Pictures Released From My Zipine Trip With KapohoKine Three Months BEFORE the Death at Honoli’i Mountain Outpost

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Damon

Investigators have now stated that the  platform that collapsed on the September 21st zip line accident that happened at KapohoKine’s Honoli’i Outpost killing a Maui resident who had been working on the lines, had previously collapsed two months previously before the incident.

One of the workers rides over line four back in June

The Hawaii Tribune stated:

A pair of stabilizing anchors failed to keep a zip line platform from collapsing, killing one worker and critically injuring another on Sept. 21, according to a police report.

Additionally, contractors working on the project told police that the same zip line — Line No. 8 at the Honolii Mountain Outpost course recently built for Hilo-based eco-tourism company KapohoKine Adventures — had experienced a similar collapse prior to the accident that claimed the life of 36-year-old worker Ted Callaway…

The Maui News reported that the platform previously collapsed TWO months before the accident:

A police report says the Big Island zipline tower that collapsed and sent a worker plunging to his death had experienced a similar collapse eight weeks prior...

I had previously been up to Honoli’i Mountain outpost about THREE months before the accident when I rode the first four lines.  The other lines were still being constructed.

So basically what this tells me… is that the platform collapsed the first time about a month after it was built and ready to be ridden as I was there three months before the accident and they weren’t completed yet.

I only published a few of the pictures I took three months ago on my site previously.  Now that more information is coming out… I figured I would publish the rest of the pictures from my June 16th zip line trip with KapohoKine at the Honoli’i Outpost.

Filed under: aloha, Announcements, Big Island, Entertainment, Environment, Hawaii, Rumors, Security, Unexplained Phenomenon | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

KapohoKine Adventure’s Honoli’i Mountain Outpost Zipline Rides Almost Finished

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Damon

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go up to KapohoKine Adventure’s latest adventure attraction called the Honoli’i Mountain Outpost Ziplines and try out first hand the first four ziplines that have been built on old fallow sugarcane land in East Hawaii.

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost

The ziplines themselves are located about three miles outside of Hilo just past the surfing spot Honoli’i.Honoli'i Mountain Outpost

The owners of KapohoKine took me to the airstrip that they had been using for helicopter landings and I was amazed at how far away any houses were from this isolated little landing strip out in the middle of nowhere nearly 4 or 5 miles off the main highway.

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost

Unfortunately, due to a few folks in the area that have a NIMBY mentality… the County of Hawaii has reversed a January 12th letter determining that the airport was a grandfathered non-conforming use airstrip, despite the fact that the airstrip has been used fairly recently for green harvest purposes… but so be it… all helicopter tours will no longer be able to give their guests a zipline experience here on the island like this after June 18th and the county will lose tax revenue from this environmentally friendly type of tourism.

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost

The course begins at the first little hospitality area.

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost

You gear up and get instructions at this location

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost

After gearing up, you are lead to the first tower where you walk up a “Suspension Bridge” type of steps to the first platform.

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost

On a clear day, I was told that you can see all of Hilo bay and even see the steam from the Pu’u O Vents!

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost

This zipline course was called what I believe I heard a “platform-to-platform” type of course, meaning that once you get on the first zipline… you don’t touch the ground until you reach the end.

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost

Walking across these suspension bridges high across the ground from tower to tower sure added to the excitement!

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost Ziplines

They are really spending a lot of time to make this the best zipline on the Big Island and each of the the eventual eight lines will all be dual lines meaning you can race your friends around the course.

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost

My favorite line built so far was line number four which takes you over a couple waterfalls:

Here is the incredible view from the pavilion that I had lunch at after line four.

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost Ziplines

When I inquired when the entire course would be ready and complete, they mentioned that it should be ready by the First week of July!

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost Ziplines

They are accepting bookings right now for the four line tours however the eight line tours would probably be worth waiting a couple weeks for.

Honoli'i Mountain Outpost Ziplines

I sincerely hope the County of Hawaii will rethink it’s decision in not allowing helicopters to fly into this place.  This administration was supposed to be the administration with the “Can-Do” attitude… but with decisions like this… it seems more like a “Cannot-Do” attitude for some folks starting up businesses here in Hawaii.

Filed under: aloha, Big Island, Entertainment, Environment, Hawaii, Something New?, Tourism | Tagged: , , , , | 39 Comments »

KapohoKine Partners With Honoli’i Mountain Outpost… Zipline Adventures to Begin Again Soon

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Damon

Well as many of the readers of this blog know I was let down recently when KapohoKine ended there partnership with Umauma Ziplines… I’m stoked to hear that KapohoKine will again be offering Zipline tours soon at a new location near Honoli’i.

The following was posted today:

So, it’s official!

