THE PROPOSAL
There’s no telling what kind of
excitement might occur during one of our legendary Road to Hana tours in maui.
During my many years as a maui tours driver, I have seen all sorts of
wonderful and amazing things happen… Some are funny, some not so funny
and occasionally the completely unexpected happens. Even the occasional
heart-warming moments remind me why I enjoy doing what I do so much.
It’s an adventure and all sorts of fantastic things can happen.
There is one particular Maui road to Hana tour
that stands out in my mind. It started as one of those perfect Maui
mornings: sunny, clear blue skies, perfect popcorn clouds and a light
breeze that kisses your skin. The sunlight was shimmering on the waves
with the deep blues of the Pacific stretching majestically out to the
horizon. Perfect. I had a particularly wonderful group this day.
Everyone was in great spirits and several of the couples were
celebrating special occasions… anniversaries, honeymoons and the like.
It was turning out to be a great day and we were just getting our road
to Hana guided tour started!
After enjoying a delicious breakfast at
Ho’okipa Beach Park, we set off on our Maui tours journey and it wasn’t
long before the jaw-dropping views from the road began to take shape
before our eyes: lush rain forests, breathtaking coastal landscapes,
vivid flowering plants, tropical fruit trees, waterfalls… everything
Maui is so famous for. By the time we arrived at the black sand beach at
Waianapanapa it was close to noon, so we decided to have lunch there.
It was then as we were getting ready to leave, that a young man in the
group pulled me aside and asked if he could talk to me in private for a
moment. He said today was a very special day because he was going to be
proposing to his girlfriend and he wanted to do it at one of the stops
along the way. I told him I thought that was a great idea and he asked
if I could suggest a good place. All of a sudden the pressure was on
because I knew I had to think of the perfect place! At first I thought
about the black sand beach because we were right there and it’s a
uniquely scenic spot but it came to me: the perfect place! A
breathtaking waterfall called South Wailua Falls, which is one of the
best waterfalls in the state of Hawaii, and one that you can actually
get to by road. They use it in a lot of the photo shoots and you’ll
often see it in pictures on one of the pages of the airlines’ many
in-flight magazines. A truly romantic spot, I couldn’t wait to get us
there!
After driving a few more miles along our Road to Hana Tour,
we hit one of the next stops. I pulled him aside and said, “Okay, when
we get to South Wailua Falls, here’s what I suggest. The waterfall is
located behind the bridge and there’s a small trail that leads to it. If
you take your girlfriend and go down there, it’s a beautiful setting
and there’s a perfect spot next to the falls where you can work your
magic. The rest, my friend, is up to you. We’ll all be waiting. Good
luck!”
When we finally pulled up to South Wailua
Falls, I parked the van and had him and his girlfriend get off first.
He took her by the hand and they headed off for the waterfall. After
they were out of earshot, I proceeded to tell the rest of the group what
was happening. Everybody got very excited. From the bridge, we could
see them walk down the path and eventually stop at the spot I had
suggested. At this point I remember one of the ladies in our group
saying “What if she says no?” The thought had actually never occurred to
me! If she says no, I thought to myself, it could put a real damper on
the rest of the tour (not to mention the poor guy’s heart!).
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