Hilo Sunny-side Up!
It’s Not Just a Rainy Old Town
Story and Photos by John Penisten
Soggy Reputation
For visitors to Hawai’i, it is probably one of the more underrated and least glamorous places to visit due to its soggy reputation. Granted, it does rain a lot here. The average annual rainfall is 128 inches. But Hilo’s reputation is sorely undeserved because there is so much more to the Big Island’s main town than its jaded rainy image. Hilo (2020 pop. 44,186) deserves more recognition for its positive attributes than for its supposed detriments.
Friendly Folks
Take its people for example. Even though Hilo’s climate leans toward the soggy side, Hiloans are decidedly cheerful, open, friendly, a bit conservative and optimistic. After all, these are the people who have endured earthquakes, tidal waves, and threatening eruptions and lava flows from Mauna Loa, one of the world’s largest active volcanoes. They’re not about to let a little rain get them down. Not too long ago, Hilo’s tourism industry authorities, with tongue in cheek and a bit of wry humor, promoted the town and area attractions by passing out pin buttons that said “What rain?”
Colorful Small Town
Known to some as the City of Rainbows, an obvious attempt to brighten its image, Hilo dates back to the early days as a trading port in Hawai’i. It is the government and commercial trade center of Hawai’i Island (known locally as the Big Island). Until the mid-1990’s when the sugar industry collapsed, the town serviced the numerous sugar plantations that were then the Big Island’s main industry.
Today’s Hilo remains a colorful small town that attracts the island’s rural folks and still provides shave ice, soda, and the latest big screen movies for island youngsters, just as it did in the old days. It remains the cultural and social hub of the island’s east side and is the gateway to attractions along the tropical Hamakua Coast and Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. And it is learning to cope with an ever-changing economy and lifestyle. Sugar is long gone as the economic mainstay and the visitor industry shifted to the growing Kona-Kohala Coast resort area on the island’s west side.
Varied Economy
The Hilo area agriculture industry continues to expand with macadamia nuts, tropical florals, and fruits heading the list. And Hilo continues to serve as the center of county government. The education-scientific industries are growing with the combined campus of the University of Hawai’i at Hilo and Hawai’i Community College. The Mauna Kea Observatory Complex and various other observatories have administration offices adjacent to the university campus supporting the ongoing astronomical research programs of the renowned Mauna Kea observatory telescopes.
The Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai’i features hands-on museum displays and exhibits in addition to hosting wide ranging science-educational programs covering the Hawaiian cultural, natural history, and astronomy research aspects of Mauna Kea.
The older downtown core area of Hilo has experienced something of a renaissance in recent years as well. Once deserted by businesses, downtown Hilo is coming alive with new shops, retail outlets, and restaurants. Many buildings have had or are getting fresh coats of paint and renovations making them more attractive.
The popular Hilo Farmers Market recently completed construction on a covered marketplace providing more vendor space, better accessibility, and shopping for customers.
It all reflects the confidence of the business community and its faith in Hilo’s future. All of this growth and development has come about despite Hilo’s sodden reputation and affinity for wetness.
Abundant Rainfall
According to government weather service records data, Hilo receives more rainfall than any other population center in Hawai’i and even the U.S. mainland. Cities with high annual rainfall like Mobile, Pensacola, and New Orleans in the south and Seattle and Portland on the west coast get about 50–60 inches of rainfall annually in comparison to Hilo’s abundant 128 inches. Most of Hilo’s rain falls during the night and early morning hours with fewer disruptions to daytime activities. The records indicate that Hilo does get some precipitation an average of 236 days annually mostly as light passing showers. Hilo actually has more sunny to partly-sunny days annually than totally overcast rainy days.
Hilo’s rainfall is generally well distributed throughout the year. However, records do indicate that rainfall averages tend to be a little larger during the winter months of November through March. The summer months of May through September mark the hurricane season which also brings lots of humidity and occasional heavy rain.
The main thing about Hilo’s rain is that it keeps the tropical environment of the Big Island’s east side lush and green. The beautiful landscape of dense tropical foliage and rainforests everywhere one looks is why people come here and why more people should.
