All Reviews for Black Sand Beach, Waianapanapa Park

Best tour we have ever taken anywhere. Very small group (only 4 of us). The tour driver was very Knowledgeable. Easy driving tour without having to rush. With ony 4 in the group, we stay longer on stops we liked and shorter on the ones we didn't. Lunch was good, again without having to rush off to stay on schedule. The same was true for the helicopter ride back. The polit was fantastic and always made sure we have our camera shots before leaving a givin area. He even spotted a whale (in late May no less) for us to see. Is this tour pricey? yes. Is it worth every penny? YES YES YES !

Our tour guide/bus driver Rory was one of the best tour guides we had during our trip to Hawaii. He made our trip to Hana worthwhile and made us feel comfortable. Not only was he funny and made our trip interesting with his sense of humor but he was very knowledgeable with the history of Hawaii and everything we saw on the Road to Hana. The Road to Hana was a crazy ride but Rory did a great job with the turns and making us feel safe. He made it worth dishing out the money to go on a tour rather than driving it ourselves. We stopped by a couple of places that were not on the schedule, simply because we asked about them and wanted to stop by. We stopped by Hana Farms which was a small stand by Hana that sold the best banana bread. We also stopped by a general store in Hana with cool knick knacks and some snacks. Although it was not on our schedule, he was more than willing to stop and let us look around and buy some stuff. He always cracked jokes and talked about his family. It made us feel like he wasn't just doing his job but that he was enjoying his job and getting to know his guests at the same time. Our Road to Hana wouldn't have been so great if it wasn't for our tour guide from Polynesian Adventure Tours. We recommend this company and this tour guide for any future visitors to Maui who want to go on this tour. You'll have a blast!

The main reason for the helicopter tour was to fly over the crater at Haleakala. Unfortunately the clouds prevented us from doing that. The staff was unable to confirm that we would not be flying over the crater until we were actually in the air. Then on top of the bad address provided for the heliport and the lack of specific detailed information on getting to the helicopter location made for a very stressful and frustrating morning. Once landing and getting on the van to drive back from Hana things were much better. The tour guide in the van was very informative. I would only take this trip again if there were a discount included if weather conditions made it impossible to get to the crater.

Gus was our driver and we are glad. There were 4 of us and we all appreciate the safe driving because this road can be treacherous.
It was a long day and Gus kept us entertained all day with knowledge about every part of the trip. We went places where we would not have imagined there would bevsomething to see and Viola, more Paradise. We saw sea turtles sleeping on the beach, many waterfalls, an upclose tour of an area where the portuguese workers had built a giant cross in tribute to the beautiful island.
We are so glad we booked this intimate trip instead of a big bus full of people.

Thank you Gus.

The guides for both the road to hana and the helicopter were wonderful. They really made the trip a million times better.

What a great time! Sam our driver was very informative and most of all entertaining. He kept us in stitches throughout the tour. Such beautiful views and botanicals.

It's by far the best way to see the hidden beauty of Maui and let everyone experience the awesome sights the road to Hana has to offer.

I loved this trip. The helicopter pilot was excellent and we saw inside of the Haleakala Crater. Then onto our van ride from Hana back to the airport. I have always wanted to see Hana and never made it there on my own. This was a great way to go with someone else doing the driving.

The scenery along Road to Hana is nice, it's an impressive ride. We got to stop where possible, and the driver tried to add some little spots here and there for quick extra photo opportunities.
I was most impressed with the final part of the road that nobody seems to mentions: the part after the Seven Pools which goes through the barren drier south side of the Haleakala. I liked this scenery a lot!

Be aware: if you want to stay on a budget: lunch is very expensive at the chosen restaurant. I brought my own lunch, which turned out to be the right choice.

Attended the 7am tour: first van, then helicopter. We were paired with another family of three.

Beautiful scenery, articulate tour guide named Sue, delicious and filling light lunch, and the helicopter ride was unsurprisingly a treat (lasted around 20-30 min). See my photos of both the Road to Hana van ride and helicopter ride for reference. The best is going into the sky on a partially overcast day, because the pilot will take you cloud-surfing.

The whole tour lasted around four hours.

