Reviewed by: Cynthia
Isaac, our driver, exceeded our expectations and provided us with an extemely enjoyable private tour of Oahu. He was knowledgeable and took us to areas of the island that we might not have found on our own. He also took into consideration things that we stated we enjoy and like and he made those things part of the tour. I would highly recommend this tour and Isaac to anyone looking for a great experience.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2011/12/15 |
Reviewed by: Tony & Carol
We loved this tour! Very well run and done, family that runs it is great. Very timely and informational all the way to the end of the tour at their museum.......highly recommend this tour. Duke was awesome!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/12/10 |
Reviewed by: Jordan
Cousin Jerry was the best! So knowledgeable and friendly. We had a great chat about all things Hawaii! We were lucky we were the only ones seeing Mighty Mo and the city tour in our group so it. The bus to Might Mo was operated by Roberts, they were great too. We will be back!!!
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/12/09 |
Reviewed by: phyllis
was interesting and unique. would have liked extra hour or so to go through submarine. bus driver presented great introduction to the events of the war and was very informative on honolulu tour.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/12/08 |
Reviewed by: yuji
This was my first trip to Hawaii and my first solo trip abroad, and thanks to a recommendation from an acquaintance, I extended my stay in Maui. Specifically, I stayed in Maui for 11 days and then planned to spend 4 nights and 5 days in Oahu (I’m writing this on the 6th day in Maui). Since I was going abroad, I wanted to do things that I couldn’t experience on a personal trip! So, I focused on tours led by local professionals.
To cut to the chase, this tour was amazing, and more than anything, I was very fortunate to meet Yamapi in Maui. I was a bit anxious about traveling alone, but there were only five participants in total, including me and two couples, which made for a perfect group size to enjoy the experience.
First, the sunset was an incredible view like nothing I had ever experienced before, and I didn’t know how to express it, so all I could say was “Wow~~~” ^^; (After returning to the hotel and looking at the photos and videos I took with my digital camera, I could gradually feel the greatness of that moment.) In early December, there were very few Japanese and foreigners, so it was nice to be able to enjoy sightseeing in such a quiet environment.
I thought the sunset would be the highlight, but the stargazing turned out to be the main event of the tour. Yamapi, being a stargazing enthusiast, used high-performance equipment to show us some truly wonderful stars and the moon. Both the sunset and the stargazing were so fantastic that it felt like a scene from a movie, making it hard to tell whether it was reality or not.
Furthermore, as you can read from others' reviews, the most wonderful aspect was definitely Yamapi's personality and storytelling. He made sure that all participants were satisfied with thoughtful touches throughout the tour, which is what you would expect from a professional Japanese guide (laughs). The tour, with Yamapi’s storytelling in the car and listening to his favorite BGM, will surely become an unforgettable memory in my life (I’m still in my 20s and want to participate in local tours around the world, but I have a feeling that this first overseas local tour will become my all-time favorite ^^;).
Thank you so much for allowing me to experience such a wonderful tour! I am very grateful to Yamapi and Alan1.
Next time, I’d like to bring friends and family, maybe next year! Mahalo!
今回は初のハワイ&海外一人旅でしたが、知り合いからの勧めもありマウイへの滞在を長くしました。具体的にはマウイへ11日間滞在しその後オアフへ4泊5日の予定です(この文章はマウイ6日目に書いてます)。どうせ海外へ行くなら個人旅行では体験できないことをしたい!というわけで現地のプロが行うツアー重視で考えていました。
結論から言いますとこのツアーは最高でしたし、そして何よりもヤマピーさんとマウイで出会えたことがとても幸いでした。私は一人旅なので少々不安でしたが、他は二組のご夫婦と私のみの合計5名の参加者でしたのでちょうど良い人数で楽しむことができました。
まずはサンセットですが、いままでに経験したことのない絶景でしたので何と表現したら良いかわからず、ただ「すげ~~~」としか言えませんでした^^; (ホテルに帰ってからデジカメで撮った写真や動画を観るとその時の凄さがジワジワと実感できます)12月前半は日本人はもちろん外人さんも少ないので周りがとても静かな環境で観光できたのも良かったです。
そして、私はこれがメインかと思っていたのですが、天体観測が今回のツアーのメインでした。ヤマピーさんは天体観測マニアだけあって高性能なマシーンを駆使して私達にとても素敵な星々やお月様を見せて下さいました。サンセットも天体観測もそうですが、まるで映画の世界のようで現実なのか非現実なのかわからなくなるくらい素晴らしかったです。
さらに、他の方の感想も読むとわかりますが、一番素晴らしいのはやはりヤマピーさんの人柄と語りだと感じました。私達参加者が全員満足できるような工夫がいたるところでされていたので、さすがはプロの日本人だとも思いました(笑)車中や天体観測でのヤマピーさんの語りと車中のでヤマピーさんお気に入りのBGMを聴きながらのツアーは人生で忘れられない旅の思い出になると確信しています(私はまだ20代でこれから世界中の現地ツアーに参加したいと思っていますが、初の海外現地ツアーが歴代1位になりそうな予感がしています ^^;)
このような素敵なツアーを体験させていただき本当にありがとうございました!ヤマピーさんとAlan1さんにはとても感謝しております。
今度は来年あたりに友人や家族を連れてきたいです!マハロ!
