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American Morning

Hawaii: Flumin' Da Ditch

Aired May 14, 2001 - 11:52   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: First, though, talking about Hawaii. Few people would turn down a trip there.

But really, now, it's more than just about, kind of sitting in the sun and lazing around all day. People want action and they're going to do a lot of fun things on the big island.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and one person that we know who does not -- or did not turn down a trip to Hawaii was our Gail O'Neill. And she's going to be here with us in the form of a weeklong series of reports on some of unique ways to tour the big island.

KAGAN: Take us away.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's another flume that we're going to go under right here.

GAIL O'NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Of all the ways to view the natural splendor of Hawaii's big island, there is perhaps none as relaxing or fun as this. It's called "Flumin Da Ditch.

For 3.5 miles, visitors cruise down the central part of a 22-mile irrigation network.

DARROLL NAUNGAYAN, FLUMIN DA DITCH: We go through a series of 10 tunnels, six open ditches and five flumes.

O'NEILL: All built in the early 1900's by Japanese laborers with picks, shovels and dynamite -- the salary was $1 a day, yet there is nothing paltry about the workmanship.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's beautifully crafted. For this to survive almost a century now is incredible.

O'NEILL (on-camera): These waterways served another purpose when on hot summer days local kids would grab anything that could float and take a ride.

NAUNGAYAN: My first experience was through my cousins, as like, an initiation kind of thing. And I was crying all the way down.

(LAUGHTER) Just keep the tourists in the ditch!

O'NEILL (voice-over): Even though the last sugarcane plantations shut down in 1975, thanks to the ingenuity of kids and the childlike curiosity of tourists, you can still go Flumin Da Ditch.

Gail O'Neill, CNN, Hawi, Hawaii.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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