Coming down the back side of Hana is ever so much prettier than going up, and much more challenging.

excellent tour, our luxury van tour giude,Kelly,was excellent. I highly recommend asking for him if doing the tour. He was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and catered to our needs.The helicopter tour was great. Justin was our pilot and he was excellent. The weather wasn't great so we didn't get to see the volcano. I would do a longer helicopter tour next time, it was amazing.

The trip was truly amazing! We love nature, so we truly enjoyed the trip. Our guide was very knowledgeable. The road was narrow and sometimes scary, but our driver was very skilled and careful. Highly recommended!

I will be forever grateful that a friend talked me out of renting a car and driving the Road to Hana. We are not spring chickens and weren't sure how we would like a helicopter trip to Hana with a road trip back to the cruise port in a 6-passenger luxury van. We knew we didn't want to do a 12-hour bus ride (cruise excursion) but we didn't want to miss Hana.

THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO DO IT!

We thoroughly enjoyed the helicopter flight to Hana and were able to see from the air the majesty of the island which would not have been as apparent from the land. Then we had a delicious lunch on the beach (provided by our tour guide, Surfer Sue) and experienced in all it's surface beauty, the road to Hana. There is no way we could have enjoyed this nearly as much had we driven both directions and certainly not at all had I decided to drive it myself. Sue taught me more about Hawaiian native flora and fauna than I would have learned in weeks on my own.

Because we wanted to make so many photo stops on the way back to port, we returned later than expected. Sue was kind enough to call the folks at Blue Hawaii Helicopters and ask them to send some articles we had purchased that morning and left behind at the shop for convenience sake, to us at the cruise port. No worries!

We could not have enjoyed this excursion any better than we did! Above and beyond treatment at every turn. Highly recommend for all ages.

The day was awesome. Could not have been better! Our driver and guide were excellent. Would highly recommend this tour

My husband and I were on our honeymoon and we had a great time doing the Road to Hana and helicopter tour combo! Although the helicopter tour was shorter than we expected about 30 minutes, we saw many beautiful views and waterfalls! Our pilot was great and informative! We landed at the Hana airport and took the road "leaving" Hana for our tour so we did things a little backwards. Our driver, I believe his name was Kelly or Kerry, was awesome! A Hawaiian native and had tons of knowledge of the area and was very pleasant, friendly, accommodating, and informative. The drive back was long, but with stops a long the way it made it go fast! We stopped at several places on the Road to Hana including waterfalls, volcanic beaches, and shoppes. We were very glad we did this tour and would highly recommend if you rather have someone else drive the Road to Hana (it is a very narrow and twisty road!) It was nice that both my husband and I could enjoy the views and not have to worry about concentrating on driving.

The drive was beautiful. Our driver was very knowledgable and made sure we were able to stop and take pics along the way. He took care of our every need. Lunch was amazing! Our flight back to the heliport was great. Unfortunately, it was a little cloudy and we didn't get to see as much as I would have liked. Also, our video only recorded 2 minutes of our flight. That was a bummer. I would definitely recommend this trip.

Enjoyed Wayne's, (the driver)knowledge of Maui & ability to navigate smoothly the route to Hana. Spectacular view of the crater was well worth the experience. Wouldn't hesitate to endorse this activity. Aloha

We had a nice time - some surprises at the end made the drive worth it. Enjoyed the lunch and the helicopter ride as well. Beautiful scenery. Learned a lot about Maui's vegetation, very knowledgeable driver. Only reason I didn't give it the highest rating is that we were expecting to swim in waterfalls or wading pools (the seven pools?). Didn't see the seven pools and the waterfalls were not accessible (and would have been too cold anyway).

Had a great time.would not want to drive myself. Well worth it to have someone else drive. Too much to see along the way.the driver Tom was very good. Would recommend the trip to anyone.

Breath taking views of Maui in the helicopter. Also on the van ride back we had some great photo stops. The trip was memorable and stress free. I would recommend it in a heart beat.

