Noordam in Hilo
Hilo Cruise Port is on Hawaii’s big island (Hawaii Island) which has 6 volcanos. Some are active and some are not. Only 5 of them are above the surface of the water. The 6th volcano, Mahukona is extinct, submerged 1200 feet under the ocean, and 30 miles off the coast buried in lava from other volcanos and coral so it’s not surprising this one wasn’t included when our tour guide at that port said the island had 5 volcanos. Most information I’ve seen only mentioned 5 volcanos on the big island, but since the 6th one is buried underwater 30 miles offshore and the rest are actually on the island that makes sense.
volcano erupting
Kilauea is the most active volcano on earth. Sometimes people can see lava in the crater or flowing from this volcano, but there was only steam while we were there. This volcano erupted continuously for 35 years from 1983 – 2018. Eruptions are more sporadic now with the latest information available from Volcanos National Park, which this volcano resides within. Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano having last erupted 3500 years ago. Measured from the sea floor it is the tallest mountain on earth, though its peak altitude is nowhere near the tallest mountain measured from sea level to the top. It has a lake near the summit which is one of the highest in the USA.
monkeypod tree
Mauna Loa is the second most active volcano in the world after Kilauea. It has erupted at least 33 times since 1843 with its most recent eruption occurring in 2022. Hualalai erupts about 2-3 times every 1000 years with its most recent eruption in 1801. Kohala last erupted 60,000 years ago and is considered extinct.
port crew using a forklift to move the lines when the ship docked
Hilo is on the rainy side of the island so there is a lot of lush greenery. Mango, lychee, and monkey pod trees line the highway. Since Hawaii is a state in the USA, currency is in US dollars. November is the rainiest month and June the driest. February is the coldest month and August the hottest. Temperatures range from lows in the low 60’s F to highs in the high 80’s F. The population of Hilo is over 45,000. Population of the big island is over 200,000.
port building
The ship docks in a container port. There’s a small general store just outside of the port gate. Be prepared to show your ID as well as your ship card when entering. Like most US ports, the security guard at the gate will ask for it. They also ask for it at the port building so even if you don’t walk outside the gate you will still need to show it to get back to the ship.
Farmers Market shuttle
The town is a couple miles from the port. It’s walkable, but for those wanting to save time or who don’t want to walk there is transportation. On the day we were there they had a free shuttle to a farmer’s market in town. There are also taxis and ubers in the area and a free city bus. The city bus stops at the airport too, so it takes a bit more time to complete a circuit than other modes of transportation. The internet says there’s a free shuttle to Walmart, but it was not running the day we were there. Walmart is a couple miles beyond the main part of town so the farmer’s market shuttle would have been the better choice to get there anyway.
hula dancers
There wasn’t much at the port itself other than a small area inside the port building offering information. Other than a couple hula dancing girls to entertain people waiting for excursions most of the rest of the space inside the building was used for staging the ship’s shore excursions.
Hoppa on Hoppa off bus
At the exit from the building there were people with signs offering last-minute tours. There was also a bus parked near where the excursion busses and other shuttles pick up passengers. This bus had hoppa on hoppa off painted on its side. Not hop on hop off as is found elsewhere – this one said hoppa. Just outside the port area a building marked tours appeared to be the hoppa on hoppa off base as it had more such busses in various sizes parked in front of it. Tours from the port on hoppa on hoppa off went to places like a chocolate factory, a Japanese garden, and a waterfall, or on a longer tour out to a volcano.
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