unfortunately I can't remember the name of the tour company (there's probably several that do the same thing) but it was an all day affair that had a lunch stop a few thousand feet up, another stop near the visitor centre, and then sunset at the summit. being up above the clouds during that time was an otherworldy experience, I didn't even mind the giant parka we all had to wear.
the best part of the tour though was stargazing at visitor centre level (you can't be at the summit at night when the telescopes are actually doing work). unless you're an elite mountaineer, you probably will not see a more brilliant night sky. there's so many stars that you can't even find any of the familiar constellations, and the Milky Way band looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. the Big Island is my favorite so far and this is a huge reason for that.
regarding the weather, I believe the Big Island is one of the few places where you can find all major climate types in a relatively small area, between the beach and Mauna Kea. if you like warmth, it's certainly more than warm enough in the resort areas, as I got cooked crispy playing around at Hapuna.
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