where people are not meant to live), and the summit is the place were sky and earth separated to create heaven.
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DETOUR: HAKALAU FOREST NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
The Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge (Map) is a place few people, even locals, ever venture. This extremely remote refuge protects a portion of the state’S largest koa-ohia forest, which provides a habitat for endangered bird species. About 7000 acres are open to public access, but only on weekends and state holidays.
Adventurous souls with a 4WD (or a mountain bike) can visit on their own. From Waimea, a rough dirt road runs 44 miles around Mauna Kea; from Hwy 19 at the 55-mile marker near Waimea, turn south onto Mana Rd. However, if it’S rained, don’t attempt this – the mud bogs are said to be bottomless. The refuge has no facilities, signage or trails. To get a permit, call or write to the refuge manager (933-6915; www.fws.gov/pacificislands/wnwr/bhakalaunwr.html; 32 Kino’ole St, Hilo, HI 96720; 8am-4pm Mon-Fri).
A much easier way to experience this pristine wilderness is to take a tour with Hawaii Forest & Trail (331-8505, 800-464-1993; www.hawaii-forest.com; tours $160).
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Three sister goddesses call the summit home; the most famous is the snow goddess Poliahu, who lives in Pu′u Poliahu. In legends, Poliahu often competes with Pele, and their snow-and-lava tussles are a metaphorically correct depiction of Mauna Kea’S geology. For Hawaiians, Mauna Kea was (and remains) a temple, a place of worship and a sacred burial site.
The arrival of Westerners in the late 1700s also meant the introduction of feral cattle, goats and sheep on Mauna Kea. By the early 20th century these animals had decimated the mountain’S natural environment; animal eradication efforts, begun in the 1920s and continuing today, have helped nature to partly restore itself.
In 1960 astronomer Gerard Kuiper placed a telescope on Pu′u Poliahu and announced that ‘the mountaintop is probably the best site in the world from which to study the moon, the planets and stars.’ Kuiper turned out to be right.
In 1968, the same year the first Mauna Kea observatory was built, the University of Hawai′i (UH) was granted a 65-year lease to the summit area, now called the ‘Mauna Kea Science Reserve.’ The university leases property to others, and 13 telescopes are currently in operation, which is more than on any other single mountain. They include three of the world’S largest, and their combined light-gathering power is 60 times greater than the Hubble Space Telescope.
All this building and development on such an environmentally fragile and culturally sacred place has led to heated conflicts (see opposite). Today, concerted efforts are being made to balance the needs of all stakeholders on Mauna Kea, so that the environment is protected, Hawaiian culture is respected and cutting-edge astronomy continues. It’S a three-sided conflict that often defines modern-day Hawaii.
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ORIENTATION & INFORMATION
The Mauna Kea Summit Rd is near mile marker 28 on Saddle Rd (for more on driving this road with a rental car, Click here). From the Saddle Rd junction, it’S paved for 6 miles to the Onizuka Visitor Information Station (see opposite).
Any standard car can drive this far; it takes about 50 minutes from Hilo or Waimea and 1½ hours from Kailua-Kona. Past the visitor center, it’S another 8 miles (half unpaved) and nearly 5000ft to the summit; only 4WD vehicles should be used from this point on. To visit the summit without a 4WD, you will need to join a Mauna