I went on the afternoon excursion. Haleakalā was not visible because of clouds that had come in, but the pilot had said there was good visibility that morning. Instead we spent more time getting wonderful close ups of magnificent waterfalls. The helicopter was beautiful and only 4 weeks old. Blue Hawaiian staff were great. The second half of the trip was the luxury van along the road to Hana, this van had only 6 passengers which made for a nice intimate trip. Our driver Kelly, was fantastic, knowing the road very well, as he has been driving it on excursions for over 20 years. We stopped places most do not get to see. I highly recommend this trip and it was one of the highlights on this trip.

Our guide Ed was very informative throughout the tour. I would recommend taking a tour rather than driving it, the bus drivers know the roads well so you feel safe. Other people have mentioned it was a bumpy ride but i didnt think so. There is nothing much in Hana itself, its more the journey getting there, great scenery...

You will not regret a single moment on this tour. The views are breathtaking, and amazing to experience. Waterfalls, exotic flowers, rainforests, trees, turquoise waters, and those cliffs and one lane bridges! Beautiful. I traveled with my husband, little girl, my mom and mother in law. We took with us many happy memories on this tour. A must see!

Great tour. So glad we did this tour as we saw some stunning places.

Our tour guide Di was great and very informative. I would definitley reccommend this tour to others.

Thanks for a great Tour :)

I heard that driving to Hana is very difficult, so I chose this tour. The car had spacious seats and was very comfortable, and the driving was very careful, so I didn't feel nauseous at all.
Hana had untouched natural beauty and mystery.
The Lava Tube exploration and the tropical rainforest plants, as well as the ocean, were all very moving in their own ways.
I was nervous because I didn't know it was an English tour until the day before participating, but I was able to spend a fun day with a couple from Korea and a parent and child from El Salvador living in Los Angeles, so it was very pleasant.
I brought my swimsuit, but I found the ocean and the water inside the cave a bit scary, so I couldn't go in, but I think you can enjoy playing in the water.
Lastly, Mr. Wayne, thank you for taking care of us.
We had a very good time indeed!
See you next time!

ハナへの運転はとっても大変だと聞いていたのでこのツアーを選びました。車は座席が広々としてとても快適で、運転もとても丁寧だったので酔ったりは全くありませんでした。
ハナは手つかずの自然の美しさ神秘さがありました。
Lava Yube探検や熱帯雨林の植物、海もまた感じが違うのでとても感動しました。
ツアーに参加する前日まで英語のツアーだと知らなくてドキドキでしたが、韓国のご夫婦、エルサルバドル出身のロス在住の親子と私と娘でしたので　和気あいあいと楽しく1日過ごすことができました。
水着を着てきましたが、海も洞窟内の水もちょっと怖くて入ることはできませんでしたが、水遊び程度なら楽しめると思います。
最後に、Mr.Wayne,Thank you for taking care of us.
We had a very good time indeed!
See you next time

Our tour guide was very informative and fun to talk to. We saw some great views and had a fun time on the helicopter ride. The best wat to see Hana!!

This tour was so cool I honestly can't decide which part of the two I liked better, the helicopter flight or the drive along the road to hana. Both were such once in a lifetime experiences, i really don't know how I am gonna top a tour like this on my next vacation anywhere. really enjoyed both of them, and would do them BOTH again in a heartbeat. Maui is so pretty, and being able to see it from the air and on ground really gave a great diverse perspective of just how great this island really is. thanks alot

Underground cave exploring on this tour made me seriously feel like I was some scientist sent to uncover hidden secret mystical wonders of the unknown world! I felt chills being there, it was so cool!

The road to Hana was as gorgeous as I had read it was, and the ride was nice and smooth and comfortable. Overall a rockin' tour!

This was a great tour. We were able to see a lot of the island. The first part, up to Hana, was beautiful! Our tour guide pointed out places that were historically important, and various Hawaiian plants. He also told us which plants were native to Maui and which were brought over in canoes from other Pacific islands as well as what the plants were used for. Very informative! I would not recommend driving to Hana yourself; the road is narrow - one lane in a lot of places, with hairpin corners, and mostly on the side of the cliff. The drive around the back side of the volcano was not so fabulous. It was a very dry climate there so not as lush and beautiful. We pretty much just drove through that area. Made the tour seem kind of long.