Hakalau NWR Open House

For all the times I have driven past the start of Mana Road, I had never turned to drive down this infamous road. This time we would make the turn, heading around the mountain, not towards the summit as we have always done. Mana road is a rough, unimproved road that starts high on the south face and proceeds all the way to Waimea.

Today we did not plan to explore the whole road, our destination was Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge fourteen miles down Mana road. The refuge preserves a large swath of native forest on the windward slopes of Mauna Kea, sheltering native Hawaiian trees, plants and endangered native birds. To protect this natural treasure entry is tightly controlled, permits are required for access. Once a year the refuge holds an open house, with rangers and volunteer guides on hand to reveal to secrets of this forest. This was our reason for driving down Mana road.

The drive in was not encouraging, heavy fog obscured the scenery with a constant drizzle on the windshield. I had anticipated a wet day, even warning Deb to dress for wet and sloppy conditions, but I had hoped for better. Reality intruded on my plans, the road was an adventure through the fog as we bounced and slid along the narrow track. Arriving at the refuge we found that the event was well attended, with hearty visitors determined to enjoy the forest, rain or shine. It looked to be interesting, with much to learn about the plants, animals and history of the area.

Historic Pua ‘Ākala Cabin reminds the visitor that this has always been a special place. Built as a mountain getaway in 1883 and serving many roles across the years, the well appointed cabin is made from native koa. Around the cabin are fragmentary remains of a rich garden, including fuchsia, lilies, daffodils and fruit trees. The cabin was used as recently as 1980, serving as a line cabin for paniolos working the cattle and range land on these high slopes of Mauna Kea.

After visiting the cabin we joined a steady flow of hikers heading down the slopes into the native forest that is the reason for the refuge. Our hope was to view some of the endangered birds this forest conceals. Some of the hikers reported that it had been a great day for birding, with mixed flocks of ākepa, hawai'i creeper, and 'akiapōlā'au sighted by earlier groups on the trail. We were not so lucky, with none of the rarer birds to be seen. We did get nice views of the beautiful red 'i'iwi (Vestiaria coccinea), and 'amakihi (Hemignathus virens) foraging among the 'ōhi'a trees.

The forest was stunningly beautiful, fog drifting through the treetops and everything dripping. cibotium ferns along the trail and deep green grass testified that this was normal, the forest of the upper slopes is a fog forest, where much of the precipitation comes as mist and drizzle. Along the trail knowledgeable staff and volunteers answered the many questions and identified the bird calls drifting through the trees.

As we turned to return up the trail I was astonished to realize the clouds were breaking, before we were halfway up the fog completely dissipated, to reveal a deep blue sky. We could see all the way to the summit, with the telescopes along the highest ridge line. It was a completely different trail we climbed, the difference so swift and stunning we speculated we had stepped through a portal into another dimension.

Returning to the vehicle we broke out the sandwiches and drinks stashed in the cooler to enjoy a late lunch on the tailgate in the warm sun. A few feet away a group of nēnē grazed the recently mown field being used as a parking lot.

Hard to believe that an hour before we were in thick fog and a heavy drizzle, the mountain had changed it's mood in moments. We could see the eruption plumes from Kilauea thirty miles way rising above the TEB vent. To the south Mauna Loa loomed above fragments of fog remaining in the saddle.

Driving home we returned up Mana Road, maneuvering around the rocks and washouts. As I steered the vehicle from one side of the road to another I recalled the hundreds of miles of similar road we had driven in Arizona, exploring the back roads of the Sonoran Desert, the reason I had originally bought this 4WD. The landscape was different, but the adventure was just as good as ever.