We visited Hawaii for our 2018 summer family vacation and we started on the Big Island…read more We started our last full day with a lava boat tour that started at 4am in Hilo and returned to the dock at 7am. We enjoyed a relaxed ride back to Kona via Highway 19. Before the trip, and once we arrived, I thought about visiting the telescopes atop Manua Kea, but realized that there were too many clouds, too few hours in the day, and sadly too little interest among the other three family family members, so he was OK not going. Then, as we drove home, we passed the Keck Observatory Visitor Center, in Waimea, and I quickly made a u-turn. I asked my wife and sone to let our daughter and me go in for just 5-7 minutes. Somehow that turned into 40 minutes, because it is pretty awesome! The docents are fun and engaging and insightful. We learned how they use adaptive optics to help ground-based see better, to see with clarity approaching that of the Hubble Space Telescope... they use a laser to measure distortions of the optics by the air in the sky and then apply that same math to "un-do" the distortion and make images of deep space objects more clear (this wording is all mine, not a quote from Keck). We also learned that the Keck Observatory has: ⁃ discovered over 100 exoplanets and has recently helped to classify different types of exoplanets ⁃ seen through the gas cloud at the center of our Milky Way and see the stars swirling around the black hole - http://www.keckobservatory.org/g-objects/ ⁃ helped discover dark matter ⁃ discovered the moon Dysnomia, around Eris, which is further from the sun than Pluto and bigger than Pluto, and which helped change the class of planet for Pluto (note... Pluto is still a type of a planet and deserving of that status; planets come in different kinds, just like stars do, and the demotion in 2006 was in part due to someone having personal dislike of Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto) ⁃ the Keck I and Keck II telescopes, which have 36 6-foot hexagonal mirrors and sit atop Mauna Kea, make two 10-meter (30-foot) telescopes We had great visit and hope we can have more time to visit on our next trip!

We noticed the Keck Observatory Visitor Center as we were making a u-turn to get back onto highway…read more19. We went in, me just hoping for a restroom, that need satisfied we ended up spending over an hour learning about the Keck Observatory and their mirrors up on Mauna Kea. Jane was a wealth of knowledge and very enthusiastic about the work done up on the mountain. Usually one can look out from the glass front doors and see the observatories on top of Mauna Kea but it was very overcast while we were there, possibly due to the volcanic activity down south at Kilauea. I got the coolest souvenir there, a beach towel of the observatory and stars. I'll be the envy of all the ladies in the locker room at my gym.

This was a great way to spend a couple of hours. The owner is very knowledgeable and friendly. Plan…read moreon being educated about the plants around you before you start your self guided tour. We had no mosquitos during our visit. There are a lot of beautiful statues to see. Peacocks and wild turkeys were fun to visit. There is also a large tortoise. The place is a bit overgrown. Make sure you wear good walking shoes. There are several semi steep hills and some areas are rocky. We bought water but you can buy some there. Cost $13.00 per person, worth the time and money.

A nice little diversion. Gardens are well put together and maintained even though they are on the…read moredriest part of the island. Owner was there to greet us and provided a great overview of the flora and fauna of the garden and of the area. There are other bigger gardens on the island, but the 1x1 education from the owner was worth the price of admission. You can tell she loves her gardens and is passionate about what she does. Excellent views of the west coast from the guest center and interesting sculptures enhance the grounds. The stone circle was a nice touch too, especially since the day we went was the equanox. Overall a nice place to go spend a relaxing morning and learn something new.

