![]() ![]() But the owners hung in there and the ditch re-opened for tours just last year. The ditch eco-tour was halted in 2006 after an earthquake damaged the system and it wasn't deemed safe. It really brought home the point the ditch truly is an historic feat of engineering and manpower. Our guide explained the permanent "graffiti" was left by one of the hundreds of Japanese workers brought to Hawaii in the early 1900s to build the irrigation system. Turning on the mining light strapped to my head for better illumination, I could clearly see some Japanese characters scratched into the concrete. But with our mining lights back on, our guides drew our attention to points of interest in the tunnels, including markings scratched into the culvert wall. I literally could not see the hand in front of my face. You have no idea how long an 1,800-foot tunnel is until you're in the middle of one and just for the fun of it, everyone turns their lights out. The tunnels are between 100 to 1,800 feet long. But then we hit the first of the 10 tunnels we would eventually travel through and that's when those mining lights really came in handy. The scenery was straight out of a promotional tourism video, with lush greenery, including palm trees, surrounding us as we floated along. The water is shallow, so the life jackets really are just for emergency, and we each carried a paddle, though they were simply used to keep our kayaks from getting hung up on the sides of the ditch. We then climbed onto our kayaks, three on each, and began floating along an open-air ditch. The tour describes the walk as a "hike," but for all of you non-athletes out there like me, it's an easy one. But then we arrived at the beginning of the real fun at the edge of a rainforest, where I had my first jaw-dropping moments of the tour standing on a flume bridge watching a spectacular waterfall surrounded by jungle. Passing through groves of mango, banana, macadamia and guava, with a brief sighting of a wild pig thrown in, the ATV ride was a great tour on its own. ![]() I met my fellow tourists and guides at the attraction's main office in North Kohala early one weekday morning last fall and after donning our safety gear, we climbed into a six-passenger, all-terrain-vehicle and headed for the start of the tour. The ditch tour itself covers 2.5 miles and takes about 90 minutes, but it's a spectacular 90 minutes. The last sugar plantation closed in Kohala in 1975, but today tourists and locals alike can travel parts of the ditch system, which moves millions of gallons of water every day, is 22.5 miles long and boasts 57 tunnels, 19 flumes and six-miles of open culverts. It was last October when I found myself on the northern end of Hawaii to experience a Kohala Ditch Adventure, an eco-tour that includes perching on a sit-a-top kayak while gliding through narrow culverts and tunnels built in the early 1900s as a way to redirect water for irrigation to then-precious sugar cane plantations. Also, the driver, "Uncle Greg," was a pleasure to talk to as he is from a line of Hawaiian royalty and is able to answer any history question about the island you may have.With a mining light perched on my head and life jacket strapped around my torso, it probably wasn't my best look, but both are required pieces of safety equipment when preparing to traverse a series of tunnels dug into the side of a mountain on the north end of the tropical Island of Hawaii. The drive in the van was so scenic and beautiful, it was even better because of our amazing guide. ![]() He had immense knowledge and so much to offer for those eager to learn about Hawai'i. Along the ride he could point out different plants and their uses to the people of Hawai'i. He also was able to share his story and connection to the ditch because he, along with the rest of the tour guides, are local and grew up in Hawai'i. Stayed on the Big Island for 3 days after being on Maui for 8, and my family decided this tour was a must, and I am so glad we did! Our guide (along with the rest) were so informative and friendly, I learned so much about Hawai'i and its rich culture from just listening. ![]()
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