Arrive at the Kailua-Kona Airport, on the Big Island of Hawaii, according to your own air schedule. After claiming your bags, you will be transferred to Kamakahonu Bay and King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, our home for the next 3 nights. Spend the balance of the day relaxing in your ocean-view room, swim in the bay, or walk along the hotel’s beautiful Kamakahonu Bay. The hotel has some interesting historical artifacts and depictions of 18th-century Hawaiian life. This evening join Sky & Telescope contributing editor and volcano expert Steve O’Meara for a sunset get-acquainted reception.
Overnight: Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel (3 nights)

    At noon today we will begin our journey to Mauna Kea. We’ll stop at the 7,000-foot level to see an ancient Hawaiian stone wall partially covered by a flow of lava from Mauna Loa and adjust to the increasing elevation. Our next stop will be at the Onizuka Visitor’s Center (elevation 9,300 ft) to explore its small museum and buy souvenirs. We will then continue to the summit (almost 14,000 ft), where we will enjoy VIP visits to the Subaru, Keck, and Gemini North telescopes — optical giants that employ revolutionary technologies. Subaru — a visible-infrared telescope with a monolithic 8.2-meter mirror — is housed in a cylindrical state-of-the-art dome. Gemini North, in its remarkable louvered dome, is part of the Gemini project — a multinational effort operating twin 8.1-meter telescopes utilizing advanced technology to produce