Hilo, HAWAII – Though the Hawaiian islands are grouped together, the Big Island is a separate entity from the other islands altogether. Even Kona, the Western section of the island, and Hilo, the Eastern section, separated by the vast landscape of the volcanoes, feel worlds apart. From atop these dormant volcanoes, one can see the stars in sharp clarity. The people are intertwined by the bus system weaving across the island, with the locals living, and making a living, on alternate sides of the isle.
The port from Hilo is delineated by a land barrier built sometime in the 1900s. It has seen massive water influx, including a tsunami in the 60s, but on a calm day in winter, it is a singular line in the horizon. From the Pu’ueo Street Bridge, you can see the giant banyan trees merging into the sky, the birds twittering in this natural paradise.
When speaking to the locals, either at the Hilo Farmer’s Market, or on the way to the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens, it becomes apparent that what has been, and what has been transplanted, is a constant theme in their minds. These can include plants and animals, and it can include people as well. At the Hele-On Mo’oheau Bus Terminal, one can find locals, perhaps back from that morning’s surf, seated alongside roaming tourists; on certain days, hula dancers will congregate near here, but the actual date is a moving target.
In much the same way, the lava flow from nearby Kilauea Crater. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. In fact, locals act as if it is but a source of entertainment, congregating with old friends to watch it erupting from Volcano House with mugs of hot chocolate. The locals temporarily become tourists in their own town.
Hilo Book Recommendations:
Mark Twain’s Letters from Hawaii, by Mark Twain, 1966.
A book of travel with key sections of narration centered on Kilauea Crater.
Hula, by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes, 2023.
A novel by a native Hilo about the familial tradition of hula dancing.
The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West, by Sara Ackerman, 2024.
Tale of a female aviator from Kona who flies across the Pacific.
postcardsfromanne.com 