Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [223]
A crowd gathered at the shore: for 300yd or more there was only ocean bottom, with bright red moss and stranded flapping fish. The water then filled in and receded several times.
Says survivor Joseph Ah Choy: ‘We was just running back and forth when the wave come up. We go run to the grandstand. When the wave go back, we follow. When the water come up again, we run again. We had about seven or eight small kine waves coming in and out. I don’t know what made me run straight from the last one.’
This time, says Fujimoto, ‘the wave was like filling a cup with water, but when it reaches the brim, it doesn’t stop.’ As the children raced away like mad, some fell and others hid again in the grandstand. Running without stopping, Fujimoto says, ‘I saw the bleachers collapse like a house of matchsticks, making terrifying cracking sounds. The other thing I remember was one of the teachers’ cottages sailing through the coconut trees.’
In eerie silence, successive waves picked up people and buildings, leaving some stranded uphill while dragging everything else out to sea. Over 20 people were never found. One woman and two boys floated for nearly three days before being rescued.
Afterward, the town relocated topside. The Hamakua Coast railroad never ran again, and two years later an official tsunami-warning system was created. A memorial was erected on Laupahoehoe Point to honor the town’S victims, and since then the community gathers there every April Fool’S Day to eat, play music and listen to survivors ‘talk story.’
The quotes above are taken from the book April Fool’S, an award-winning oral history compiled by Laupahoehoe school students in 1996. Copies are available at the train museum (Click here).
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DETOUR: OLD MAMALAHOA HIGHWAY
The Hamakua Coast is perfect for those who like exploring neglected old roads just to see what you can find. This 4-mile portion of the bypassed Old Mamalahoa Hwy (near Honomo) satisfies that itch. However, don’t miss the bridge over Nanue Falls on Hwy 19 between the 18- and 19-mile markers; park south of the bridge and walk back for vertiginous views of the steep gulch.
Coming from the north, turn off Hwy 19 at the 19-mile marker, following the sign for Waikaumalo County Park. Here, a grassy slope (with picnic area) leads to a pretty stream, which, if you’re so inclined, is tailor-made for muddy jaunts upstream.
Driving on, Old Mam Hwy becomes a one-lane road, which dips into a series of stream gulches overhung with thick foliage; it’S sometimes possible to pull over next to the bridges and explore. Out of the gulches, you pass small bucolic farms and ocean views. A little less than halfway along, keep an eye out for Honohina Cemetery, a historic Japanese graveyard full of crumbling, kanji-covered headstones.
The south end of the road is anchored by the World Botanical Gardens (963-5427; www.wbgi.com; adult/child 6-12/child 13-17 $13/3/6; 9am-5:30pm), which is signed on Hwy 19 at the 16-mile marker. The fee is a bit steep for the modest gardens, even including access to the beautiful, three-tiered Umauma Falls, but if you’re jonesing for a walk, you’ll get your money’S worth.
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For an overview of Hilo’S history, Click here.
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ORIENTATION
Hilo’S compact downtown is about six square blocks on the southwest side of the bay. Called the ‘bayfront,’ it lies between Kamehameha Ave and Kino′ole St (both parallel to the bay) and between Waianuenue Ave and Mamo St. On the bay