Haleakalā National Park is one of my very first memories when I was a little girl. I’ll never forget waking up in the middle of the night, wrapped up in blankets and embarking on a windy car ride up a dormant volcano. There were so many people huddled around but it was so dark you could only see shadows and hear whispers. It was FREEZING. That was the last thing I ever expected from a tropical island like Maui. I vividly remember the visitor center. I don’t know why. Maybe because it was the only part of the mountain that felt like it didn’t belong, or maybe because it was the only place you could actually see lights.

That is until it happened. Cameras started clicking, people gasping at the sun peaking from the clouds we didn’t even know had been there the whole time. This was it. Haleakala, the most amazing sunrise I will ever get to witness in this lifetime. You are so high up it feels like being on an airplane except you can feel the air and breathe in the nature surrounding you. Then before you know it, the darkness is completely replaced by the brightest beams of light overlooking a landscape that looks like you’re on another planet. Just steep rocks and a huge crater down below.

Years later, I kept coming back. Eventually I learned to drive and would take my friends all the time. I’ll never forget my car broke down and I had to call AAA in the middle of the night- not fun. Then when I lived on the island I would make it a point to come every other day just to watch the sunset, another magical experience that may be just as good if not better than the sunrise itself. It is truly the most memorable experience you will ever get to have, but the first is always the one you’ll remember like the back of your hand.