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2011/12/07 |
Reviewed by: 匿名希望
The guide's explanations were very easy to understand, and everything was enjoyable from start to finish! If you're learning HULA, this is a must-visit!
ガイドの方の案内がとても分かりやすく、また上品で隅から隅まで満喫できました!
HULAを習ってる人は特に行くべきです!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2011/11/28 |
Reviewed by: Mille Sass
The best of the tour where our guide " aunt Em " she was more like a grandmother and she was so nice and sweet and she told us so many things.
The vehichle was not so good as I thought. I know the roads are pretty bad some places but in a big bus it´s more comftable.
But we visited some nice places, my favourit was the temple, the beaches and the lookouts.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2011/11/27 |
Reviewed by: Wanda and Keith
This was an amazing Luau.. WOW! Can't say enough about it. The food was amazing, the entertainment, the entire night. We opted for preferred seating so we were escorted right in, greeted with a fresh flower lei and had our picture taken. That was just the start of a truly fantastic evening. It was held near the ocean at the King Kamehameha Hotel within view of the Ahuena Heiau. The Ahu'ena Heiau is the religious temple that served Kamehameha the Great when he returned to the Big Island in 1812. The show after dinner was spectacular, hard to describe with words.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/11/25 |
Reviewed by: Mille Sass
I had an amazing day at Pearl Harbor. I didn´t go to the USS memorial because I don´t like boats. But instead I went on the USS Bowfin a fantastic experience. The USS Missouri battleship was awesome ! And it is so big, you need to set good time for this activiti so you can enjoy everything. And take the guided tours, they are really great. Also a big hand for the busdriver that day, Cathrine. She was great, smiling, happy, talked with everybody and maked all of us smiling. I was the only one who did the big tour in Pearl Harbor that day. On the way back she drove through Punchbowl and China town, really sweet and an exstra service for me. Fantastic day.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2011/11/21 |
Reviewed by: きらこ
I went to see the sunset, and it was incredibly beautiful! The sunset was great, but unfortunately, there were clouds in the sky, so I couldn't see the stars. However, the guides were very engaging and tried their best until the very end... their service was excellent.
When we had our lunch just before reaching the summit, we enjoyed warm miso soup, tea, and cocoa, which really helped warm us up.
Additionally, they lent us ski wear-like outerwear, which was great! Other tour participants only had outerwear for the upper body, so they looked very cold.
The summit is quite chilly. The restroom is also quite scary—it's very dark.
But the beauty of the sunset made me forget the cold.
Also, the guides actively took photos for us, and even though we didn't have many pictures of the two of us, they captured some wonderful commemorative photos.
I'm sure I would have been even more moved if I could have seen the stars, but it's nature, so there's nothing we can do about it. The people who participated in the tour with us said, "This means we have to come back again!"
That's true. I definitely want to try again.
サンセットを見に行きましたが、めちゃくちゃキレイでした!!
サンセットはとても良い感じで見れたのですが、残念な事に星空は上空に雲が出てしまい、見ることが出来ませんでした。
でも、ガイドさんたちはいろいろ盛り上げてくれたり、最後の最後までトライしてくれたり・・・対応がとても良かったです。
山頂手前でいただいたお弁当の時は、温かいお味噌汁、お茶、ココアなどいただき、これがまた体を温めてくれました。
それに、上下でスキーウェアのような防寒具を貸していただき、これは良かった!!
