Pat Wright is the president and founder of
Mauna Kea Summit Adventures and Paradise Safaris Inc.. A professional guide fu
ll-time since 1976 he has guided backcountry skiing, whitewater and horse
packing trips
from New Mexico to Montana and New Zealand. In 1982 his travels
brought him to the Big Island and the snows of Mauna
Kea. That year had very heavy snowfall and between skiing and surfing Pat
had found his personal paradise.
Pat received the first permit for commercial tours on Mauna Kea in 1984 and was also one of the original operators permitted to enter Waipio valley. In 1984 he got the idea of producing a specialty tour for Halley's comet and after a year of teaching himself the night sky; the Mauna Kea Sunset Stargazing trip was launched. The demand was strong for this unique adventure and eventually it so dominated the schedule that Pat dropped his other trips. Since 1982 Pat has made approximately 4,000 trips to the summit and shown 75,000 folks the night sky. His special areas of knowledge are : meteorology, geography, geology, astronomy and especially photography.
In his spare time Pat can be found skiing, surfing, kayaking, Mt. biking or traveling the world with his cameras.
Nowadays vacation itineraries are relatively short and it seems the great distances of the Big Island tend to eat up the few precious days that our visitors have here. I won't pretend to apologize for our wide open spaces but I do know that the problem is mostly in planning. I would like to present an concept that can, effectively, give you an extra day of fun, adventure or relaxation on the Big Island. This concept works just as well for Hilo and Waimea visitors as it does for the west side participants.
Everyone, that we know, wants to explore the Big Island. Luckily, many of the most popular and interesting places are found on the northern 1/3 of the island. Because MKSA has excellent pick up points in this area you can visit these places during the morning through mid-day periods and catch our tour at a point close to your mornings activities. By doing this you will save a few hours spent returning to your hotel and preparing for the trip. Some people, of course would like a shower or to change clothes prior to our trip. The island has an abundance of public places where you can freshen up, without wasting 3 hours of your precious vacation to do so. Believe me, it is far less tiresome to go directly to our tour from your mornings activities a field than it is to drive an extra 1-3 hours back to your hotel just to change or find out about the weather and then drive to our pick up point. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to spend a morning at a dazzling white sand beach, enjoy an elegant lunch in Waimea, see Mauna Kea and the night sky and be back in bed before midnight. Our reservation personnel should be able to help you with the basic logistics when you call. On the map page you will find listed some attractive areas to visit that dovetail nicely with our pick- up points.
About 10% of our trips are cancelled due to inclement weather. If you are in the field it is important to give us a call at 1.5 hours prior to your pickup to reaffirm the trip. There are, of course, pay phones all over the island so this won't be much of a chore. Of course, if you have a cell phone, so much the better. We almost never cancel a tour more than 1.5 hours in front of departure so there is no need to call earlier. Should we happen to cancel your trip ,you will be able to continue your day without interruption. Good luck and have fun
All photos and text are copyright ©2002 MP Wright All rights reserved
