Where else in the world can you enjoy a day at the beach and see snow-capped mountains?
Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa (which mean White Mountain, and Long Mountain, respectively) are so tall that their peaks can shine bright with fresh snow in the winter, while the temperature at sea level is 85 degrees and perfect for swimming. Winter at sea level on the big island offers similar weather to summer, but at the peaks of the 13,000 feet mountains, it’s like being in an entirely different world.
During the 2021 Festive Season we decided to make the trip to the summit of Mauna Kea with a mission: to build a snowman on the beach! We got up early on December 24th, armed ourselves with coffee for the journey, and left the warm temperatures of the resort behind. We took our 4×4 pickup truck up the mountain (perfect for transporting snow), and made sure to have sweaters.
At the top of the mountain it was a crisp morning, with temperatures in the mid-thirties, a far cry from the warm 80 degrees at the resort. While the cold was a bit shocking, it was nothing compared to the stunning landscape, snow covered lava cinder cones and craters. We weren’t the only ones who had ventured out to enjoy the snow, as we passed by some snowboarders hitching a ride to a summit. In absence of a ski lift, the back of a pickup truck works great!
To fulfill our beach-snowman mission, we packed the back of our truck full of snow and began our trip down the mountain…only to realize we had forgotten some of the snowman essentials! Our snowman needed a carrot nose, and some Hawaiian leis to enjoy his time on the beach. We stopped in Waikoloa to swing by the grocery store for these items, but had to hurry, because our snow was already melting! We high tailed it to Hapuna Beach, with a bit of a tiny waterfall falling from the back of the truck thanks to the melting snow.
Once we made it to the beach, we loaded the snow from the back of the truck into our trusty beach wagon, and started heading down to the shore. We found a perfect spot on some grass at the edge of the beach, and started building our first snowman! Snow is a lot heavier than it looks, but we were glad we brought as much as we did, because we were able to build a second snowman right on the sand.
A snowman on the beach is a bit of an unusual sight, so our chilly creations drew some attention. People started lining up for a Christmas Eve photo op, and we had an impromptu snowball fight in the ocean with the leftover snow.
While our two frosty friends loved the beach, it was a bit too warm for them, and they melted away in a hour to return to the sea (though we hear they’ll be back again someday!) As festive season approaches, we’ve been looking out our windows again and watching the weather hoping for Mauna Kea to get a bit of snow so we can help frosty return to the beach. If you’re visiting this festive season, keep an eye out for frosty at the beach, the perfect blend of a snowy festive season and warm getaway.
