We were picked up at our hotel at 6:45am, followed by two more pickups.
Our tour guide Charmaine Kekona was awesome. Some last minute adjustments were needed in terms of bus transfers but Charmaine accommodated it professionally. She is a local from Hana (as local as pointing out the mother in laws house along the road to Hana) and gave us an insiders perspective. Her pride in the Hawaiian culture and traditions was palpable!
Her unique experience allowed awesome tweaks to the itinerary which elevated the overall experience. We saw rainbow eucalyptus trees, dunked in two waterfalls, black sand beach and many other things along the way. We stopped by Halfway to Hana where we picked up yummy banana bread and shave ice with no lineup. We also stopped at a coconut spot and got to try fresh coconuts and other exotic fruits.
We drove alongside Oprah’s property, and caught a gorgeous sunset. To top off our tour, we managed to see a double rainbow, which is a rare sight in itself. Charmaine gave us background about herself and showed us where she lives in Hana, along with some family history.
The drive itself was alright - glad we didn’t do it ourselves though. Some of the locals aren’t very patient, and rightfully so. The drive has a lot of winding turns, and ends with a unpaved bumpy road as we go down the other side of Haleakala. At 26 weeks pregnant, I was alright. Charmaine took extra precaution while driving to avoid any motion sickness. We were given adequate breakfast and lunch, and lots of snacks and chips along the way. At no point did we feel rushed. We reached back to our hotel at around 8pm, which was mutually agreed upon at the start of the ride.