To answer the question, yes it is possible to fly into an island in the early morning, rent a car, see some sights, and then fly back that evening. This may not be the most economical way to see the island, but it does allow for you to experience many of the island in a short part of the day.
Flew to Maui yesterday (Monday October 27). I hadn’t ever tried flying into an island in the morning and departing same day in the evening. But everything worked out as best as could be expected. I got everything I needed to get done. This includes driving to the top of a volcano, and finding a specialized shop which sells reproductions of antique maps.
My first objective was to drive up Haleakala National Park to the summit. A long and windy road. Smiliar to Short Mountain, but paved. There is a patch of highway from Holland, KY, to Fountain Run, KY, which is very similar to this. But much longer. Along the way up the hill you see the environment change from tropical to temperate to evergreen to tundra. The summit is above the clouds and cold. I think it was the wind that really made it cold. I came prepared with a jacket.
On a side note the rental car company in Maui gave me one of these as they were out of the compact car I had requested. I didn’t complain but grew increasingly apprensive about manuvering this big boat in and around the miniature parking lots and streets of Maui.
After discovering what the surface of Mars really looked like (it just so happens to be at the top of Haleakala), I decided to drive to the westward side of the island to check out a deli I had read about. I know, fly all the way to Maui for a ham and cheese sandwich. But it has always been my style. Kinda like Elvis and him flying to Las Vegas or wherever for a peanut butter and banana sandwich. And after further searching I found the map store I had been looking for. Trust me, I could have spent thousands of dollars in there, but I held myself back and only bought 2 maps suitable for hanging.
After getting the map there wasn’t too much more I wanted to accomplish so headed back to Kahului where the airport is. Stopped by the Queen Kaahumanu Center which is the mall where locals shop. The locals have a funny way with the number 808 which just so happens to be the area code for Hawaii. Seems that natives are really proud of their 808 phone numbers, as I’m guessing that both the military and tourists are so transiet, that the 808s never really matter much to them. Then come the shirts with “808 All Day” printed on them. I’m not sure what this means. Kinda like me having “615 All Day” printed on a set of shirts. But apparently the locals indentify with their area code.
I’d love to write more, but my head has a date with the pillow. The Big Island will be addressed tomorrow.
Also here is a map of my route.