Hawaii helicopter rider
 

Hi all - we are heading to Hawaii in March. We will be on Oahu, Hawaii, and Maui. We are trying to figure out which is the best place to take a helicopter ride. I've mostly seen that the best ride is on Kauai - but we will not be visiting that island (unfortunately!!). One suggestion was the ride over the volcanoes on the Big Island and the other is out near the Hana road on Maui. While the volcanoes may be spectacular, I'm afraid it will not be the quintessential Hawaiian helicopter ride, and a friend said her ride on Maui was "meh - well, not as good a Kauai."
Anyway, I'd appreciate some advice. Has anyone done one of these that they'd recommend; and if you think there is a better one on one of the three islands we're visiting, please let me know.

Not trying to complicate things, but you might also look at a fixed-wing flightseeing option. These are almost always quite a lot cheaper than the helicopters, and/or they can be longer for the same money. Generally everybody gets a window seat, and the pilot can plot the best course and hit the high spots more easily than the chopper driver can. We did a fixed-wing flight from Hilo over Kīlauea when it was erupting and entering the sea, and it was terrific. My wife had previously been on a chopper ride over the volcano and said the fixed-wing ride was better value for money.

I've only done the helicopter ride on Kauai (twice, fabulous both times) but I would probably pick the ride out of Hilo on Big Island, although I have read good reviews about the ride that visits Maui and Molokai mountains.

We also took a small plane out of Hilo in lieu of a helicopter. Agree with Gardyloo -- it was quite a ride over the volcano and got a look at the lava hitting the ocean. You also get a sense of just how the lava flow has affected the area over the years.