It’s electric, so there are no worries about emissions. It can cruise up to 25 miles on a single charge. You don’t have to fight for a parking space or spend a lot of money on maintenance. And it’s safe, quiet, easy to operate and fun!
In short, the Segway Personal Transporter — a two-wheel, self-balancing scooter — is an uber-cool machine. And now, in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii island, visitors are enjoying the benefits of navigating tour sites via Segway, thanks to Segway of Hawaii, owned and operated by Jeanne Datz Rice and her husband, Alan Rice. The company launched its Segway tours in Waikiki in 2006.
The only authorized Segway dealer and full-service center in the state, the company expanded to the Big Island in January.
“Segways are used by the police, military and security personnel at schools, resorts and shopping centers throughout Hawaii,” said Jeanne Datz Rice. “When Alan saw inventor Dean Kamen introduce Segway on the Today Show about 15 years ago, it caught his attention.”
IF YOU GO: KAILUA-KONA HISTORICAL TOUR
>> Meeting place: Segway of Hawaii, Kailua-Kona’s tour center, Alii Sunset Plaza, 75-5799 Alii Drive, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii island
>> Available: 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily; arrive 15 minutes prior.
>> Cost: $159 per person, ages 10 and older (participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult). Kamaaina receive a 20 percent discount.
>> Phone: 808-331-8134
>> Email: segwayofhawaiikona@gmail.com
>> Website: segwayofhawaii.com
>> Notes: Participants must weigh between 75 and 275 pounds. Pregnant women can glide if they’re in their first trimester. Wear sunscreen, sunglasses, lightweight clothing and comfortable shoes or slippers. Transportation between the tour center and Kohala Coast hotels can be arranged for $40 per person. Pickups are made one hour prior to the start of the tour. For guests who are driving on their own, there is ample free parking at Alii Sunset Plaza. Call or check the website for details about all of Segway of Hawaii’s tours (new options will be available in Kakaako on Oahu soon).
There are advantages to touring on a Segway: It eliminates the hassle of driving, parking and trying to find attractions on your own. You’re not whizzing by them in a van or bus, and you spend more time actually sightseeing because you’re not waiting for other passengers to embark and disembark. In addition, the itinerary can be adjusted, meaning you can linger at locations that interest you and just get brief introductions to those that don’t.
The company’s 90-minute Kailua-Kona Historical Tour affords all those conveniences as it stops at three significant sights on Hawaii island. On the northern shore of Kailua Bay, Kamakahonu was Hawaii’s political center and personal retreat of Kamehameha I in the last seven years of his life. Among the structures on the 3.5-acre site was Ahuena Heiau (place of worship), where the warrior king who united the islands met with his advisers.
Kamehameha died at Kamakahonu on May 8, 1819, and was succeeded by his son, Liholiho, Kamehameha II. At the time, the ancient kapu (taboo) system forbade men and women to eat together. Six months after his father died, Liholiho parted with the old ways by sharing a meal at Kamakahonu with two of his father’s wives, Queen Keopuolani, his mother, and Queen Kaahumanu, his co-regent. That paved the way for Christianity and the first missionaries, who arrived at Kamakahonu on April 4, 1820.
Although none of Kamakahonu’s original buildings remain, some were reconstructed from 1975 to 1977, including Ahuena Heiau.
Mokuaikaua Church is Hawaii’s oldest Christian church. The high priest Hewahewa prophesied that a new God would come to Hawaii in a black box. As the story goes, the first missionary stepped ashore at Kamakahonu holding a Bible in a black wooden box. Seeing the prophecy fulfilled, Hewahewa burned his own heiau and, along with many alii (royalty), converted to Christianity.
Founded in 1820, Mokuaikaua’s congregation initially met in a small ohia wood building with a thatched roof. The present church was built between 1835 and 1837 of limestone, ohia wood and stone, some of which came from a nearby heiau that was destroyed after Liholiho abolished the kapu system.
Stately Hulihee Palace was constructed in 1838 by John Adams Kuakini, a cousin of King Kamehameha who was then-governor of Hawaii island. After Kuakini died, ownership passed to several alii, including Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, whom Bishop Museum honors and whose estate supports Kamehameha Schools; King Kalakaua, Hawaii’s last king; and Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, who represented Hawaii in the U.S. Congress from 1903 to 1922.
NAVIGATING A SEGWAY
Not confident about getting on a Segway? Jeanne Datz Rice compares it to an escalator. “The platform’s height is about 6 inches, like an escalator step, and it can feel a little wobbly at first,” she said. “In a moment, though, you become one with the Segway. The handlebar is there for you to hold on to and steer. Put a bit of pressure on your toes, and off you’ll go. Lean back on your heels, and the Segway will stop. Our tours are easy because we glide only on paved sidewalks, park paths and bicycle lanes.”
Over the years, many more Hawaiian royals enjoyed vacationing at the palace. Today, it is a museum filled with priceless artifacts, including a handsome round dining table that once belonged to Kalakaua. Measuring nearly 6 feet in diameter, it was made from the trunk of a single koa tree.
The tour pauses outside those three landmarks. Guests are welcome to enter Mokuaikaua Church (no charge) and Hulihee Palace (there is an admission fee) on their own after the tour. Kamakahonu, which is considered a sacred site, is not open to the public.
Other two-hour tour options are the Kailua-Kona Glide and the Sunset Tour Ride, which take you to the Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area. The former landing strip, built during World War II, was abandoned when Kona International Airport opened in 1970. The park opened six years later with the tarmac as a parking lot and the former passenger terminal as a pavilion for public events.
“Guests love gliding on the old runway, along the beach and through the beautiful botanical garden there,” Datz Rice said. “It’s also one of the best places in Hawaii to see the sunset.”
Education is a big part of Segway of Hawaii’s experiences. The guides are well-versed in Hawaiian history and culture, and also offer personal recommendations such as their favorite places to eat, hike and swim on the island.
“They’re all kamaaina (longtime local residents) who enjoy the tours as much as our guests,” Datz Rice said. “We like to think of them as ambassadors of aloha on wheels.”
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.
