adventure Archives - Honeygirl's World - A Hawaii Lifestyle Blog

adventure September 26, 2018

Skyline Eco-Adventures Zipline: A Must Do Activity on Maui

My family and I just love new adventures and I’m so excited to share our most recent one with all of you. This past weekend, my husband, sons, and sisters joined me on a Zipline Tour with Skyline Eco-Adventures Haleakala Course. As a part of their Kama’aina special, we were able to take advantage of a wonderful opportunity. Unfortunately, my husband did not take part in the zip lining due to an ankle injury, but he enjoyed watching as we had a lot of fun that day.

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There are two locations for the Skyline Eco-Adventures Zipline on Maui, in Ka’anapali and on the slopes of Haleakala. We decided to do the Haleakala Zipline and can’t wait to try out the Ka’anapali one in the future. Skyline is famous for being Hawaii’s #1 Zipline Company and being the 1st Zipline Company in the United States. It was founded in 2002 on my beautiful island of Maui by father and son Buck and Danny Boren. Skyline’s first location, the Haleakala Skyline Tour (which is where we went this past weekend) is located on the Historic Haleakala Ranch in beautiful Upcountry Maui.

The Zipline is located just a few miles before Haleakala National Park entrance and is easy to find with signs along Crater Road to help guide you. Parking is easily available as well. I read that Skyline Haleakala was recently recognized by Fodor’s Travel as one of the world’s most amazing zipline courses and I’ll be honest, it is definitely a must-have for anyone to try.

Skyline Eco-Adventures Haleakala Zipline Course

The Haleakala Zipline includes a fun and a bit scary “Indiana Jones” style swinging bridge and 5 awesome ziplines. My sister Harmony is afraid of heights, but she conquered them all and enjoyed the fact that they started off with a small and short line (like a bunny slope when you go skiing). Each line gets longer and faster until you work up to the long Pendulum line at the end of the course. The course tour will take approximately 1.5 hours to get through with a small hike taking you to each zipline adventure. I think in total we hiked about 1/2 a mile on a trail that took us through eucalyptus trees. Overall the trail was easy to maneuver and a great addition to the tour.

Thank you Jesse & P.J. for being AWESOME GUIDES!

From the beginning at check-in till the time we left the property after our tour, we felt like we were family. Our guides Jesse and P.J. were very fun and kind and made a worried mom feel at ease. It’s not easy dealing with two 9 year olds, who happen to be twins – but the boys left talking about how funny and cool their guides were and how much fun they had. I was assured of their safety and was able to have a great time as well. I love that the tour offered beautiful scenery and an educational experience for everyone.

The zipline course at Haleakala has you soaring over 90-foot drops and canyons with the fragrant scent of eucalyptus trees surrounding you. The pendulum line (the last zip line) reaches speeds of over 45 mph. While going to each zipline, your tour guide will teach you about the various flora, fauna, culture and even birds that you can find on your Eco-Tour.

Safe fun for the whole family

The boys had such a fun experience that they haven’t stopped talking about our adventure since that day (it’s been 5 days since we went). I love that my family members felt safe and enjoyed themselves. Skyline has sophisticated engineers that take good care in building and crafting their equipment and lines. Each guide is trained above and beyond the industry standard of 40 hours and they each go through an 80-hour training process as well as a period of “assistant guiding”. Skyline performs daily check-ups to inspects all ziplines, platforms, trails, and equipment to ensure safety and fun on each course. And, each year an accredited ACCT inspector conducts a comprehensive review of each Skyline course, piece of equipment and all current practices.

Experience a part of Maui you had no idea existed.

Being Hawaii locals, we get the opportunity to try out awesome activities. This one was definitely one of the most memorable. My family and I have been loving the footage we caught and looking back at all the photos. (sorry this post is photo heavy) As I mentioned before, we look forward to trying the Ka’anapali Course. We have to wait a little while since the twins are not quite heavy enough for that course just yet. Everyone in our party was first-time zipliners with exception to my sister Katt and me, but everyone equally enjoyed their time. It’s a perfect way to see a part of Maui most people have no idea existed.

Conservation and Contribution

Skyline Eco-Adventures also works with our local community to preserve and conserve our natural resources in the islands. From their first day in 2002, conservation has been an important part of their mission. Skyline is the first zipline operator in the world to join 1% For The Planet. (1% For The Plant is a group of businesses committed to giving at least 1% of all sales back to environmental preservations.) Skyline also supports various conservation groups throughout the islands. But, they also contribute in many other ways.

Skyline gives back to the Hawaii Communities!

Skyline has planted over 5,000 native trees. They use solar panels on their corporate office to reduce the energy costs. This helps to offset over 2,550 tonnes of CO2 emissions. They recycle thousands of pounds of refuse from guests each year. And, their staff receive paid service days to support environmental causes. Skyline has donated over $1.4 million to non-profit groups. Last year, my son received a sponsorship for his Pop Warner Football Team from Skyline as well. In 2017 they donated more than 20,000 pounds of food to the Maui Food Bank and Kauai Independent Food Bank. Every September they offer their “We Love Kama’aina” Promotion. For this promotion, they collect non-perishable food items for the local food banks. They give back to their local community and offer great service. But they also contribute in more ways than most can imagine.

There is so much more that Skyline does for our community – from Make A Wish to community service. Read all about it here.

Check out our Vlog of the Adventure

Contact Skyline Eco Adventures

If you’re interested in booking Skyline Eco Adventures for your a Zipline tour – check out their website. You can get all the details and pricing there.

Check out our little video vlog (embedded above) and see how much fun we had. Our family definitely and highly suggests Skyline Eco-Adventures Zipline for your next family fun event. Thank you Skyline for making this experience not only a memorable one, but one we can’t stop talking Eco-Adventures. Mahalo from the Kaho’ohanohano ‘Ohana.

