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Our Hana tour with Pono was extraordinary! He has a vast knowledge of Hawaiian traditions, culture, landscape, environment, plant life, fruits and vegetables. We were touched by his ceremonial honoring of Native traditions and values. His personality is playful, interactive, humorous and engaging. From his garden, Pono provided for us a feast of fruits and vegetables for our lunch! His personal touches, attention to details, skillful teaching, desire to share Aloha and knowledge enlivened our experience of Hana!…
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Date of experience: February 2021
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Response from Pono F, Owner at Open Eye Tours & Photos
Responded Feb 22, 2021
Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) for your insightful reflection. What a special day we had! Your enthusiastic interest, participation, kindness, willingness, and aloha made it a pleasure to share... The places we touched in to welcomed you kind-hearted souls with open arms! All conditions aligned for your one-of-a-kind custom private tour. Know I count you among my many blessings! Aloha a hui hou; until we meet again...
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I canNot recommend Pono Fried and Open Eye Tours ENOUGH❣️From the Very Beginning correspondences and phone calls he was Very helpful and full of suggestions. His local knowledge of language, rituals,songs, history,lore, and food was mind blowing. We learned/ experienced more in 2 days than many of our other visits to Maui put together. He “Taylor- made” our tour and surpassed all our expectations. On top of that ( the chocolate sprinkles) he made us leis and served us homemade “deliciosoties” and over 14 different fruits grown on his own farm. Funny,talented,warm-hearted, generous,he took over 200 photos of our time and continues, even to this day, to send us funny and interesting notes. We not only revived a wonderful tour, we made a new friend❣️Don’t hesitate to book Open Eye Tours and Pono Today! You will NOT regret it!!!…
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Date of experience: February 2020
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We originally spoke with Pono to see if he might be able to show us sacred sites and historical ways of understanding Maui. We have both visited the island for more than 10 years and I even lived there long ago. Pono was amazing --showing us places that most can't get into. let alone find with his wealth of information about the Hawaiian culture, history and sense of place that only a truly skilled guide can inform. His gracious and generous nature, teaching skills and depth and breadth of information is remarkable. This is a one of a kind experience.…
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Date of experience: February 2020
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You will not find a guide who puts in more love, time and energy into a tour than Pono. The preparation is astounding as is his knowledge of Hawaiian culture. You will see all the special nooks and crannies of Maui that you didnt know existed.
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Date of experience: February 2020
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Response from Pono F, Owner at Open Eye Tours & Photos
Responded Feb 21, 2020
Such a pleasure to reveal and interpret aspects of Maui that we had discussed in the months prior to your tour. You are such a happy, kind and loving couple, eager to explore and learn. I so appreciate the input of interests and preferences you gave me from the variety of options provided, as well as a few of your special requests, which enabled me to co-create your perfect day! To top it off, 3 of the rarest 'Ilio holo i ka uaua- Hawaiian Monk Seals, seemingly just for you! Yes, way! A fitting end to a most joyful, epic day....Blessings to you, Mahalo and aloha, Pono
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Open Eyes Tour in Maui is certainly the most appropriate name for traveling with Pono for a tour. Having never been to Hawaii and having very little knowledge of the island, Pono's two day tour with our family of four without a doubt opened our eyes into the history and beauty of Maui and all of the Hawaiian islands. Pono took the time to speak with us ahead of our scheduled trip over Christmas 2019 to find out if we had any ideas on where and what we wanted to see on our visit to Maui. He customized what would fit into the time we had planned out to tour. Pono's creativity and passion for Hawaii speaks volumes, for example into the handmade lei's he had made for us when meeting us for the first time, and into the Hawaiian musical instruments that he had made to show us how they worked. The car ride was quite comfortable with interesting stories about the island and where we were going for example on the Road to Hana. Our two teenager aged children were engaged throughout the whole time of the tours. His years of high school teaching and his knowledge of Hawaii really reflect in his stories, jokes, music playlists in the car, descriptions of sites, respectfulness for the land, and passion for Hawaii. Pono made sure to take pictures of our family at beautiful landscaped stops which included a black sand beach, Turtle Beach, a really cool waterfall which has a "trick to viewing it" (You would have to book with Pono and go on the Road to Hana to find out about the "movement of one particular waterfall". The picnic lunches which we had eaten along the way were filled with delicious and fresh fruits from Pono's garden. The time we spent with Pono really enhanced our visit to Maui, and we walked away from our tours with more awareness and appreciation for the islands. My family and I would hands down recommend Pono and "Open Eyes" Tour for anyone's visit to Hawaii.…
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Date of experience: December 2019
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