Hawaii’s Back yard
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi
Kauai tubing adventure
goes with flowWhen Kelley Carswell-Haneberg, vice president of Kauai Backcountry Adventures, advises participants on the Mountain Tubing Adventure to "go with the flow," she literally means it.
Launched in January, the three-hour tour covers two scenic miles of ditches, tunnels and flumes, built in the 1870s to carry water to Lihue Plantation's sugar cane fields. Starting near the top of Mount Waialeale, this irrigation system winds past breathtaking vistas of the ocean, coastline and valleys never before accessible to the general public.
The tour's mode of transportation is a buoyant, brightly colored rubber tube measuring about 42 inches in diameter. No steering or propulsion is necessary; the tubes and their passengers are carried along by the currents of the waterways, which are only 2 1/2 feet deep. It's a comfortable, safe and relaxing ride suitable for all outdoors lovers.
"We once had a family that included a 5-year-old child and an 81-year-old grandmother," recalls Carswell-Haneberg. "Both did great and had a wonderful time!"
Chances of capsizing are nil. The tube is made by a company in Wisconsin that manufactures bumper boats, "and it's very sturdy and reliable," says Carswell-Haneberg. "We tell people to trust their tube and let it bump off the sides of the canals."
KAUAI BACKCOUNTRY Adventures is a joint venture of Carswell-Haneberg and her brother, David Carswell, both of whom are well known in local business circles. Their family has owned and operated Princeville Ranch Stables for more than 25 years, and for the past five years, Carswell also has run Princeville Ranch Hike and Kayak.
They came up with the idea for their latest recreational option two years ago. "We first explored the possibility of doing kayak trips down Lihue Plantation's old irrigation canals," recalls Carswell-Haneberg. "Then we tried using a big rubber tube, which would enable people to leisurely float down the canals without worrying about steering. Because no one else in Hawaii is offering this type of activity in a wilderness setting, we thought it would be unique and definitely fun!"
The colorful history of the area enhances the excursion. Lihue Plantation was founded in 1849 by a distinguished group of investors, including William Little Lee, chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Hawaiian kingdom, and Charles Reed Bishop, who married Princess Bernice Pauahi and established Bishop Museum and Bishop Bank, now known as First Hawaiian Bank.
Lihue Plantation constructed 51 miles of ditches with 18 intakes in the 1870s. An amazing feat of engineering, the ditches were hand dug with picks, shovels, axes and sledgehammers by 1,000 Chinese immigrants who earned 49 cents per day. "You can still see pick marks in some of the tunnels," says Carswell-Haneberg.
The work was arduous and sometimes dangerous, especially when blasting for the tunnels occurred. For this reason, tunnel laborers were paid by the foot, the rate determined by the severity of the hazards they faced.
When Lihue Plantation halted sugar production in 2000, the Carswell siblings began thinking of ways its extensive waterways could be used as a visitor activity. "Our dad once was an engineer at Grove Farm (adjacent to Lihue Plantation)," says Carswell-Haneberg. "He was involved in building and overseeing some of the tunnels and ditches at Grove Farm, and we had been exposed to them when we were little. We had a dream and we pursued it."
After obtaining approval from Lihue Plantation and the County of Kauai's planning commission, the entrepreneurs hired an engineer to inspect the ditches to determine the safest and most scenic tour route. They then secured financing, arranged insurance coverage and spent six months clearing overgrown trees, rocks and weeds from the areas they planned to use. Time and money also were invested to construct steps and bamboo railings leading to the launch site of the "tubing" part of the tour.
What's most exciting for Carswell-Haneberg is providing access to picturesque private land.
"On the 45-minute drive from our office in Hanamaulu to the start of the waterway, we stop at a couple of incredible overlooks: the Kilohana Crater Valley and the Wailua Valley Basin," she says. "At the Wailua Valley Basin, you see the waterfall that feeds the canal that we go tubing in."
From here you also can admire lush Mount Waialeale, which the Guinness Book of Records lists as having the most rainy days on Earth (350 per year), and its 5,243-foot peak Kawaikini, Kauai's highest point.
The tube ride takes about an hour, during which you'll drift through rain forests and tunnels, over little waterfalls and along sunny channels bordered by ferns, mosses and towering albizzia trees. Kauai Backcountry Adventures holds the exclusive license to operate on 17,000 acres of Lihue Plantation, so you won't see another tour group the entire time you're there.
"You will get wet," warns Carswell-Haneberg. "You may get dirty. But the Mountain Tubing Adventure gives you the opportunity to escape to a beautiful hidden part of Kauai and be a kid all over again!"
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer and Society of American Travel Writers award winner.
Mountain Tubing Adventure
Address: 3-4251 Kuhio Highway in Hanamaulu, Kauai Time: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Mondays to Fridays. When there's enough demand, an 11 a.m. tour also is offered. Cost: $85 per person, including a picnic lunch and beverages. Kama'aina receive a 20 percent discount when booked directly through Kauai Backcountry Adventures. Restrictions: This tour is not recommended for those with claustrophobia or back problems. There is a minimum age limit of 5, and children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult. The maximum weight limit is 300 pounds. Other options: Kauai Backcountry Adventures plans to introduce ATV (all-terrain vehicle) tours in April and Pinzgauer (a refurbished Swiss army vehicle) tours in May. Both tours will include a short walk to a four-tiered waterfall. Also on the drawing board are kayaking, four-wheel-drive, hiking, mountain biking and horseback tours. Call: 808-245-2506 or toll free 888-270-0555 from the other islands Email: adventure@kauaibackcountry.com Web site: www.kauaibackcountry.com
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based free-lance writer
and Society of American Travel Writers award winner.
