A Banyan Tree, Queen Liliuokalani
Gardens, Hilo, Hawaii
Overview:
Hilo's Bay Front Parks
If
the Big Island of Hawaii were located somewhere other
than as part of Hawaii, it
would be a major tourist destination. But, because of
its location in the Hawaiian Island chain it is often
overlooked as a destination. It offers everything that
all of the other islands do, it is just that it isn't as
concentrated and easy to access. Hilo is the epitome of
this fact. It is a laid back city and port and offers
visitors a wonderful opportunity to experience the
Hawaiian culture and diversity.
During
the 1900s Hilo was devastated by tsunamis that
completely wiped out the bay front portion of the city
of Hilo. Today, lush parks and sandy beaches reside
where once Hilo did and the city has been relocated to
higher ground. Even the recent tsunami caused by the
earthquake in Japan in 2011 had an effect on Hilo's bay
and ocean front. Today a large breakwater protects Hilo
Harbor where the cruise ship docks and Hilo's Downtown
area.
Welcome to Downtown
Hilo
Since
Hilo is the gateway to Volcanoes National Park, most
cruise passengers will undoubtedly take a shore
excursion or private tour of the park. This is too bad
because much of Hilo's charm is found in its historic
downtown areas. Hilo is not a tourist town like much of
the rest of Hawaii's wonderful destinations and this is
because of the amount of rain that Hilo receives. With
over 120 inches of rain per year, Hilo is easily the
wetest city in the United States. This also creates much
of the beauty of Hilo. Its vegitation is simply
stunning.
Cruise
Port Location and Information:
Docked in Hilo's Cruise
Ship Terminal
Cruise
ships dock in Hilo's cruise ship terminal in Hilo
Harbor. Note that the terminal is not dedicated to
cruise ships, but also handles lots of cargo and
containers, as well.
Docked in Hilo as Seen
from the Naniloa Hotel on Banyon Drive
The cruise
terminal is a short distance from Banyon Drive, the
main hotel area in Hilo. People can easily walk from the
ship out of the port itself without having to take a
transfer within the port. However, virtually all of the
ship's tours will depart from within the port. The port
is not only convenient to Banyon Drive, but the Hilo
International Airport is only 5-minutes away.
Exploring on Your Own:
Beautiful Hilo Bay
Hilo is
easily explored on your own. In fact, that is the very
best way to do it. While there is a free shuttle from
the cruise terminal to Hilo's downtown shopping area,
the walk to downtown Hilo is so rich with beautiful
sights that walking in one direction or the other is
suggested.
Also,
right outside of the port entrance you will find a
number of local tour guides offering you tours of the
Volcano National Park and surroundings. While I normally
would not suggest seeing a port in this fashion, these
guys would make an excellent choice. They generally use
small vans, whcih make the process much faster than
waiting for an entire motor coach to load and unload.
Also, walking in the national park is challenging, so
the speed at which you explore the park is dependent
upon the slowest walker on your coach. This can be
extremely frustrating, as there always seems to be one
or two people that insist they go and they hold up the
entire group. The park headquarters will require that
the groups all stay together.
The
group will visit Thurston's Lava Tube, which requires
walking along a gravel trail and through the tube and
climbing back up to the parking area. What would take a
normal person maybe 20-minutes at the most, will take
the group in a motor coach at least an hour. If you
intend to visit the Volcano National Park I would
strongly suggest that you book a private tour with a
local tour operator, rather than book a ship's shore
excursion. You will see tons more and have a wonderful
experience.
Beautiful Banyan Drive
Once
you leave the port of Hilo simply follow the road until
you see the Hilo Seaside Hotel and then turn right onto
Banyan Drive. You will pass several access points to
Hilo Bay along the way and each one can be explored for
some beautiful vistas of the area. Banyan Drive is the
main hotel street in Hilo and there are many shops along
the way.
Shopping Tips:
Shopping in the Cruise
Terminal
Many of
Hilo's craftsmen bring local products right into the
cruise ship terminal to sell to the cruise passengers.
You will find many unusual products here and will
certainly find the small market interesting.
Uncle Billy's General
Store and Cafe
As you
walk along Banyan Drive you will pass several hotels and
condominiums before you arrive at the entrance to Uncle
Billy's General Store. Uncle Billy's is a budget hotel
that offers a very complete general store containing
just about every souvenir you could imagine and is
certainly worth a visit. Note that the cafe also offers
free wi-fi just in case you need to get on-line without
paying the ship's Internet connection fees.
Hilo's Bayfront
Shopping Area
The
shuttle from the ship will drop you in front of Hilo's
Bayfront shops. This historic and classic shopping area
reminds you that you are definitely not in a tourist
town at all.
