Our second Hawaiian stop is Hilo, on the Big Island. I have mixed emotions regarding my shore excursion in this port. There are several interesting looking excursions here and I had a problem choosing one. That’s the problem with cruising, I suppose. Limited time doesn’t allow for in-depth exploration of the attractions. I had decided to see Akaka Falls, the iconic waterfall featured in all the promotions for Hawaii. The problem is that the only tour which includes a visit to the falls also features several stops which don’t particularly interest me, such as the Tsunami Museum. I suppose that the museum is worth a visit, if you’re interested in the science of tsunamis, but I’m not cruising to be educated in that sense. At least we did the museum at the beginning of the tour. We saw photos, a factual presentation on wave formation 
and travel and a movie of interviews with some survivors of previous disasters. Not my favorite stop….
After leaving the museum, we did a bit of sightseeing on the way to Akaka Falls State Park, including a stop at Onomea Bay. This is a very picturesque location and I got some very good scenic photos. We finally arrived at the park and I was surprised to learn that there are actually two falls, Akaka and Kahuna. The walk to the falls is fairly strenuous and our guide suggested that we go to Kahuna first, then uphill to Akaka. So we set off down the path. It’s a pretty long walk down to Kahuna and a disappointment once I get there. The falls is not very impressive and barely visible from the viewing platform. So I snap a couple of quick pictures and head up the path to Akaka. Unfortunately, it’s not as impressive as I expected, either. It’s over five hundred feet high but there’s not a lot of water flowing over the cliff. I later learned that it had been pretty
dry recently, reducing the flow. It’s pretty nonetheless, just not the sight that I had remembered from the tourist commercials.
On the way back to the ship, we stop at Shinmachi Park, where a second Kamehameha statue stands. It’s the same as the one in Honolulu but I take a picture anyway. Then back to the Volendam. In retrospect, I wish I had joined Greg on his bike ride around the Kilauea crater!
and travel and a movie of interviews with some survivors of previous disasters. Not my favorite stop….After leaving the museum, we did a bit of sightseeing on the way to Akaka Falls State Park, including a stop at Onomea Bay. This is a very picturesque location and I got some very good scenic photos. We finally arrived at the park and I was surprised to learn that there are actually two falls, Akaka and Kahuna. The walk to the falls is fairly strenuous and our guide suggested that we go to Kahuna first, then uphill to Akaka. So we set off down the path. It’s a pretty long walk down to Kahuna and a disappointment once I get there. The falls is not very impressive and barely visible from the viewing platform. So I snap a couple of quick pictures and head up the path to Akaka. Unfortunately, it’s not as impressive as I expected, either. It’s over five hundred feet high but there’s not a lot of water flowing over the cliff. I later learned that it had been pretty
dry recently, reducing the flow. It’s pretty nonetheless, just not the sight that I had remembered from the tourist commercials.On the way back to the ship, we stop at Shinmachi Park, where a second Kamehameha statue stands. It’s the same as the one in Honolulu but I take a picture anyway. Then back to the Volendam. In retrospect, I wish I had joined Greg on his bike ride around the Kilauea crater!
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