Today, we decided to stick around Hilo and see what we could see. Hilo is the biggest city on the Big Island, with just over 44,000 residents, but the sights are mostly walkable. We drove over to the Kamehamea the Great statue, located in the Wailoa River State Recreation Area, and walked from there.
King Kamehameha the Great was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The Hawaiians still make offerings to him, as evident by the bountiful fruit at the statue's feet.
King Kamehameha the Great
Wailoa River State Recreation Area
Monkeypod tree
From the state recreation area, we crossed over the Wailoa River and Hawaii Belt Road to the Waiakea Peninsula and Lili'uokalani Gardens, a 24-acre Japanese garden built as a tribute to the Japanese immigrants who worked in the sugar industry.
Pu hala tree
Japanese garden
Serene scene
Waihonu Pond
Hawaii's state bird is the nene, also known as the Hawaiian goose. They are considered endangered, but I believe we saw them every day of our trip. We also saw several honu, or Hawaiian green sea turtles.
Nene (Hawaiian goose)
Honu (Hawaiian green sea turtle)
Coconut Island, closed due to a broken bridge
Banyan Drive is a mile-long street encircling Waiakea Peninsula that's lined with approximately fifty banyan trees, many of which were planted by celebrities (mostly in the 1930s), such as Babe Ruth, Amelia Earhart, and FDR. Several large hotels line Banyan Drive, many of them suffering from neglect. Finally, we came to Reeds Bay Beach Park, where I found some nice, calm water for wading.
Babe Ruth banyan
Tiny Tom, big banyan
Handyman's dream
Yikes!
Reeds Bay Beach Park
In the afternoon, we briefly considering hitting a beach or two, before deciding we'd really rather visit Big Island Meadery, just south of Hilo in Keaau. Excellent choice! We had a ball sitting at the bar and sampling a wide variety of the meadery's offerings, all featuring local honey and other local ingredients. The owners and patrons were super friendly!
Yes, it sure is
Oh, boy!
Our favorite, after sampling a wide selection
Later, we met up with cousin Kelly and two of her colleagues, Adele and Josh, at Hilo Bay Cafe, back on the Waiakea Peninsula. It was fun talking to them again and comparing notes of our activities of the past few days. In fact, their descriptions helped inspire our plans for tomorrow!
Jana and Tom with Cousin Kelly