Deanna Flows: ATV Kualoa

Last Friday, Bianca, Jared, and I went on a two hour ATV tour at Kualoa Ranch. When we arrived, like always we had to sign the waiver forms. Then we went to a station to put on our helmets and glasses, go over the rules with the tour guides, and watch the safety video. When we were watching the video, Bianca and I were trying so hard to hold in our snickering. Yes, the video is to warn us and give us tips on how to be safe. But it was hilarious to us how a lot of the activities we like to do always have contracts and videos that strictly say we could be seriously injured or die, it's like we're so used to it already.

We were then instructed to proceed in our assigned columns with our groups. Everyone climbed onto their ATV, and sat and waited for further instructions. To control the ATV, one must press the gas button on the right handle, and to break you squeeze both handles at the same time. In order to turn you have to physically turn your arms with the handles to steer in the direction you want to go. It's not like a wheel where you can just turn it a little bit, upper body strength is needed or else you will just keep going straight.(lol) There isn't a foot break, all the control is in the arms and hands. There also isn't a seat belt, so if you are going too fast or steer into a bump and loose control you can fly off the vehicle.(be careful!)

One by one each row was dismissed, as each ATV rolled forward into a single filed line. We followed the tour guide in a line for a test drive path. We were told that if we had difficulty turning or staying on the path, then we would win a seat in the jeep (which was driven by a driver, which meant you couldn't drive an ATV!) Out of everyone I kept stopping and going at first (lol everyone else was driving smoothly while I looked like I was drunk driving a mini jeep) I was having some trouble getting used to controlling the movement and weight of the ATV. After going around the test drive path only once, one of the tour guides motioned half of us to follow the other tour guide. I was the second one in that line, in my head I was thinking oh my gosh are we not qualified, and being sent to the jeep!?(lol) After we followed him for a while, I realized we weren't going into the jeep, instead they split up the big group.

We started off driving through the flat field. Then we inclined up a large hill and declined into Ka'a'awa Valley, where you can see the view of the glistening Pacific Ocean. As we drove through the lush meadows, you can see the background view of the towering Kualoa mountains. I thought the whole time we would be on an innocent path, but I was wrong. There were times when the path would suddenly change at a set path and we had to cut through rocky streams, dirt roads, and forest hills. A couple times throughout the tour, the guide let us stop to take photos of the beautiful scenery. It was interesting to see the sign posts that were randomly set up throughout the tour, which was the locations were famous movies were filmed such as 50 First Dates(one of my favorite movies!), Jurassic Park, Pearl Harbor, and many more.

Towards the end of the tour the guide led us through an obstacle course, some of the courses we repeated many times in a row. I felt like we were going for a license test (lol). And when I say obstacle course I mean intense narrow dirt loops, where half of the ATV is tilted to the side in the air as your turning. So if you turn too fast or loose control, its possible for the ATV to flip over. Even though that part was a challenge and semi-dangergous, it was really fun. ATV was such a good time, and a different way to see the island on land. ATV at Kualoa was such a wonderful experience!