Back in 1946, a tsunami struck the Hawaiian Islands.
There had been no warning to Hawaii as the Tsunami Warning System had not yet been established, and the tsunami was extremely damaging throughout the islands. It was especially devastating to the Island of Hawaii.
The town of Hilo on the island of Hawaii was struck by a series of six to seven large tsunami waves in 15-20 minute intervals. The highest of those waves had a run-up height of 30 feet above sea level. The waves completely destroyed Hilo’s waterfront, killing 159 people. Every house on the main street facing Hilo Bay was ripped off its foundation and carried across the street crashing against buildings on the other side.
Today, the Pacific Tsunami Museum, in downtown Hilo, offers stark evidence of the power of tsunamis that have hit Hilo and the rest of the Pacific Basin. The Museum is located just across the street from Hilo Bay. A live webcam keeps its electronic eye on the bay to watch for Tsunamis, and there’s an evacuation plan conspicuously posted as you come in since the Museum is within the tsunami zone in Hilo. Hey, there’s actually nothing to worry about. With all the monitoring going on within the Pacific now, you would have sufficient warning. If a tsunami were to be headed toward the islands, there would be plenty of time to move to higher ground. Tsunamis are generated by earthquakes elsewhere in the Pacific. (An earthquake in Hawaii might generate a tsunami headed outwards.)
The museum has a series of in-house permanent exhibits that interpret the tsunami phenomena, the Pacific Tsunami Warning system, the history of tsunamis in the Pacific Basin, tsunamis of the future, myths and legends about tsunamis, and public safety measures for tsunami disasters.
The Museum is certainly worth your time if your vacation plans include the Big Island. (Hilo is on the east coast.) It’s open every day between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. There’s an admission fee of $7.00; seniors pay $6.00 and kids are just $2.00.
Most of the exhibits are a mix of photographs, text and some video. Some of the videos are kind of long, but really interesting for anyone with any interest in earthquakes and tsunamis. As you watch the videos detailing the tsunami destruction in Hilo, you can look out the windows of the museum and imagine the damage and destruction around you.
If the museum sounds interesting to you, pick an agent from the Hawaii-Aloha Web site (hawaii-aloha.com), or call 1-800-843-8771. We’ll help you work it into your schedule.
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April 29th, 2009
A true Hawaii tourism hero died earlier this month. His name was Richard Wassman Kimi. He did not do a specific heroic thing, but what he did lastingly affected Hawaii tourism.
Back in the mid-1950s, Kimi, who lived in Hilo on the Big Island, noticed that the tourists who came to the island arrived on large ships or airplanes. That meant they had money and could afford fine accommodations. But the then-29-year-old noticed that there were very few affordable places to stay for local residents and neighbor-island residents who wanted to visit Hilo for a day or two.
In 1956, even though friends and experts told him he was crazy, Kimi built the 30-room Hotel Hukilau in Hilo. It was a small hotel, one of the first along Banyan Drive, which now is lined with East Hawaii’s largest hotels such as the Naniloa and Hilo Hawaiian.
The Hotel Hukilau was consistently packed, mostly with people who lived in the islands. Soon, budget-conscious visitors discovered that the rooms were nicely-furnished and clean, and that the service at the hotel was excellent. Realizing that his concept was working, Kimi went on to build the Hukilau and Seaside hotels in Kona (on the other side of the Big Island), on Maui, and on Kaua’i, and he would also purchase the old Waikiki Biltmore Hotel, now the site of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki.
Kimi never wanted to build large hotels. His objective was to serve local residents and budget-minded visitors. He was one of the first to put together air, room and car packages for residents, and he was a leader in taking reservations via fax machines and toll-free numbers.
He also enjoyed teaching and sharing his sales, marketing and business knowledge. One of his students was Robert Kiyosaki, author of the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" books, who based his original "rich dad" on Kimi,.
Kimi, the visionary who pioneered the reasonably-priced “family” accommodations still available in Hawaii, died on December 19th in Honolulu. He was 83.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
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February 5th, 2009
Narrowing down your Hawaii vacation destination is even more difficult than it may seem to be at first. Most people try to decide which island – or islands – they think would appeal to them most.
The problem is that, except for little Molokai and Lanai, each of the islands actually has three or more distinctly different areas within their beaches.
On Oahu, Waikiki – on the south shore – is where the action is, and it’s close to most of the island’s other attractions. On the north shore, Turtle Bay is a full-blown resort near “Old Hawaii,” those humongous winter waves and the quaint little town of Haleiwa. Ko Olina is a newer, sprawling, self-contained resort area well west of Honolulu in leeward Oahu.
On the north shore of Kauai, the beautiful Hanalei and Princeville area is quiet and scenic with nice resorts. The south shore has Poipu and a whole bunch of ritzy resorts with all kinds of things to do. On the east shore, the town of Lihue is the island’s business and population center, with good accommodations that are convenient to most of Kauai’s spectacular attractions.
Maui is said to be two islands. West Maui has Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kapalua and those spectacular resorts. The island’s larger portion contains the rustic Upcountry, the mammoth Haleakala crater and the Waimea resort area. Way to the east, the fantastic Hana area is an isolated destination unto itself.
The Big Island is generally divided into the Hilo side – the east – and the Kona side – the west. But it’s far more than that. On the Kona side, the coast is lined with one spectacular resort after another, and farther inland is ranch country in the rural areas of Waimea and Kamuela, the majestic Mauna Kea and the world’s most powerful telescopes. The Hilo side is far less touristy, but that’s where you’ll find Volcanoes National Park and the amazing lava flows.
As you can see, there’s a lot to consider beyond a choice of islands. The best thing to do is pick an agent from our website and begin a relationship (No obligation, of course). Our agents all are experts in Hawaii – have lived here and can guide you with passion and professionalism. Or, if you prefer, call 1-800-843-8771.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
November 26th, 2008