MALAMA KA 'AINA = "to care for the land" How do you care…read morefor the land? Plant a tree! After I read Brandon's review, I knew I had to bring my kids to see this place. We've planted trees at our house, but we've never planted a Koa tree on the slopes of Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest volcano. The tour was scenic, taking us up to high altitudes on a 4x4 vehicle so we could see the entire forest in various stages of growth. Our guides were fantastic and really knew the land, pointing out various trees and special wildlife. My kids got to see an 'Io, a Hawaiian hawk, which is protected as an endangered species and only found on the Big Island. I had never seen one before so that was pretty cool to see it out in the wild. GRAND TOUR (3.5hr): This is a unique experience you will find nowhere else in Hawaii. I am going to tell you about our experience (2 adults, 2 kids) on the Grand Tour which included a Koa legacy tree planting 'session'. We have been to the Big Island many many times before, but this is definitely one of my favorite things we've ever done. LOCATION: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hawaiian-legacy-tours-honolulu?select=1V96336NehN9GNpR3D1WHQ This is on the BIG ISLAND, HAWAII on the slopes of Mauna Kea. They have an office in Honolulu (Yelp has it listed in Honolulu), but that is not the location of the Koa tree forest, or where the tour is. You can't really put this one in your GPS. We came from Kona side (took about 90 min from Waikoloa), but you can come from either Hilo or Kona. If you go to their website to get directions, the directions will say "turn right after at Donna's cookies at the Kukaiau Ranch sign...drive 3.3mi through a winding road in the Eucalyptus forest...through the guard shack, pass the Kukauia Estates sign, watch for cows and horses, up 1.2mi to Umikoa Village, keep going until you see 3 houses". The scenery as we drove up the volcano looked like something straight out of a movie. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hawaiian-legacy-tours-honolulu?select=W0asouZ0IBNyY2ebCUwY1Q GRAND TOUR PRICE (3.5hrs): $180 per adult (includes one Koa tree for planting) $90 per child (ages 5-18, does not include a tree) PLANTERS TOUR PRICE (2hrs): **you get to plant your tree but don't get to see all of the forest** $110 per adult (includestree for planting) $55 per child (ages 5-18, no tree) VEHICLE USED: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hawaiian-legacy-tours-honolulu?select=KEF6e5VBy39RdKtCOrEgLw We rode on the Kawasaki T-Rex, which was a yellow off road vehicle. If you are the type to get car sick, you will get car sick on this. There is a roof but no windows. The sun/rain up on the volcano can be unpredictable and the weather can change quickly. We went during the summer but it was cold and rainy for parts of our tour. Bring sunscreen and rain jackets, you never know what it's going to look like until you get there. THE FOREST Because of the unique climate on Mauna Kea, the type of Koa tree that grows here is not grown anywhere else in the world. We have lots of Koa trees on Oahu, but they aren't valued like the ones grown on the Big Island. They started to clear the forest over a century ago to make room for farming and ranching, which wiped out almost all the Koa trees. Now they are trying to save the forest, so they have put up fences and gates to keep out the pigs, cattle, and hunters to allow the trees to grow once again. PLANTING THE KOA TREE We found our spot up in the middle of a field and my kids got to plant their baby trees. We got the certificate which has the GPS coordinates of each tree so we can go back and visit the tree later when it's part of a large forest once again. You can put a name on the certificate to dedicate the tree to someone you love. Or not. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hawaiian-legacy-tours-honolulu?select=gCS2he__69NonE-OPB7cLA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hawaiian-legacy-tours-honolulu?select=_Jvwca3lb2GFQOtznWOl4g THE TOUR Besides planting the tree, which was pretty neat, the tour took us up and down the entire forest. Our tour was bumpy, rainy, fresh, and definitely educational. We saw the lone koa tree, which was left behind from over a hundred years ago, and saw different forests at various stages of growth. We learned about different flora/fauna and wildlife only seen on the slopes of Mauna Kea. I don't remember any toilets during our 3.5hr tour, but I think they were going to put one up at the top of the vista soon. So while it seemed like $540 was a ridiculous amount of money to plant 2 trees, I hope someday my kids will see their GPS certificate for their koa tree and take their kids back to the big island to show them the koa forest and teach them about MALAMA KA 'AINA.

We went to the Legacy Tours again in 'Umikoa. Again it was fabulous! I am beyond thrilled with…read moreour tour guides Richard L. and Emi. We had a bit of a hard time finding the house because it was different from before. But it is actually easier now since it is on the bottom of the hill and Emi was waiting outside for us. Then same yummy scones and cinnamon tea! Yum!! The day was gorgeous...blue skies, perfect weather. Emi remarked it was the most gorgeous day she had ever seen to date. Richard even drove our ATV to the lookout so we had a different view from our first planter's tour. We got a peek and use of the state of the art hidden outhouse and were able to plant our kitty and two koa seedlings without any Big Lebowski moments...all with a gorgeous view of Mauna Kea's snow top and a partial view of Hale'akala. I remember a few years ago when no one was allowed to pick lehua blossoms for Merrie Monarch Festival because of some mold or fungi epidemic on the Big Island. Luckily they have a huge forest of ohi'a lehua trees of all three colors here that are healthy due to the elevation of the mountains. The ride was the perfect blend of informational, seriousness, and fun (with a few safe moments of catching air before returning to our seats and only because I expressed a love of thrill). We totally love this tour and are sure to do this again. They also have cool investment opportunities of purchasing 100 koa seedlings with payouts to the investor and corporate opportunities for carbon credits. Great great company and staff. Thank you so very much Richard and Emi. Also thank you for the amazing photos of us sent to our email and the certificate with our special RFID number. Really appreciate you all. Will be back soon. Highly highly recommend as a cool way to give back to the islands when visiting here or even if you're a local. p.s. Emi thanks for the great photos! They looked professional with the way you capture light beautifully. So thrilled. A deep thank you.

The UFO tour was fun and meaningful Lisa is a superb guide…read moreand very knowledgeable anout the night sky. I appreciated her presentation, the comfortable chairs and the night vision goggles. I don't know what I saw that night and my friends and I enjoyed our time on the tour and had lots to chat about afterward.

