Umauma Falls — Attraction in Hawaii

Please avoid visiting this place!

I usually refrain from sharing negative reviews because I don’t want to impact someone’s livelihood or deter others from a potentially positive experience. However, I feel compelled to warn visitors to the Hilo area against supporting this establishment.

Our family travels all over the world, we are respectful of different cultures and people, this was not related to a cultural issue.

Following a recommendation from #shakaguide, we decided to visit @theumaumaexperience on our drive to Hilo. Our boys were excited, so we parked, and I went into the store to buy tickets while my husband stayed in the car with them.

After waiting for 5-10 minutes behind another group, I reached the counter. The woman at the register apologized for the wait and thanked me for my patience. Suddenly, another woman appeared, waving clipboards with signed waivers and demanding to know where they came from. I told her I didn’t know and was just trying to pay. She repeated her question, and I reiterated that the waivers weren’t mine. She then came around the counter, waving the clipboards in my face, and accusingly asked, “So, you’re telling me these just appeared out of nowhere?!”

I was shocked by her aggressive and inconsiderate behavior. First, she wasn’t listening to me or the woman at the register, who confirmed the waivers weren’t mine. Second, her hostility was unwarranted, I hadn’t said a thing to anyone and was just trying to pay for tickets. Third, why would I opt to pay a second time if the waivers were mine (visitors received the waivers after paying)?

I calmly explained again that I didn’t know where the clipboards came from and just wanted to buy tickets for my family. She then questioned whether I had left my kids alone in the car. I assured her they were fine, but she continued to berate me about my supposed poor parenting and stupidity.

I told her, “Ma’am, I’m a good mother. My kids are with their father. They are fine. You’ve called me stupid, accused me of being a bad mother, and I’ve done nothing to you. You should probably leave me alone or apologize.” Instead, she questioned whether the A/C was on for the kids in the car.

In all my travels, I’ve never encountered such unwarranted meanness. I left shaking, and by the time I processed everything, I was in tears and couldn’t fill out the waivers. I realize that working in customer can be extremely difficult, I’ve done it. I realize how difficult it can be to live in a high tourist area, I’ve done that also. But nothing excuses the way I was treated at this place. We left, and didn’t even stop in Hilo because I wanted no part of it.

If you’re still reading, I would appreciate it if even one person chose not to support this place.

Message for the business: I did not get the name of the woman behind at the register, but she was wonderful. I was there on July 18, 2024, around 2 PM. She was incredibly kind and apologetic and should be commended for handling such ugly behavior with grace. She seemed stressed, likely because the woman who yelled at me had been harassing...

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