2015 TOYOTA $24,665* CAMRY F587762 bigislandtoyota.com PRICES ARE AFTER ALL APPLICABLE INCENTIVES APPLIED. VEHICLES MAY NOT BE EXACTLY AS SHOWN. SEE A TOYOTA HAWAII DEALER OR VISIT TOYOTAHAWAII.COM FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. VEHICLES MAY NOT BE EXACTLY AS PICTURED. DEALER AND ITS AGENTS ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS. OFFER ENDS 7/31/15. SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2015 WESTHAWAIITODAY.COM Kohala Ditch, kayak tours back in operation BY BRET YAGER WEST HAWAII TODAY byager@westhawaiitoday.com Mountain water is once again flowing and kayaks are splashing in the Kohala Ditch. Repairs to storm damage of North Kohala’s signature aqueduct finished ahead of schedule for the official opening of the new kayak tour company Flumin’ Kohala on June 1, and water users who had been forced to turn to other sources are back online. “We’re back to full flow; the users have all hooked up and topped off their reservoirs,” said Bill Shontell, executive vice president of Surety Kohala Corp., the manager and part owner of the ditch and parent company of Flumin’ Kohala, headquartered in Hawi. “It’s back to status quo as far as the ditch,” Shontell said. Last Monday, the first group of customers paddled and splashed along three miles of the 14.5- mile ditch, through earth tunnels and over flumes spanning the gulches. Tour guides detailed the history of the ditch, built over an 18-month period in 1905-06 at a cost of 17 lives. Everyone on the tour got wet, of course. A new kayak tour is operating on the Kohala Ditch following repairs to the waterway. SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY “So far, the comments we’ve gotten back is that the guides are very informative, and people are having a lot of fun,” said tour manager Bernelle Camara. The company has hired six guides, three van drivers and four employees in guest reception. In the two weeks prior to the official start, Flumin’ Kohala was fine-tuning the tour and honing guide skills by taking employees of North Kohala businesses on the trip, Camara said. The two daily tours have averaged about 15 people a day in their first week, a slow start that the company expected and planned for, Camara said. By July, Flumin’ Kohala plans to offer four of the three-hour tours each day. The excursions cost $135 per adult, and $75 for children age 5 to 11, and include a van tour of historical sites and waterfalls. Group sizes are now a maximum of 24, but that will be reduced to 12 when the additional departure times are offered, Camara said. The tour replaces Kohala Ditch Adventures, which ran more than 20,000 people a year along the historic waterway. That company’s lease ran up in February. Surety decided to create and manage a kayak tour in-house, with revenue dedicated to ditch maintenance, following a torrential winter storm last December that knocked out flumes, dried up the flow and put the kayaks on hiatus. Online: fluminkohala. com TAKE FLIGHT “Take Flight” was the subject of a two day Cub Scout Day Camp held Friday and Saturday at Kealakehe High School. Approximately 30 Scouts age 7-10 attended the fun filled event with an aviation theme participating in such events as the “Strategic Air Command” obstacle course, BB “Top Gun” firing range, archery target shooting, Swimming, Airplane Making, Catapult Building and Ultimate Frisbee. The highlight of the camp was a visit from a Mauna Loa Helicopter that landed on the football field at the high school. Pilots explained the controls and the mechanics behind flying the chopper and gave keiki the opportunity to sit in the cockpit and wear a headset. Friday evening culminated in dinner and a campfire where scouts performed skits and sang scouting songs and cheers. The experience was meant to build teamwork and foster sportsmanship among peers. For more information about Scouting call the Boy Scout Center in Hilo at (808) 959-0079. Mauna Loa Helecopter Pilot Martin McGinley left explains the controls of the chopper that landed on the football field to scouts at the Cub Scout Day Camp Friday at Kealakehe High School Waverider Stadium. PHOTOS BY LAURA SHIMABUKU/WEST HAWAII TODAY Scouts watch the Mauna Loa Helecopter land at the Cub Scout Day Camp Friday at Kealakehe High School Waverider Stadium. Man on skateboard chases, detains motorist accused of striking girl BY BRET YAGER WEST HAWAII TODAY byager@westhawaiitoday.com A man is in police custody after apparently driving his SUV up on a curb and hitting a girl in Kailua Village Saturday afternoon. Officers had Matthew Marso, 30, in handcuffs on the curb at Hualalai Road and Alii Drive after the white Nissan SUV he was driving struck the 13-yearold girl around 2:30 p.m. The girl was treated and was faring well Saturday evening, police said. Several witnesses said the man tried to flee the scene but was blocked by traffic. Joshua Lambus, owner of Maka Fine Art Photography on Alii, chased the man down on a skateboard and held him until police arrived. “I just wanted him to stop almost killing people,” said Lambus, who was following in another car behind the Marso as he headed north on Alii Drive before the SUV struck the girl. Officers are investigating complaints of driving under the influence, second degree negligent injury, third-degree promotion of a detrimental drug, damage to property and driving without a license and proof of insurance, according to preliminary information. The list of allegations may not be complete because police were investigating on the SEE MARSO PAGE 3A Matthew Marso is detained at the scene in an Alii Drive auto accident involving a young pedestrian on Saturday. LAURA SHIMABUKU/WEST HAWAII TODAY INDEX Annie’s Mailbox . . . . . . . 5B Classified. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1D Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1C Nation & World. . . . . . . . . 4A Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1B HI 86 LO 74 WEATHER, PAGE 10A 7 58551 00781 7 VOL. 47, NO. 158 68 PAGES All Your Tomorrows Start Today! ...Congratulations Class of 2015 ChoiceMART has everything you need to make your Grad Bash a Blast! 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