5 Stars all the way around! Kimo and Mike spent all day (quite literally 12 hours) with us on our Reverse Road to Hana tour. First, since we had 4 people on our tour, they volunteered to take us in 2 Jeeps (at no additional charge) so that we wouldn't be squished in the backseat. So, before we even left the house, I was already impressed. It felt like a private tour from start to finish.
Starting with pickup at our front door, Mike & Kimo drove us to Safeway to pick up snacks & breakfast. Then we were off through the mountains. At every stop along the way we never felt rushed. The backside of the road to Hana goes through wild and undeveloped land on a twisty, turny road that sometimes wasn't even paved. We stopped at several picturesque places for photos, and they took us offroad and through the mud on the way to a deserted black sand beach. (Not the famous one, that was later in the tour. At this one we had the place to ourselves.) Because Kimo grew up, and still lives, on that side of the island, he knew everyone and everyone knew him. Tons of history on the land and the island in general.
One of the stops is a family home with AMAZING views from the cliffs above the ocean. The homeowner and his wife (and pet dogs and goat) had lots of stories to tell, complete with a homemade photo album of his fresh fish catches over the years.
Because you start on the end of the road, there was little, if any, traffic to content with when we stopped at the waterfalls and swimming pools. The water is COLD but so beautifully clear.
For lunch, we told Kimo we wanted a family-owned restaurant, and he took us to a roadside food truck that we never would have thought to stop by otherwise. But man are we glad we did. The mahi mahi plate and giant rack of ribs were to die for! After we picked up lunch to-go, they drove us to the famous Waianapanapa Black Sand Beach where we had a picnic, swam in crystal blue water, and explored a lava tube. A humpback whale even made an appearance just outside the cove.
Other stops included a second waterfall/swimming hole at Puohokamoa Falls (even colder than the first), a banana bread stand (try the banana bread sundae, you won't be sorry you did), and Kaumahina State Wayside where we stood in awe of the powerful waves slamming up against the black lava rocks offshore. We ended the day at Ho'okipa Beach Park where we watched the surfers ride 12-15 foot waves and snapped a few pictures of the sleeping turtles on the beach.
By then the sun had set, and Kimo and Mike returned us to our front door. A long, amazing day that was worth every penny.