February 2024 Hawaii Cruise - Day 11

Monday, February 26, 2024

Hilo, The Big Island, Hawaii

This morning we arrived at Hilo on The Big Island of Hawaii. Thankfully, the ship docked at a pier so we did not have to endure the fiasco we had yesterday with the tenders, which was not very tender.

We joined a 4-1/2 hour bus excursion that stopped at 5 sites and it was excellent.

First we stopped at a Japanese garden here in Hilo, called the Liliuokalani Gardens, which is a mouthful. Why they couldn’t have just kept it simple and called it “Japanese Gardens,” or something like “栗林公園,“ I don’t know. I was amazed at how authenticity Japanese it was, complete with torii gates, shishi lion-dogs to “guard” the entrance, Japanese style bridges, ponds, and Japanese stone lanterns. I felt like I had stepped off the bus and into a garden in Kyoto!

Next we went to a candy and cookie making facility called Big Island Candies. This, too, had a Japanese connection as it was started many years ago by a Japanese family. I assume it is still run by the family because there were several Japanese employees in the store. They gave us samples of their cookies and chocolate, and they were very delicious. All their snacks are made at that facility, and we could even watch them making it. I could not stop Anne from buying a few boxes. Actually, I didn’t put up much of an argument at all. However, she bought one package of chocolate covered cuttlefish, and I will not go near those. It seems almost blasphemous to combine chocolate with fish!

We then went to a statue of King Kamehameha The Great. I am not exactly sure about the history of him, but everywhere we went in the Islands, the Hawaiian people talked about him with stories that made him out to be a god, so I assume he is really great. I get the feeling that he is a Hawaiian Abraham Lincoln, as he seemed to unite the Hawaiian islands and the people under one government and ruler. Then, the US came along and changed all that. Anyway, the statue is great.

We moved on to the Wailuku River State Park where we could see an impressive waterfall.

But even more impressive was the next waterfall at the Akaka Falls State Park. This was a much bigger waterfall. But in order to access it, you need to go on a “short” hike. Indeed, it was only about a half mile, but it might just have well been 10 miles. The path was paved all the way, but it wound through a rain forest and up and down stairs and slopes. That just about killed me. I do not do well on such treks. I was able to make several rest stops along the way, but by the time I got to the end of the trail, realizing I would next have to go back the same way, I gave serious thought to establishing permanent residency right there in the Akaka Falls State Park. I was lucky to have Anne with me, as she kept me going by telling me I could do it. Had she not been there, I would have given up after the first set of steps. Anyway, the view was worth it at the end of the trail. But one time in my life is enough.

Thankfully, the trek portion of the tour was the last stop, and we then had a 45-minute drive out of the rainforest and down the mountain to our ship. I would have liked to have taken a nap, but our energetic tour guide was keen to teach us some Hawaiian language vocabulary and have us all join in on some stirring Hawaiian songs.

We got back to the ship about 2:30PM and relaxed in our cabin. It was a great tour today, but quite exhausting at the end.

Tonight we say, “A hui ho!” (See you later!) to Hawaii, and head back to the US, where we will say a quick “Buenos dios!”in Ensenada, Mexico on Saturday. We will return to Long Beach, California on. Sunday.

The fun continues for the next 4 days at sea!