Hexagonal GaN is grown on (0001) sapphire substrates using an atmospheric pressure organometallic vapor phase epitaxy method. We investigate the influences of the initial treatment of sapphire substrate, such as initial nitridation and low-temperature GaN buffer layer deposition, upon the surface morphology and crystallinity. The thermal stability of grown GaN layers is also investigated using a thermal etching process in a H2 atmosphere in order to obtain the information concerning the surface polarity of GaN(0001) layers. When sapphire substrates are initially nitrided, highly crystalline GaN layers with large hexagonal facets are obtained and its surface appears to be (0001)N. On the other hand, the deposition of a thicker buffer layer on the nitrided sapphire substrates improves the surface morphology, and the surface polarity of the mirror surface appears to be (0001)Ga. The initial nitridation of sapphire substrates and the GaN buffer layer deposition are considered to be important processes from viewpoints of the (0001) surface polarity.