If I had known how much this cost ahead of time, then I would have never booked it. Thank God I didn't know because it was an experience I will cherish forever! When we booked the sunrise canoe paddle through the concierge, I thought it was included in the resort fee. Turns out it was not, which I didn't learn until after we got off the boat and they asked us to pay for the experience. Ironically, this was the best part of our trip and one that I would repeat every time I returned to Hawaii. We went on this excursion as a family, but I wouldn't hesitate also to book this as a solo traveler.
We booked this for our first morning on the island. I thought we would be jet lagged and wake up early anyway. This wasn't the case, and we almost missed the departure. I'd recommend saving this special experience and booking for later on in your trip. We all threw on bathing suits, but it was pretty chilly in the morning, so I threw on a zip-up hoodie as a coverup. My husband and kids didn't, and they were a bit cold on the paddle back to shore.
We checked in at the beach hut on the Mauna Lani property at 6:30 am which is when the boat was supposed to depart. We thought the four of us had our own family canoe but there was another couple booked on this morning outing. We had booked this experience over email through the concierge, and they failed to mention any of this information - no mention of a cost, no mention of it including other families so there were a few surprises.
They offered a quick lesson on how to paddle. They asked my daughter to sit on the netting in the middle so they could add an extra employee to help row. I initially thought I wanted my daughter to experience paddling herself, but it was actually harder on the arm muscles than I anticipated. II was glad she opted to be a Moana princess and just go along for the ride.
The entire excursion was about 60 minutes. We rowed out to a sacred point overlooking the Mauna Kea volcano. This is the largest mountain in the world with about 30,000 feet of it below water. Side note: they told us Mauna Loa is the largest erupting volcano on Earth and is also on the Big Island of Hawaii. The crew consisted of some locals born and raised in this area. They shared with us the beliefs and history of this area. A one point in time, this was a very sacred area that only the royal family was allowed to visit. They asked us to put our phones away and to be present in the moment.
They suggested we take a dip in the water which only my husband was brave enough to do. One it was a bit cold (the air temp, not the water) and two, you had to have the strength to pull yourself back up into the canoe. They said the ocean is big enough to wash away all of your negative thoughts and energy, so people paddle out to this sacred location to wash away the badness and start fresh. Seems like the perfect tradition to start in January of every year.
After the dip, they gave us time to say a silent prayer or meditation. Then they sang a local Hawaiian song and as they finished the sun popped up over Mauna Kea. It was one of the most beautiful sights I've seen all year. We sat in pure silence, everyone was still, and you could only hear the calm of the water slightly lapping up against the canoe. I could have sat here for hours but after about five minutes they said it was time to canoe back. Once we got to shore, they explained that they saw the winds rolling in and wanted to beat them back to shore. The crew rowed fast and strong. You could feel the chop and winds picking up. I loved the challenge and keeping pace with them.
We returned to shore feeling renewed, refreshed and with a clear mind and soul. I honestly would recommend that everyone experience this but with tip it is a couple of hundred dollars for a family of four. If budget was a concern, I'd skip a meal or two to do this excursion. I did it on my birthday and my energy is already better for this trip around the sun!