"The Most Irresistiblde
Shop in Hilo"
As you
investigate the various shops and boutiques in the
Bayfront shopping area, you will come across a sign
stating "The Most Interesting Shop in Hilo". This is a
great little store to find some of the most interesting
things in Hilo (no pun intended)
Hilo's Shopping Area
The
city of Hilo extends inland from the Bayfront and offers
shopping opportunities for more traditional stores along
it downtown streets. Look for shops selling authentic
Hawaiian wear, koa wood items, art, local crafts and
unique boutiques mixed in with the typical downtown
stores.
Fresh Flowers at the
Hilo Flea Market
On
Wednesday and Saturdays the Hilo Flea market takes place
right next to the Bayfront shopping area.
Flea Market Fruit
You
will find just about every flower and fruit grown on the
Big Island for sale here by the growers themselves. The
prices reflect the fact that you are buying right from
the growers too.
Flea Market Produce
The
amount of fruit and produce that is offered is almost
overwhelming. Bananas, mango, papaya, coconut, pineapple
and many other tropical fruits and vegetables are sold.
Gifts and Clothing at
the Hilo Flea Market
If you
are in port on a Wednesday or a Saturday, don't miss the
Hilo Flea Market. The eclectic array of products,
fruits, vegetables and organic home made treats are
overwhelming, as are the characters that are manning the
booths. You will love the experience. Of course, Hilo is
famous for Hilo Hattie's, the large retailer selling
everything Hawaiian. Now a worldwide conglomerant, Hilo
Hattie's had its beginnings here in Hawaii.
Port
Highlights:
Thurston's Lava Tube -
Volcano National Park
Without
question, Volcano National Park is the number one
tourist attraction on the Big Island and Hilo is the
gateway for visiting the park. If you have never visited
Volcano National Park, you are sure to make this your
first choice when calling on the port of Hilo. There are
a number of ways to see the park and I explain the
situation at the beginning of this review on how best to
do it. Imagine walking through the above lava tube with
48 other typical cruise passengers and you will get my
point.
Beautiful Akaka Falls
Beautiful Akaka Falls State Park is well worth a visit.
The short 1/2 mile hike takes you by two separate
waterfalls and through unbelievable foliage. The small
town right on the outskirts of the park is also well
worth a visit.
Hilo's Rainbow Falls
As the
Wailuku River rushes towards Hilo Bay it takes an abrupt
80 foot plunge creating Rainbow Falls. Located right in
Hilo itself, Rainbow Falls is beautiful not for the
falls themselves, but the lush vegetation that adorns
the walls surrounding the falls. Upriver a couple of
miles are the boiling pots, an area where the river
traverses lava tubes, large pools, waterfalls and
extreme turbulence. The water appears to be boiling as
it makes its way through the area.
Queen Liliuokalanie
Gardens
Right
next to the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel along Banyon Drive is
the Queen Liliuokalanie Gardens. This 20-acre Japanese /
Hawaiian garden is well worth a visit.
Queen Liliuokalanie
Gardens
Ponds
connected by pathways and bridges featuring pagodas,
Japanese statues and structures give the gardens a very
unique feeling.
The Japanese Influence
is Everywhere
Cross
the bridge over to Coconut Island and enjoy its
wonderful grassy lawns, swimming holes and beaches. It
is not uncommon to see Green Sea Turtles feeding around
Coconut Harbor, so keep an eye out for them. One of the
most fascinating sights in the gardens are the Bonsai
Trees growing in lavas rocks that are sticking out of
the bay itself. One could easily spend hours at Queen
Liliuokalanie Gardens for a most enjoyable visit to
Hilo.
Off the
Beaten Path:
The big
island is full of adventure and wonderful places to
visit and you could easily spend a month here without
even scratching the surface.
Dining
and Drinking Suggestions:
Cafe Pesto
Voted
"Best Big Island Restaurant" by Honolulu Magazine, it
gets my vote too.
Cafe Pesto Exterior
Cafe Pesto
is located right in the center of the Bayfront Shopping
area and can't be missed. Dining at Cafe Pesto is reason
enough to visit Hilo.
Cafe Pesto
We asked
our waitress what her favorite entree was and she
responded "I have worked here for 8-years and I still
can't make my mind up". That about sums up their unique
menu. Don't even think about going anywhere else.
Must Do
List:
I would
give a visit to Volcano National Park a "must do" rating
if you have not visited it before. But, be sure to
follow my advice to hire a local guide who can tailor an
itinerary just for you during your visit. It will be
worth the extra money because of the restrictions of
doing one of the ship's shore excursions will place on
you. I would suggest leaving the ship and going directly
to the Volcano National Park then returning to Hilo for
a lunch at Cafe Pesto and then doing Akaka Falls,
Rainbow Falls, the Boiling Pots and then shopping for
the remaining time before returning via Banyan Drive and
Queen Liliuokalanie Gardens to the ship.
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