I can't say enough good things about the experience my wife and I had with Pono. We spent the whole day with him and were shown may wonderful things, which I am sure we would never have found on our own. As you have read in many of the other posts he designs your experience around you, we had such... More

My daughter and I wanted to experience ‘authentic’ Maui. What that means to us may be different than what other’s want, hence the reason why I don’t like group tours. For us, that meant learning more about the Aina (land,) culture, religion and people. Pono took a genuine interest in understanding what we wanted from our time together (his communication... More

Based on previous reviews we scheduled a custom tour with Barry "Pono" Fried. Our expectations were not only met, they were exceeded. Our first contact with Pono was over the phone. He responded to our tour request by asking many questions. He wanted to understand who we were and what we expected of the tour. After talking for half an... More

We recently got back from a 10 day trip to Maui and Lana'i in which we partook in a number of activities in Maui, while finishing the trip by lounging in Lana'i. Among the best things we did in Maui was a day tour with Pono from Open Eye Tours. Pono's knowledge of Hawaiian culture, it's people, activities, ceremonies, languages,... More

We spent most of a day with Barry "Pono" Fried. He is remarkably well-versed in all things concerning the island of Maui. He communicates his knowledge in a straight-forward and congenial manner, conversing without lecturing. He has a lively sense of humor and took very good care of us. We would highly recommend him to anyone wanting to dig a... More

I'm not sure words are adequate to describe our experience but here I go.....it was truly AWESOME!! It was a wonderful unique and personalized experience, for our family. First and foremost I should say that each tour is different from other tours as your guide builds the tour on your requests. So if you want to see aspects of Maui... More

My father and I went on an all day tour and hike with Pono on the last day of our 10 day trip to Maui. I thought my vacation had ended and this was the winding down day of the trip, but boy was I wrong. Greeted early in the morning with a fresh homemade lei at the hotel, it... More

From the beginning to the end, our tour with Barry/ Pono and his Open Eye Tours was a delight. We signed up for only a birding expedition and got so much more than that. Pono is knowledgeable about all aspects of his beautiful island, and like all natural-born teachers shares his information in such an interesting manner that you want... More

My husband and I took the Road to Hana tour with Barry "Pono" Fried in April, 2010. It was amazing! Meeting Pono was a pleasure in itself. He greeted us with the most beautiful and fragrant leis I have ever seen. He picked us up at our hotel. His SUV was spotless and comfortable. Pono is very knowledgeable in Hawaiian... More