Posts Tagged ‘4×4’

Question – 4Wheeling with a Rental Car

The following question was submitted to us via email:

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Bobby,

The reason rental car companies forbid you (contractually) from driving on the Saddle Road is due to that road’s very poor state and poor overall driving conditions.  The Saddle Road is minimally maintained, has large deep potholes throughout, is winding with many undulations and blind turns, and is often plagued by fog or other low visibility.

There are plenty of other places to go 4-Wheeling on the Big Island that are much safer (especially in a jeep) such as down to the Waipio Valley, road to the Green Sand Beach, Kona Coast State Park, and up to the summit of Mauna Kea volcano.

The main factor with the rental car restriction is the issue of liability on roads that they consider “dangerous”.  Also, most of these remote areas do not have easy access by crash/rescue vehicles and/or tow trucks – so if you get stuck or wreck, you are on your own!  That said, you can still take your jeep off-the-beaten-track.  No one is out to spy on you and report your rental vehicle’s presence at any of these locations – however, if you return your vehicle and the undercarriage is damaged or the car is covered in red sand and mud – there is obvious reason to suspect you went off-roading.  We just recently took our 4×4 rental down into the Waipio and to Green Sand Beach – we simply rinsed it off, cleaned it up (inside and out) and of course made sure we didn’t damage it on the trails.  Voila!  It looked good as new when we returned it.

Big Island Adventures with Kids (Part 4 – Waipio Valley)

With a 4 and 3 year old on the trip with me this time, I thought it would be best to drive into the valley - which I had never done. All the guide books, maps, signs, and people will tell you a true 4-wheel drive vehicle is required... and they are right! Our 4x4 Ford Explorer would suffice, and thus we headed north from Hilo, up the Hamakua Coast to the Waipio Valley Lookout. During this trip to the Big Island, we found out the island was suffering from a big drought - consequently, the normally overcast skies here at the overlook were absolutely clear and blue. It looked as if a cold front had just blown through leaving no haze and the sunshine drenched the very green (and damp-looking) valley below.

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