H I L O
After four and a half days of cruising we entered the harbor at Hilo, Hawaii. The seas were moderately rough on our voyage
making walking around the ship difficult. There were two ambulances on the dock awaiting our arrival. We are aware of at least
one lady who had fallen and broken her hip.
The Hawaiian history and tidbits throughout this chronicle were excerpted from the Daily Program provided by Holland America.
Hilo is a cane field town that grew to be the fourth largest city in the state of Hawaii. With a population of 42,000, it sprawls
along the crescent-shape edge of Hilo Bay with Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea providing visible backdrops on a clear day. Hilo's
architecture combines old wood buildings with metal roofs and contemporary lava-walled offices. Hilo's waterfront is a greenbelt
sculpted into a handsome park. Following a disastrous tsunami that destroyed the bay front in 1960, the town was rebuilt on
higher grounds. Hilo is now lined with paths and lush green gardens and on an average receives almost 140 inches of rain per year.
The shore excursion we chose while in Hilo included a visit to the Lyman Museum. The Reverend David Lyman was a busy man in 1839 as
whaling reached its peak on Maui, and huge sugar plantations had been established on both Oahu and the Big Island. Spiritual
guidance was needed for a growing population. His home and mission house is one of the oldest wooden structures in Hilo.
