They’re in their 70s, but the two women gliding through the air on the Kaneohe zip line did it with as much ease as that proverbial daring young man on the flying trapeze.
“It was a piece of cake,” said Diane Beirne, who rode side by side with friend Lillian Williamson at the Bay View Mini-Putt and Zipline. They liked it so much they did it two more times on their first trip a few months ago. “The best part was you feel like you are flying off the ground, you feel a little rush, a thrill!” Beirne said.
Beirne was terrified when she first tried zip lining a dozen years ago in Oregon, leaving her with a fear of heights she was determined to conquer in Kaneohe. Williamson had already crossed zip lining off her bucket list six years ago in Maui, along with parachuting from an airplane and bungee jumping, so the Kaneohe ride was for pure pleasure.
Bay View owner Kenny Yuen said most adults who ride the zip line usually do it for the same reasons as the two friends, but the most frequent riders are kids and their parents. Ninety percent of his customers come for the mini-golf, and they, too, are mostly 7- to 12-year-olds accompanied by Mom and Dad.
The zip line ride is rather easy, just 30 feet off the ground and 300 to 400 feet long, with views of the Koolau Mountains, Kaneohe Bay and the adjacent Bay View Golf Course. It skims over two 18-hole mini-golf courses and three party areas — no deep ravines and snapping alligators like in the action movies. An artificial waterfall and cave make things interesting, with brightly painted buildings, railings and accoutrements adding to the playground vibe.
Yuen made extensive renovations before opening, laboring alongside his work crew. The original mini-golf course had been built in 1998 and closed in the late 2000s. Neighborhood kids turned it into a makeshift skateboard park, but Yuen took over the operation in 2009. In 2014, he added the zip line to attract more customers, with a new partner, Todd Domeck, a zip line engineer who makes sure the facility adheres to national safety guidelines.
After closing during the most productive spring and summer months last year due to COVID-19, business has rebounded, reopening (minus parties) in September. He averaged about 2,700 customers annually before the closure, but in the last six months, attendance has nearly doubled.
Yuen wants more seniors to find a fun way to exercise and socialize in the fresh air while enjoying the activities with their retired friends or family and grandchildren. One of the mini-golf courses is wheelchair- and motor-scooter accessible, and he’s planning to purchase a scooter for public use.
As someone who has always played sports, Yuen, now in his early 60s, said lots of people his age and older are trying to keep physically active. About 25 years ago he started playing lunchtime basketball with people who are now in their 50s to 70s, and they are still seeking fun, camaraderie and competition.
“That’s what drives me — we all want to stay active,” he said.
Yuen is also reminded of his late father, who used to help him at the mini-golf course, pulling weeds and doing other odd jobs to keep himself busy. When he sees so many seniors with their walking groups in shopping malls, he thought, “Why not come here?”
He’s offering a 50% discount off normal rates to those 55 years and over, though he may extend it to AARP card holders (who only have to be a minimum 50 years old).
Beirne and Williamson said the hardest part about riding the zip line is climbing the 51 steps wrapped around a giant banyan tree to the top launching platform.
Beirne said, “I’m not a jock; I like passive activities. It took me a little longer, but I sucked it up and I just went slowly. I felt like an old woman then, but nobody rushes you. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
Plus, they had to carry a 10-pound safety harness/hook with them on their repeat rides. “They need an elevator,” added Williamson, who regularly plays golf and pickleball, and works part time at a golf pro shop. Without difficulty, she trudged up the stairs, but said she could see it posing a challenge for people with knee problems.
They were a bit nervous the first time, but they weren’t too high off the ground, and the technician started them swinging in their harnesses before releasing their hooks for the ride. “It’s like sitting on a swing. You feel very safe and secure,” said Beirne, relieved they didn’t need to jump off the platform as she did on her terrifying Oregon ride. Once they took off, there were cries of “whee-e-e!” and laughter, and a gleeful waving of arms and legs.
Gravity and the momentum propels riders to the landing platform. Williamson said she got stuck once, hanging about 20 feet from the landing, and had to be pulled in with a rope, but that was fun, too. Yuen said that sometimes happens when the wind pushes them back, but it usually occurs with children who are lightweight. Everyone has to be weighed before zip lining and be a minimum of 60 pounds or maximum 240. “That’s the hardest part of this — being weighed!” Williamson joked.
Guests must also sign a liability waiver covering mental and physical conditions, including pregnancy, that could limit their ability to participate; those under 18 will need a guardian’s signature.
The friends are planning to bring their grandchildren when they visit soon.
“We like to have fun, and it changes up my life,” said Beirne, who appreciates that Bay View offers something different from the mahjong she plays with friends twice a week.
After diverse careers as an accountant, banker and a manager of entertainers and construction companies, Yuen said, “What motivates me now is to affect people. There’s nothing better than sitting in my office and hearing people laugh outside, and going, ‘Wow, I kind of created that fun for them!’ ”
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Check it out!
Senior play days at Bay View Mini-Putt and Zipline
>> Where: 45-285 Kaneohe Bay Drive
>> When: Seniors 55 years and older are eligible Monday to Friday to receive a 50% discount off normal rates.
>> Cost: Kamaaina (resident) senior rates are $6.50 for 18 holes of mini-golf; $8.50 for 36 holes. Zip line rates are $13 for one ride, $15 for two, and $17 for three.
>> Info: bayviewminiputt.com or 247-6464