他のツアーの人は上だけの防寒具だったりしてたので、とても寒そうに見えました。
山頂はかなり寒いです。
トイレもかなり怖いです。真っ暗で。
ケド、寒さを忘れるくらい、サンセットはキレイでした。
また、ガイドさんが積極的に写真を撮って下さり、2人の写真があまりなかったなか、記念のステキな写真を撮っていただけました。
きっと星空が見えたらもっと感動してたと思いますが、自然の事ですから、仕方がないですよね。
ツアーに一緒に参加してた人たちは『これは、もう一回来いって事よね!』って言ってました。
その通りですね。
是非、再チャレンジしてみたいと思います。
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/11/18 |
Reviewed by: 匿名希望
I participated in the Mauna Kea summit tour with Masashi Nature. We were able to drive to the summit in a short time that made the height of Mauna Kea feel insignificant, and at the top, we witnessed a wonderful sunset. I could truly feel the height and grandeur of the mountain.
The starry sky was filled with so many stars that I was left in awe, spending time just taking it all in. They took many photos, and when I checked their website, I saw the pictures from that time uploaded.
The warm miso soup we had for dinner was delicious. Masashi Nature always provides a wonderful tour of the Big Island of Hawaii. I will definitely use their services again.
マサシネイチャーでマウナケア山頂ツアーに参加しました。
マウナケアの高さを感じさせないほどの短時間で車で頂上まで登れ、頂上ではすばらしい日没を見れました。高さと雄大さを実感できました。
星空も満天の星とはこれを言うのだと思えるほどの降り注ぐ星にただ呆然として時間をすごしました。
写真もたくさん撮ってくださいましてHPを見たらその時の写真がアップされていました。
と夕で食べた夕飯の暖かい味噌汁がおいしかったです
いつもマサシネイチャーさんにはすばらしいハワイ島を案内してもらっています。又、利用させていただきます
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/11/05 |
Reviewed by: Tanya W
This trip was worth every penny and more. The guide, Garry, was knowledgeable and went beyond to find all the birds on our list and spent extra time helping all see them. Guide, John, knew every native plant I asked about growing among the beautiful lava path. The tour was like being part of a scene from an Indiana Jones movie. Will be back to do the other NWR ecotour since I loved it so much.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/11/04 |
Reviewed by: カメラ好き
I participated to go see the starry sky.
One thing that is good to prepare is the iTunes app "Star Walk." I realized that the satellite moving around was the Hubble. Thanks to my cold weather preparations, it wasn't too cold. The lower area was clear, but if it were raining, the experience might be different.
There are several opportunities to take group photos. This is a matter of preference, but group photos can feel a bit lacking in spirit. If I participate next time, I might skip the group photos.
For those who want to take their time photographing the starry sky, there is a way to get to Onizuka on your own. Since there can be fog in the lower area and winding roads, I think it would be good to participate in a tour like this once for some preparation.
星空を見に行くために参加しました。
準備した方がよいものは、itunesのアプリ「star walk」
とことこ動いていた衛星はハッブルだとわかりました。
寒さ対策をしたせいか、あまり寒くはなかったです。
下界が晴れていたのですが、雨だとまた体感が違うのかもしれません。
集合写真を何回か撮る機会があります。
これは好みだと思いますが、集合写真は心が抜けますね。
もし次回参加するならば、集合写真は参加しなくてもいいかな?
星空をゆっくり撮りたい方は、onizukaまで自力で行く方法もあります。
下界の霧とか、ワイディングロードなので
一度このようなツアーに参加して予習すると良いと思います。
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2011/11/01 |
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous
Although a very new Kualoa ranch tour the operators were keen to learn and improve where possible. My wife and I enjoyed the tour and picnic lunch, the guide was both helpful and informative. Although we have done other ranch tours on previous visits this was the first time we had a composite tour and enjoyed seeing parts we had not seen previously. We highly recomend this tour and found it value for money.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/24 |
Reviewed by: Katie
I participated on a weekday in early October before the triathlon competition. We were the only Japanese people there.
Unfortunately, we didn't see any dolphins, but the boat was spacious, and the restrooms were clean, so I was satisfied with the facilities. There were slides and diving boards, and the slide was particularly enjoyable even for adults.
The meals and drinks were well-prepared, and I had no trouble at all. The staff was friendly and provided snorkeling sets and wetsuits for rent.
We had plenty of time to enjoy snorkeling. However, the coral was located at a depth of about 5 to 10 meters, and I could only see the fish up close after diving deep. Even just floating on the surface, the water's clarity was excellent, allowing us to see the seabed well, but the fish were quite far away, which left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.