Hilo Attractions
Okay, so just what is there to see and do in Hilo anyway? Well, to begin with, Hilo is the recognized anthurium capital of the world, marketing thousands of the popular heart-shaped flowers worldwide annually. Visitors are welcome at a number of anthurium nurseries in the Hilo area.
If you favor orchids, you won’t be disappointed either. Hilo again is a recognized world leader in the orchid industry and area nurseries welcome visitors. There are also tropical botanical gardens to stroll through and see the variety of tropical flowers, plants, and trees.
The Big Island also produces a bountiful crop of macadamia nuts. And the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory just outside of Hilo is one of the world’s largest producers of mac nut chocolates and a variety of nut products. The factory offers free tours to observe macadamia nut processing and free samples afterwards.
Hilo’s other noted attractions include Rainbow Falls on the Wailuku River above town. Liliuokalani Park on Hilo’s bayfront, named for Hawai’i’s last monarch, is a memorial park honoring Hawai’i’s immigrant Japanese. The park features several handsome Japanese stone lanterns surrounding its reflecting ponds. Lyman House Museum documents the history of early Hilo and the Big Island and the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo has a unique collection of rainforest animals from around the world.
The famed Naha Stone with its connection to King Kamehameha rests in front of Hilo Public Library. Legend has it that the one who could move or overturn the 5,000 lb. stone would have the mana or power to unite the Hawaiian Islands. In fulfillment of the prophecy, a young Kamehameha did move and overturn the stone and went on to unite the islands in 1810.
Wailoa State Park’s green open spaces feature a large pond and paths throughout plus covered picnic pavilion facilities. The park also has a handsome statue of King Kamehameha the Great who unified the Hawaiian Islands under one rule.
Just outside of town is the Old Mamalahoa Highway 4-mile scenic drive which follows the rugged Hamakua Coast past Onomea Bay and through dense stands of tropical rainforest.
A stroll through downtown Hilo provides a treasure trove of experiences from sampling cracked seed (a local favorite with island youngsters) from candy and snack shops, to a gourmet plate lunch from any of several eateries, to selecting a bag of luscious tropical fruits or a bouquet of flowers at the Hilo Farmers Market. In addition, one gets to chat with friendly Hilo folks which makes visiting downtown Hilo a rich cross-cultural experience.
Hilo Balm
To sum up, Hilo really is an easygoing, relaxed, and laid-back country town. While the rest of the world rushes on by, Hilo is content to plod along on its slow steady way. With its warm rain showers, lush tropical splendor, and friendly, caring folks, Hilo is indeed a balm for troubled souls and aching hearts longing for a place far from the maddening crowd.
So, is Hilo’s rainy reputation undeserved? You bet it is! There’s so much more to Hilo than just its rainfall totals, so much beauty, that its incredible so many have passed it by.
As you can see, the old line about Hilo’s rain is really relative. Yes, Hilo is definitely sunny-side up! Come and see for yourself. Oh, and when you do, just in case, don’t forget your umbrella. It looks like a shower today!
If You Go
For detailed information on Hilo area attractions, lodging, restaurants, shopping, activities, and more, see the Destination Hilo website: https://www.destinationhilo.org
For information on Hilo and Big Island lodging and more, see the Hawai’i Visitors Bureau website: https://www.gohawaii.com/islands/hawaii-big-island
Previous versions of this story appeared in Aloha Magazine, Hawaiian Airlines Hawaii, and Hawaii Westways.
Other Hawai’i Stories
About the Writer
John Penisten is a photojournalist and longtime diehard Hilo resident who adheres to an old Hilo maxim: Never leave your car parked with the windows down. Not even for a minute. He has authored the guidebooks Hawai’i the Big Island, Kaua’i the Garden Island, Adventure Guide to Hawai’i, and Experience the Big Island: The Road to Adventure. His personal adventure book Green Hills and Blue Lagoons: A Peace Corps Memoir covers his travels and experiences as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Fiji Islands, South Pacific. His travel stories and photos have appeared in a variety of print and online publications.