Looking for more activity ideas while on Maui? Kama’aina and want something budget friendly to do while on break? Be sure to read our Top 10 Cheap and Affordable Maui Things to Do.

Disclaimer: Nothing to disclose.

adventure June 2, 2018

Maui, My Paradise Home – What’s Next for Honeygirl’s World

Maui is my home and definitely my sanctuary – a place I love and will always love. Many of you may be noticing a change in the content here at Honeygirl’s World moving forward and I’m excited about it. You see, as a born and raised Maui girl (or kama’aina as they call it here in Hawai’i), I wanted to be able to share a little about Hawaii and my island home with my readers. Here’s the thing, there are a ton of blogs out there about Maui and Hawaii for that matter, but how many of them are truly from the perspective of a native born? I love writing about my favorite products and sharing my thoughts on the latest and newest beauty trends, but I feel like I really want to be able to share more of my life, with all of you.

So, I bring to you new content that is coming from the heart. If you’re looking for reviews on different types of tourist attractions, activities, and eateries, consider me your own personal concierge. I want to be able to share more of the things I love with all of you, the readers that helped to make Honeygirl’s World what it is today. You can expect to still find a plethora of product features and reviews because let’s face it – beauty is my passion and so is my family. So, don’t think that those videos, reviews, and posts will end. I just want you to know that I’m going to be mixing it up a lot here. You’ll still see the same type of content with a little blend of the island living I love.

Remember what I said earlier, about the point of view on Maui living (or Hawaii living for that matter) is usually not coming from a Hawaii native? Well, I meant it. I really want to share my thoughts with all of you as I have for 10 or more years. I love experiencing all that Maui and Hawaii have to offer and I can’t wait to embark on this journey and share with all of you. Reviewing Eateries that I enjoy here has been one of my favorite things to do on the blog over the years, so I’m excited to share so much more with all of you too.

Like I said before, this doesn’t mean the content you enjoy and love will no longer be here. You can still search and find your favorite posts and you’ll continue to see new ones… I’m just adding to my flair.

Wishing you all a warm summer and lots of paradise loving,

Honey

adventure May 31, 2017

The Future Brings a Change in Time and Places | Waihee Valley Swinging Bridges – Maui, Hawaii

Yay – I’m so excited that it’s finally summer break for the boys. While the twins will be going to Summer school in a few weeks, we still plan to take full advantage of the days we have with each other and summer for us means fun and adventures. Since the boys and I are going to be adventuring around our island like tourists this summer, I figured that I would share with all of you some of the pictures of our journey. While some of them will be fun and exciting, we also plan to revisit some of the places I played in my childhood. So many changes happen as the future evolves and this is my way of sharing all of it with my boys.

A few days ago I found myself pumping gas into my car and an overwhelming feeling of a need to visit sanctuary overcame me. As a child my parents took me to different places on the island to cool off during the summer or hot months or to just relax and as a teenager, I visited these places with friends. I wanted to take a drive to calm my mind. Out of the blue, I found myself driving to little towns that I haven’t been to in over 10 years and what I saw hurt my heart.

My first stop was to Waihee Valley and a location the locals here know as Swinging Bridges. It’s at the top of a narrow road at the base of the mountain range and somewhere I spent many summers, walking across these swinging bridges on a hike to get to the waterfall at the top of the trail. The last time we entered, we were charged a fee (about 10 years ago), even if we were Kama’ainas (local residents). So, I expected that I would need to pay a small fee to enter the grounds again. This time, I was greeted at the top of the road before the entry to Swinging Bridges with a large gate that blocked my entry.

In shock, I sat there for a few minutes to collect my thoughts. How is this even possible? I turned my car around and just as I started my descent back down the road, I passed a local man tending to his garden. His house is located just to the side of where this photo (above) was taken. If you’ve been to Hawaii or live here, then you probably know that even is Aunty or Uncle, so I greeted him by saying… “Good morning Uncle, how are you today?” He responded by approaching my car and we talked story a bit. He explained that the gate was put up about 5 years ago and the property which is owned by the plantation and a private land owner decided to remove access to the public. We talked about how the families that lived in the valley were either moving away or they were offered a lot of money to sell their homes. Long time residents that go back generations that live on the road are also blocked access to something they grew up with. We talked for about 30 minutes and the uncle ended the conversation by saying that I was welcomed to come back any time to wala’au (or talk story).

As a kid, we often went up to those areas to pick fern so that we could make haku leis (floral head wreaths) for hula, weddings and other events. The local people no longer have access to that area any longer without asking for permission. Like I mentioned before, we also swam in the ponds and waterfalls as kids to cool off from the hot Maui heat. About 10 years ago I took my eldest son to these places and he loved it, but now it is no longer accessible.

I absolutely think that those who own the property have the right to block access to the public, however, much of the land in these parts are technically not “owned” by anyone. Hawaii is known for parts of the islands that are blocked from access when they technically are not owned by the person who does so. It’s a common argument throughout the islands. I was so sad to see this gate here because I figured that if it was still easily accessible, this would be one of the places I would bring my sons to go hiking and journeying through the Valley and ending at a gorgeous waterfall. I’m sad to see that the access is blocked, but I know there truly is not much I can do about it to fix the situation. I can only hope that they open it for hiking some days and I can take my sons to visit my childhood stomping grounds.

This was just the beginning of my journey on that day. Over the next week or so I’ll be sharing more of my adventure and over the next couple of months, I’ll be sharing photos and our journey as we enjoy our summer break. Stay tuned for more.

Wishing you all a wonderful summer!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and all images are my own. Affiliate links may be posted throughout and all opinions are my own.