I think the boat was too large to anchor in very shallow areas. If you want to see the fish up close, diving might have been a better option.
10月初旬でトライアスロン大会前の平日に参加しました。日本人は我々だけでした。
イルカは残念ながら見れませんでしたが、船がゆったりしていて、トイレもきれいで設備は満足でした。スライダーや飛び込み台があって、特にスライダーが大人でも楽しめました。
食事や飲み物もきちんとそろっていて全く困りませんでしたし、スタッフはフレンドリーでシュノーケルセットやウェットスーツ等も貸してくれます。
シュノーケルもたっぷり楽しむ時間がありました。ただ、水深5m~10m位のところに珊瑚があって、深く潜ってやっと魚が近くに見える程度。水面でぷかぷか浮いて見るだけでも、海の透明度は抜群なので海底まで良く見えはしましたが、魚はとても遠くにいて、ちょっと不完全燃焼でした。
船が大きめなのであまり浅いところには停められないのだと思います。魚を近くで見たければダイビングがよかったかもしれません。
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/17 |
Reviewed by: Holly
We had such an enjoyable tour of Pearl Harbor and the rest of the island! Our tour guide, Hana, was extremely knowledgeable and provided many extra bits of information as we were driving. We had some bus trouble and Hana handled it in a completely professional and very quick manner. Overall I would recommend this tour to anyone. We absolutely loved it and it is a great way to see the island without renting a car.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/16 |
Reviewed by: 匿名希望
Haleakalā Volcano is a mountain that rises over 3,000 meters, with its summit above the clouds. The sunset viewed from there is a breathtaking sight as it sinks beyond the clouds, leaving a lasting impression.
Additionally, listening to the guide Yamapee's stories while gazing at the starry sky was heartwarming and intriguing, making me feel incredibly positive.
The tour was very satisfying, as we were shown the moon and star clusters through a telescope, heard stories about constellations, and enjoyed everything from the sunset to the starry sky.
ハレアカラ火山は、3,000メートルを超える山でその山頂は雲の上。そこから見る夕日は、雲の向こうに沈んでいく幻想的な光景で、感動でした。
また、星空を見上げながら聞くガイドのYamapeeさんのお話は、心温まる&興味深い話で、すごく前向きな自分になれた気がします。
天体望遠鏡で月や星群を見せてもらったり、星座の話を聞いたり、夕日から星空まで、大満足なツアーでした。
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/15 |
Reviewed by: こあらっぱな
There were a lot of whale families. The prices are reasonable, and meals are included, so families traveling to Hawaii during this time should definitely participate. My family was very pleased.
クジラのファミリーが沢山いました。
金額も安いし 食事もついているので家族連れでこの時期にハワイに行かれる方は絶対に参加したほうがいいです。
家族にとても喜ばれました。
It's the Star of Honolulu.
The whale season has arrived again. This year, the boat will start from December 26, 2011, due to dry dock maintenance.
As mentioned in the comments, we definitely want our Japanese customers to see the natural humpback whales. Thank you for your comments.
Reservations Department
スターオブホノルルです。
クジラのシーズンがまたやってきました。今年は船がドライドック(定期点検)のため
2011年12月26日からスタートです。
コメントに頂いたように是非是非日本のお客様にも自然のザトウクジラをご覧頂きたく思います。コメント有難うございました。
予約課
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/14 |
Reviewed by: パル
I get motion sickness easily, so the trip there and back was tough (it was quite a ride). However, I’m really glad I went. The sunset and starry sky... they were truly beautiful. I definitely think you should see it with your own eyes.
私は乗り物酔いがひどいので、行き帰りは大変でした(かなり飛ばします)。ただ、それでもやっぱり行って良かったです。夕日と星空・・・本当に美しかったです。是非、ご自身の目で見て欲しいと思います。
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/13 |
Reviewed by: M Ramsburg
The whole evening went very smooth, from the Transportation pick up to the actual cruise. Very well organized and the food was really good. The entertainment was very enjoyable as well, and everyone in our dinning area seemed to enjoy the evening. The sunset was very nice even on a cloudy evening. The view back into Waikiki was amazing.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/13 |
Reviewed by: Cindyh
As this was my first visit to Oahu and Hawaii, I wanted to see as much as I possibly could. This tour did was great! We saw much of the island with a few stops here and there. Some of the things we saw were merely through the bus window, but being able to see so much of the island in one day was wonderful. I would recommend doing this tour near the beginning of your trip so if there is anything you find particularly interesting, you can go back. Pearl Harbor was amazing. This is a good tour if you only want a couple hours there.
