Charlie was wonderful. We spent seven hours on the Road to Hāna with him and he was genuinely entertaining the entire day — his stories had us laughing the whole way, and our kids stayed engaged from start to finish. He knows everyone and everything along that road. Where to stop, when to stop, what was worth our time and what wasn't. We walked through lava tubes, swam under a waterfall, spent time at the black sand beach, and finished at Hoʻokipa. What we appreciated just as much was how straight he was with us. He told us honestly what conditions were like and what was and wasn't worth doing, rather than telling us what we wanted to hear. When our plans changed he was completely flexible, including dropping us in Paia for dinner rather than back at the pier. Lunch was included and he took our orders in advance, which mattered as our children have tree nut allergies. Our 12-year-old wanted to contribute his own review, which came back as a string of slang I cannot reproduce here. Roughly translated: he thought Charlie was extremely cool. If you are doing the Road to Hāna, do it with Charlie. Having someone who knows the road makes the difference between a long drive and a great day.
