"Hilo on the Big Island" a Hilo Travel Page by seagoingJLW

We just returned from our Hawaiian cruise.

Here is an overview of the city of Hilo.

Hilo is an old sugar town that floats down the lower slopes of Mauna Kea Mountain. It is the home of world famous astronomic observatories of many nations.

Hilo straddles a river of waterfools, pools and lush vegetation. While Hilo is the rainiest city in the United States, most of the rain occurs at night. Hilo is the state's second largest city. Hilo has been described as "Honolulu before the jeets came in."

Hilo is on Hawaiian Standard Time with no daylight saving. It has a population of 40,158.

The official flower is lehua o'hia. With an area of 4,028 square miles, the islands of Hawaii is twice the combined size of the other Hawaiian Islands. The average annual rainfall is 131 inches.

The island has five volcanos--three of them active. Kilauea has erupted continuously since 1983. Mauna Kea, measuring 13,796 feet above sea level is the world's tallest mountain when measured from its submarine base. Mauna Loa erupts about once every five years.

Culture

The ancient Hawaiians had a saying "Nana I Ke Kuwu." It means "Look to the source." Youth must seek knowledge from the elderly. The elderly must pass on their vast knowledge of the environment.

A child was watched closely to ascertain what his natural talents were. He was then encouraged to pursue them. Established scholars with the same interest would teach the child. Oral history was passed on through this kind of apprenticeship.

The Polynesian triangle consisted of three groups of islands: Aotearoa (New Zealand), Rapanui (Easter Islands), and Hawai'i. The Polynesian people sailed between the islands with only stars as their guides.

When the missionaries arrived, hula and other aspects of the Polynesian culture went underground. That we have remnants of the culture today is a tribute to the legacy of the Kupuna who maintained the gift of oral tradition and passed it on to the present generation.
Believe it or not, the hula survived because of the tourist industry. Unfortunately the language of the islands is almost extinct.

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A Welcome Greeting

The Sign on the Dock

This was the greeting posted for us.