Lisa is amazing!!! 10/10. Incredible knowledge, pictures/videos, stories. This was tons of fun and…read moresuper interesting. 100% worth it! FYI try to go on a clear night

Happened to pass by around 2pm on a Thursday and decided to drop in because they were open. Turned…read moreout they were having the 2023 Hawaii Wood Guild Masters Show. Wow! Inside was a variety art forms of impressive quality. Even more interesting looking at the price tags for all these beautiful paintings and various wood works (furniture, bowls, Jewlery boxes). So impressed by the quality that I will make sure to check if they are having the Wood Guild Masters Show again the next time I visit.

Although we have enjoyed this Art Center before it has been very difficult to determine when they…read moreare open. In the last 3 weeks we have tried twice to visit during their hours of M-F and each time they have been closed. Very discouraging! Even their web site mentions they were open. If they want support of visitors they need to follow their days and hours. Disappointed too many times!

It's worth every bump you hit! In our last visit we were…read moreunaware we needed four wheel drive and didn't attempt with 2 wheel. This time we made sure to take 4 wheel drive up to the observatory. Please bring warm clothes including earmuffs and mitts. You will be thankful to yourself for getting it. It may be cloudy when you drive up with ring of clouds around both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa but many a times sky above at 13k is clear. You would also see Haleakala in west in distance if its clear. - BONUS! At 9k visitor center there is a restroom and then there are porta potties where observatories are. The road is 25% grade so be kind to your breaks and use 4L with m2 to drive up and 4L +drive while coming down. The rangers checked tank plus if the car is 4wheel and have instructions. Mind you! They also checked break after we reached down. That's good for you and your car! Now up at the summit you might be lucky to see the observatories rotating and opening for their nightly duties. They used to allow admissions in the past and sky gazing program at visitor center but not anymore. So you might have to check with them. No drones allowed - fyi! The rangers will also be everywhere and make everyone leave 10 minutes after sunset. Key point- bring enough water for all the members with you. Water has oxygen which helps you breathe and keeps you hydrated. Coming back to experience... The views are ethereal. This was one of the topmost points in my list ( pun intended) in big island. Sunset hues are out of the world. If you go on moonless nights and clear days you might get to see more stars and planets.

I don't like cold. I don't like snow. It was not my idea to come here. I could only be out of the…read morecar for 3 min. Being in Hawaii on the tallest mountain in frigid conditions is not what I want in a Hawaiian vacation. You have been warned, come prepared. It was pretty but if you're not prepared you will not like it. Bring snow pants and a parka with thick gloves. I could have skipped this excursion entirely but my husband wanted to go and he can wear shorts in a blizzard. The drive up and drive down is tedious. I had no idea that this would take 5 to 6 hours. You can only go up in all wheel drive or four wheel drive. If your brakes are too hot on the way down you have to pull over at the visitors center and wait over 30 minutes to leave. It was one of the worst times I've had on vacation. I may have a bad attitude but people should know the reality of it. I'm a big fan of looking at pictures of this place rather than actually going.

we had a great visit to the mountain, it was made all the better by our guide. The view from there…read moreis amazing. We started early and it was clear and we got to see the clouds come in and fill in the valleys. We saw sheep and pigs in their natural habitat. Our guide was great and he made the experience interesting with his stories and information. We had plenty of questions and he answered them. We planted a tree and got to help pull up some invasive thistles. We learned a lot about the mountain and the environment. Our experience helped us gain more respect for the natural wonders of Hawaii. We learned so much, I hope we can retain some of it.

Embarking on a private tour of Uluha'o o Hualalai with Kimo as our guide was an unforgettable…read moreexperience. My husband and I are not seasoned hikers. Kimo's patience and extensive knowledge made the journey even more remarkable. The hike to the crater was nothing short of breathtaking, offering wonderful views and a deep connection to nature. A special touch was the opportunity to plant a small tree--a meaningful gesture to give back and express gratitude for the experience. Highly recommend for those seeking an awe-inspiring adventure with a conscientious and knowledgeable guide (late post, October 2023)

This was such a fun activity to do with my friends and the final product looked better then I could…read moreimagine! The ladies working were not only helpful but they were enthusiastic about being there! Would highly recommend!

The best art experience ever! Teresa was so great ! & so cool!! My 12 year old son and his friend…read moreloved it! They made a beach scene and flow art on a heart and they came out so good! I was really glad we did at this location although they do have art studios near us in San Diego and LA. We plan on going back to the Big Island and doing this again. Teresa was so kind and patient working with the boys and educating them on the whole process while making it so fun! It's worth every penny and such a creative process that I am so happy it's offered to the public. It looks like a professional artist made them! Thank you Teresa can't wait to be back !