I’ve been working at the hotel for about 5 ½ years now and I see our guest’s book different activities everyday. They book snorkel trips, whale watching tours, parasailing, helicopter rides, etc. Then there are the few that go all out and book one of Maui’s several Zipline tours. There’s always that slight bit of jealousy that I have when people book, and even more when they share their experience upon their return.
I consider myself a thrill seeker, yet I haven’t really done many “Thrill Seeking” things beyond a few scary amusement park rides. Having now created a Bucket List, I made a personal pact for things to change. Of the 100+ items, I’ve crossed out about 20 or so. Well, I’m elated to say that I have now crossed off item #106, RIDE A ZIPLINE.
Maui is currently home to 4 Ziplining tours; the Ka’anapali course, the Pi’iholo course, the Flyin’ Hawaiian course in Waikapu, and the course we went on, the Haleakala course. Upon arrival, we were at an elevation of over 4000’. It was a bit chilly but not overly cold where it ruined the experience. Our guides were the charismatic Luke who we renamed Duke, and Joe, who was probably the Haleakala Zipline punching bag who just rolled with the punches. Both guys were great. There were 8 of us in our party and 2 couples from Honolulu joined us. Luke and Joe gave us a brief introduction to the course and outfitted us with our harnesses. After leaving later than we’re supposed to, as if any one of us cared, we were off.
The course started off with a brief hike. I was under the impression that it was going to be a lot harder than it was. Other than a short ascent over somewhat uneven terrain, the “Hike” was more of a cakewalk. We were informed of the tons and tons of Eucalyptus trees that bombarded the Haleakala hillside. After a 7- 10 minute hike, including their speech, we were at the first line. Luke did the preflight takeoff speech while Joe suited up and showed us how it was done. They explained that your dominant hand is what steers you at the top right below the pulleys while the left is simply used for holding on. We were all stoked, well, most of us. One by one we took the perilous plunge. Some were more apprehensive than others but we all finally jumped. The line wasn’t all that long; it seemed to be no more than 50’ long. It was a pregame to the day’s latter lines. The ride was amazing. I can best describe it as scary, at that same time serene, with a dash of worry. Then it was onto line #2.
On our way..
Anabelle on her first line
Before taking in every line, either Joe or Luke took a minute to describe one of the near extinct native birds. The second line wasn’t that bad either. It was a bit longer than the first one but at a lesser decline. For the most part, we all were a bit more at ease with leaping but steering and landing took some practice. All 12 of our group members did relatively well. A few of us came in smoothly, a few of us came in decently, and a few of us came in either backwards or landed too fast and dragged our feet on the landing pad. Damien did really well. He was graceful throughout his first few flights. He may have done as well as he did because he couldn’t reach the landing pad up until either Luke of Joe had stopped his momentum. Either way, Damien did awesome. Anabelle did awesome as well and really verbalized her enjoyment with the Zipline.
The third line was noticeably longer than the first two but seemed to have less of a descent. This one I really enjoyed. I asked our concierge when first booking if it’s possible to run and jump off the runway. I also asked Luke if it’s possible. He warned me that the faster I take off, the faster I move on the Zipline, and the faster and harder it is to land. Oh well then! It was hard to get a good running start being attached but I think I did rather well. I loved every second of it.
NOW THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYIN’
The fourth line we were told was 150’ long. This particular Zipline seemed longer than the prior 3 combined. This gave us our first true adrenaline rush. Everyone in our party went. Some crashed hard and ate wood when they landed. Some had a case of assburn because they didn’t turn forward in time. There was a cameraman at the end and took our pictures as we took flight. On the first 3 lines, I came in nice and easy, however, it came to me after, that I wasn’t putting much thought into it. This line however, when I put so much thought into turning to the camera for my photo op I turned in the exact opposite direction than you were supposed to. Regardless of how their pictures came out, it was straight awesome.
150’
After the 4th line, we took a small hike over to the swinging bridge. This more than anything is what everyone was dreading. The bridge was no more than 3 feet wide with the wooden planks giving you 12” of walking room. Oh, did I mention that it swung from side to side. Just looking at it made people shiver. Fortunately for us, our harnesses were fastened to a cable that travels the length of the bridge and protected us from falling over, or so that’s the concept of it.
It was onto the big boy. When we seen the 5th and final line, this is what we were all either anticipating or dreading. Luke told us that the 4th line was 150’ long and gave us a top speed of 12 – 20 mph. This final line though is 750’ long and will give us in excess of 60 mph. OMG. OMG. OMG. Kristi went first so she could take a picture of one of the couples from Oahu. Once she left, we were all in awe. Not one person was quiet and all our jaws were dropped. We were all gaining with excitement as each other went. One by one we went as we enjoyed what could very well have been the time of our lives. I was wondering how my mom would have fared but she did a heck of a lot better than I thought she was going to do. Damien was great and more than likely masked how afraid he was, but then again, that’s so him. Anabelle screamed the entire way down as her voice echoed through the trees. There was a bumper at the bottom opposite end of the course which prohibited people to smash into the telephone pole at the end. Of the 11 people in our party to go before me, only Kristi had reached the bumper, it didn’t look like it on our end, but fine, we’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. LOL. It became my goal more than anything to just reach that bumper. I also noticed that everyone that went before me went in a very un-aerodynamic way. This could have been the reason for them not reaching the bumper. I took off and tried to curl up into the fetal position and hold it the entire way. On my approach, the bumper came closer and closer. Then before you know it, SMACK! I touched the bumper. Actually, I smashed into it and broke their “Do Not Let Go of Your Cable” rule. I didn’t care. I reached the bumper. I did it.
The entire day was absolutely amazing. Ziplining was so much fun; I’m definitely going to recommend it to everyone at the hotel. Many thanks to Luke, Joe, and the rest of the Haleakala Zipline crew. Once we arrived back to their base, we were sharing how much fun we had. If you ever come out to Maui, you need to live and go Zipping. Best believe that we’re gearing up to tackle another Zipline course.
LOOK GOOD.. YOU CAN SEE THE PLATFORM
DAMIEN
ANABELLE
CROSS IT OFF
ITEM #106- GO ZIPLINING
