Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [227]
Not really on the peninsula, but fronting Kamehameha Ave on the park side, close to Manono St, is the Waiakea Tsunami Memorial Clock (Map). The clock is stuck at 1:05, the exact moment, in the predawn hours of May 23, 1960, when Hilo’S last major tsunami swept ashore.
Pana′ewa Rainforest Zoo
Upon entering this modest 12-acre zoo (Map; 959-9233; www.hilozoo.com; admission free; 9am-4pm, petting zoo 1:30-2:30pm Sat), visitors receive a cheerful ‘Hi! How are you?’ from Max, the zoo’S talking parrot and official goodwill ambassador. The zoo’S real pride, however, is a white Bengal tiger, in a large grassy enclosure. You need only an hour or two to tour the landscaped tropical grounds, which feature several endangered Hawaiian birds, monkeys, reptiles, a pygmy hippo, a Monarch butterfly house and gaggles of free-roaming peacocks and chickens. To get here, turn off Hwy 11 at W Mamaki St, just past the 4-mile marker; the zoo is another mile west.
Historic Buildings
Compact downtown Hilo, with its historic buildings and panoramic bay, rewards wanderers; pick up a free historic sites legend at the visitor center.
Sitting on the corner of Kamehameha and Waianuenue Aves, the FH Koehnen Building (Map) is a stylish 1910 building with interior koa walls and ohia floors (housing an interior-design store). East on Kamehameha Ave at the corner of Kalakaua St, the Pacific Tsunami Museum (opposite) occupies the 1930 First Hawaiian Bank Building, which was built by renowned Honolulu architect CW Dickey. Another block east on Kamehameha Ave is the art deco SH Kress Company Building (Map). Built in 1932, it fell into disrepair in the 1980s but was restored in 1990. Along with a movie theater and shops, it now houses a 245-student public-charter school. Further east on Kamehameha Ave (near Mamo St), the 1912 S Hata Building (Map) is a fine example of renaissance-revival architecture. The US government seized the building from the original Japanese owner during WWII; after the war, the owner’S daughter bought it back and restored it.
From Kamehameha Ave, Haili St is interesting. The first notable building is Hilo’S 1925 Palace Theater (Click here); renovated in the late 1990s, it evokes the faded elegance of a bygone era, when it was the Big Island’S first deluxe theater showing silent movies with live organ music. Over the next two blocks you pass the simple, Victorian-style Central Christian Church (Map), built by Portuguese immigrants in the early 1900s; 1859 Haili Church (Map), which wouldn’t look out of place in the New England countryside; and Catholic St Joseph’S Church (Map), a 1919, pink paean of Spanish-mission design. Just past St Joseph’S is the 1839 Lyman Mission House, which is now part of the Lyman Museum (Click here).
Side by side on Kalakaua St, south of Keawe St, are two striking structures. First is the East Hawai′i Cultural Center (opposite), which served as the Hilo police station until 1975; its hipped roof and covered lanai were common features in 19th-century island homes. Next door, the handsome 1920s Hawaiian Telephone Company Building (Map) is another CW Dickey creation that displays Spanish, Italian and Californian mission influences.
Outside of downtown, on Ululani St near Ponahawai St, the Hilo Chinese Cemetery (Map) is announced by a gorgeous, green-and-red temple building. The board out front lists the names, dates and villages of the Chinese immigrants buried here.
Beaches
Hilo is no beach town. But when the sun shines, grab your suit, make haste for 4-mile Kalaniana′ole Ave (Hwy 19; east of Banyan Dr), and you won’t be disappointed. Here, a string of intriguing pockets provide sand enough for sunning, swimming, snorkeling, surfing and diving. Rough surf can stir up these spots, making swimming dangerous, so assess conditions carefully.
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