It is third time lucky for the tour operators of one of the most-popular family attractions on the Big Island – a trip down through the famous, 114-year-old Kohala Ditch.
Two previous businesses closed due to natural disasters that damaged the ditch – the first in 2006 because of a 6.6-magnitude earthquake, the second in 2014 due to two big storms.
Flumin’ Kohala Ditch has operated the tour of the surrounding countryside since 2016. Inflatable kayaks of four riders float through 10 tunnels, cross over seven water flumes, and go past vibrant native flora and fauna, according to the company. The trip takes an hour and covers 3 miles of the famous route.
Flumin’ Kohala is the operating name of Kohala Eco Ventures, whose executives also run the Kohala Ditch Co., the manager and part-owner of the ditch.
“By running the tour in-house, so to speak, rather than contracting it to an outside vendor, most of the revenues can be directed toward the rebuilding and maintenance of the ditch,” general manager Bernelle Camara told the Historic Hawaii Foundation (HHF). “Our tour is supporting agriculture and contributing to the economic health of Kohala.”
The ditch, which opened in 1906, was funded and developed by sugar plantation owners needing a steadier source of water and decided to divert from the uplands.
Workers "lined tunnels walls with hand-cut rocks, stabilized the ceilings with concrete and built 19 5-foot-wide, 4-foot-deep flumes made of redwood and concrete over ravines," according to the HHF. "It was dangerous, arduous work, and over 18 months of construction, 17 laborers died."
When completed, the ditch stretched for 23 miles and managed to keep the sugar industry humming for another 70 years. Some 13.5 miles of the original system continue to be navigable.
On a visit, Flumin' Kohala's website states that author Jack London said: "Do you get the splendid romance of it? Look what these engineers have done — reaching out their hands and gathering and diverting the storm wastage of streams over the edge of this valley thousands of feet here in the clouds.”
The cost of the tours is $135 for adults and $75 for children ages 5 to 11.