After an ascent of over 10,000 feet by car on a seemingly endless number of switchbacks, we arrive at the summit and stand on the edge of the crater rim of the dormant Haleakala volcano.
The landscape inside the crater is a cinder desert with a sculpted barren terrain, cinder cones and richly coloured soil. It feels like we have landed on Mars.
Despite the harsh environment, a variety of creatures and plants have adapted to the summit’s extremes. Several native Hawaiian birds are only found on the summit of Haleakala and are on
the endangered species list. We were fortunate to spot a few and they will be posted in the following images…

Part of the gallery: Birds of Maui