A Day on the Big

Sunrise as we approach Hilo; Moss 2009-01-24-0560.

Squeek and Moss enjoying a Keaha at the Hau Tree bar on the beach; Moss-2009-01-24-0651


A Day on the Big Island of Hawaii

Today is Day Six of our voyage. This morning the alarm went off at 6 o’clock so that we could get up in time to watch the Rotterdam come into the port of Hilo on the “Big Island” of Hawaii. We have been to Hilo several times in our married life, but never before have we arrived by sea. It was cool and squalls dotted the Pacific as we drew close. As the sun rose in the east behind us, the lights of Hilo were glinting to the west in front of us. It was amazing to watch as the big ship was carefully maneuvered around the breakwater and through the channel that led to the pier in Hilo Harbour where she would be moored.

After a bite of breakfast Squeekie and I prepared for our day on the Big Island. No cruise excursion here today—we are going out on our own. We debarked from the ship, walked through the old pier warehouse, seeing evidence all around us of earlier times when Hilo was an important port where pineapple and raw sugar were shipped over to the continental United States. . . . We caught a shuttle which took us over to Hilo Airport, where we rented a car for the day. It came as a surprise when we saw that the “medium” car Squeek had reserved turned out to be a massive Ford Explorer. Wow!

We drove up Highway 19 north out of Hilo headed for the far side of the island. Along the way we were surprised and pleased to see that this side of the island appears to have recovered from the death of the sugar industry, and that communities once created to house labourers or sugar mills are now catering to new residents; there was no obvious evidence of economic discomfort or recession here. We passed through Honokaa, passed Tex’s Barbeque, where we had eaten in the past, and came into Waimea-Kamuela, once the home of the famous Parker Ranch. This community, which we remember as a small village, has grown in size, accumulating a population clearly without ties to the Parker Ranch and its “paniolos” (Hawaiian cowboys). After a quick stop at the Post Office, we drove down the hill to the coast and our goal for the day, the beloved Mauna Kea Hotel.

Squeekie and I have stayed at the Mauna Kea many times since our first visit in 1985. We LOVE the place, and not just because of its fine beach. The hotel was badly damaged in the earthquake of 2006, and had closed for repairs, just reopening recently in mid-December. As we drove up to the hotel’s entrance we were VERY pleased to see that the hotel’s restoration had not brought major changes to the building we remembered. Indeed, there were employees we remembered from our last stay there in 2005. It very much felt like a homecoming! We were able to view one of the renovated (and enlarged) rooms in the main building—they had taken three of the old rooms and rebuilt them as two new rooms.

After exploring the renovations we walked down to the beach—still as marvelous as we remember—and stopped at the Hau Tree Bar to enjoy a Keaha. YUM!! Then we had lunch and renewed acquaintance with Carolyn, who recalled us from earlier visits.

Overall, we found the restored Mauna Kea to have had some useful renovations while at the same time preserving the appearance and feel of the earlier hotel. To us the hotel still felt (and looked) like a cruise ship.

We departed the hotel rather reluctantly and drove back up to Waimea for some quick shopping: a new Reyn Hawaiian shirt for Moss, and Hawaiian Springs water for Squeekie. A spin through Honokaa showed us that Ka’amaina Woods is still in business (although closed this late on a Saturday afternoon). We drove back to Hilo, stopping for a picture of the Rotterdam at her dock, and turned in our car at the airport. Altogether, it was a great day on the Big Island.

We were not hungry tonight, so we poured ourselves glasses of sherry and watched from our verandah as the mighty Rotterdam quietly crept out of Hilo “on cat’s paws” not long after sunset. Tomorrow we will be in Honolulu!