Our new zip line partner is Honolii Mountain Outpost.  Our old zip partners at Big Island Zipline Adventures couldn’t reach a reasonable agreement with the owners at the zip course they operated and were subsequently shut out in December.  Big Island Zipline Adventures was shuttered, and we and our guests were left without a zip line.

We started looking around and found a new location at the gorgeous Honolii Mountain Outpost.  We’ve partnered up with them and are preparing to bring back our Zipline Through Paradise, safer and better than ever!  The new course will have a bunch of cool features and surprises that we’ll be able to tell you about in the coming months as we get more information from Honolii Mountain Outpost.  The property boasts amazing views of Mauna Kea summit and the Pacific Ocean with native koa forest and current agriculture projects thrown in for good measure.  It sits on the lower flanks of Mauna Kea between 900′ and 1700′ in elevation.  For now, here are some pictures from the property, which is 564 acres just outside of Hilo:

Click here to view more pictures and see the actual release that was published today.

Filed under: aloha, Announcements, Big Island, Entertainment, Environment, Hawaii, Something New?, Tourism, Transportation | Tagged: , , , | 22 Comments »

So I Took My Wife Ziplining for Her Birthday

Posted on December 12, 2010 by Damon

Today is my wife’s birthday so I took her and a couple of her friends Ziplining at the World Botanical Gardens!

This wasn’t the original Ziplining trip that I had planned, as I was going to take them to the much scarier Umauma ones… however those ones recently were closed due to safety reasons!

This clip is the last zipline there a dual track zipline that’s about 1100 feet long.

After we went ziplining… I tried to take her to the Sig Zane Store to give her a new dress… but they were closed so she will get a rain check on that!

Then we went to Cafe Pesto for lunch where I ordered this Classico Pizza.

Filed under: aloha, Announcements, Big Island, Entertainment, Environment, Hawaii, Tourism | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Ziplining in Paradise Courtesy of KapohoKine Adventures and Umauma Falls Zipline Experience

Posted on December 5, 2009 by Damon

*If you must watch any of the youtube clips… the very last one is the best!

Today wraps up the third day of three great days that the Big Island Visitors Bureau has provided me.

One of the things that I had always wanted to do at least once in my life, was to be able to go somewhere exotic and go ziplining through the jungles, woods and waterfalls of the area.

Well we are in luck here on the Big Island of Hawaii.  A new “Zipline Park” is being opened up called the Umauma Falls Zipline Experience and it should be open in about three weeks.

Today, some mainland travel writers and myself got to be the first “Clients” of this zipline park.  I will tell you one thing… there is nothing more scary than being a “Guinea Pig” for something that hasn’t been tested before.

We gathered at 10:00 in the morning at the baseyard of KapohoKine Adventures and then rode up to Umauma Falls in one of their 10 passenger Chevrolet Express VIP vans.  Once we got to Umauma Falls we had a gourmet lunch of Paniolo Pork Ribs with Guava BBQ Glaze, Hibachi Boneless chicken and a choice of a few salads to choose from.

What was cool about the location of this lunch… was this was where one of the sets that the most recent Bachelorette Shows was shot at.  After we ate, I prepared some Awa for everyone to try and relax their minds before we set off on this adventure.

Umauma Falls Zipline Experience has 8 Ziplines although the owner mentions here that there are 9 technically.

After lunch, we climbed into this Pinzgauer and headed up to the ziplines.

They started us off nice and easy with this little zipline so that we could get the control of how the ziplines worked and how to turn on them.

But right after that one, they put us on the only dual track (side-by-side) zipline on Hawaii.

Because these ziplines are still being built… they didn’t have the braking system in place and they literally had their staff there to stop us.  However, the braking system is in the process of being built.

The third zipline we went on was conveniently 808 feet long… and yes that was done on purpose as the area code of the State of Hawaii is 808.  What was cool about this one… was that instead of at the end of the zipline going down stairs to get to the ground… you actually rappel from the platform.

We got to ride on 4 of the 8 ziplines today as they are still finishing doing some things with the others so they weren’t ready yet.

It was totally awesome and I can’t wait to go back there again when it does have it’s grand opening… which the official date has not been set yet.

Just for those that are wondering.  Age 10 is the youngest that they will allow.  And riders also need to weigh between 80 and 260 lbs although technically the cables will hold a couple ton of weight… it’s just that the heavier you are the faster you go and it becomes a safety issue.

I’d like to thank KapohoKine Adventures and Umauma Falls Zipline Experience for providing something that I have always wanted to do before!

The video below is me going on their longest zipline that we took today zipline number 4.  Sorry in advance if I swear in these videos  as I was just really overwhelmed.

Filed under: Big Island, Entertainment, Environment, Hawaii, Something New?, Sports, Technology, Tourism, Transportation | Tagged: , , , | 10 Comments »

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