Our tour guide was excellent! He was very knowledgeable about the locations we visited, friendly and shared many interesting folklore stories during the tour.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/12 |
Reviewed by: 美容師 りな
The sunset at Mauna Kea, which is higher than Mount Fuji, was wonderful. On the opposite side of the setting sun, there was a full moon, creating a magical atmosphere. Thanks to the full moon, stargazing was a bit challenging, though. The oxygen is indeed thin, but taking regular breaks to acclimate helped, so it wasn't a problem. However, it is really cold, so warm clothing is essential. At Masashi's Nature, they provided warm outerwear, but it seems that other companies only offer a poor-quality jacket, so I think it's worth considering that aspect as well.
富士山よりも高いマウナケアでのサンセット素晴らしいものでした。その、沈む太陽の反対側には満月があり幻想的でした。満月のおかげで星空観測は微妙でしたが・・。酸素は確かに薄いけどマメに体を慣らす休憩をとって下さったので問題ありません。ただ、本当に寒いので必須防寒。マサシ−ズ ネイチャ-では上下の温かい防寒を貸してもらえましたが他社では気の毒な程度の上着しか与えられてないみたいなので、そのあたりもポイントにすると良いと思います。
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/11 |
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous
Mattias was a great tour guide and knew a lot about the hike. I took my 8 year old son along and he had a great time as well. It was beautiful.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/11 |
Reviewed by: M Ramsburg
The guide was very experienced in using the Segway and knowledge of the area was very informative. We had a small group which was better and easier to see more items faster.
Riding along the coast line provided a wonderful view of the beach area throughout the ride.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/10 |
Reviewed by: Karen
Excellent from start to finish, our guide was so entertaining we had a wonderful time, he was full of information about anything you wished to know about, but also talented when it came to telling the odd joke and impressive when he sang, he got the whole coach full of strangers in the morning becoming friends by the end of the trip. This adventure was first class and I would certainly recommend this tour to anyone of all ages, there was something for everyone to enjoy with plenty of stops for photo opportunities or just marvel at the outstanding scenery.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/01 |
Reviewed by: Wendy
This was the highlight of my whole vacation. It was so easy to learn and super fun to be zipping along the sidewalks with the trade winds blowing in my hair. My guide was excelent !
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2011/10/01 |
Reviewed by: Mr. Anonymous
We had a lovely day learnt alot about the island and seeing how the Polynesian lived was very interesting the whole day was very good and we recomend it
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/09/30 |
Reviewed by: Lars D
The activity lasted 14 hours, but we were never bored and the time seemed to fly by. A great guide/bus driver in Henry, an entertaining samoan, helped greatly.
You get to see many of the famous beaches, mountains and other parts of Oahu, as well as the Dole plant (where we spent so little time that it was almost a waste) and the Polynesian cultural center.
The buffet was OK, as expected, but nothing special. The shows before and after though, were very good. A must see for all visiting Oahu.
Good value for the money.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Posted on: | 2011/09/28 |
Reviewed by: 鹿児島のシン
We went to the Big Island of Hawaii for the first time as a family. Driving around in a rental car was amazing. I had always wanted to climb Mauna Kea, but I was worried about tire punctures and car troubles due to the pressure changes with a regular vehicle, so we requested a guide. With the guide, we received various information, safety tips, and explanations about the stars, which made us feel very secure and turned our Mauna Kea experience into a fun one.
家族で、ハワイ島に初めて行きました。レンタカーで走りました、最高でしたよ、マウナケア山に登りたい希望が、以前からありましたが、一般の車では気圧の関係で、タイヤがパンクしたり、車の故障だとか心配で、ガイドをお願いしました。いろんなお話に注意事項と、星の説明にと、ガイドさんと一緒でとても安心できて、楽しいマウナケアでした。
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Posted on: | 2011/09/28 |
Reviewed by: Michael - Albuquerque
I had never taken a helicopter ride before and I am glad that I chose Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. This was the best tour that I took on my vacation. This is definitely a MUST for all visitors to Oahu.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Posted on: | 2011/09/28 |
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Hi Tony and Carol,
Thank you for taking the time to share with others your positive comments. We appreciate your support of Home of the Brave Tours. Duke does too!
Aloha,
Janet Tomlinson
Home of the Brave Tours