Final Field Program - University of Virginia

HILO, HAWAI’I
ARRIVE: SUNDAY 05 DECEMBER 0600
DEPART: MONDAY 06 DECEMBER 2000
ON-SHIP TIME: MONDAY 06 DECEMBER 1800
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HIL01 CITY ORIENTATION (1230-1600 Sunday. 05 December) Minimum 20/Maximum 50 (PRICE: $36)
To avoid confusion with the state of the same name, the island of Hawai’i is commonly referred to as the Big Island.
Approximately 4,000 square miles in size, it is nearly twice as large as the other main islands combined. However,
only about 10 percent of the state’s residents call it home. Hilo is the cultural heart of the Big Island and home to the
University of Hawai’i-Hilo campus. Most of Hilo’s hotels are clustered along Banyan Drive whose trees were
planted by such notables as Amelia Earhart and Cecil B. De Mille during the 1930s. A small footbridge from
Banyan Drive takes you across to tiny Coconut Island in Hilo Bay. Then explore Liliuokalani Gardens, named for
Hawai’i’s last queen. These gardens are filled with Japanese-style pagodas, bridges and ponds. Continue to Wailoa
Center in Wailoa State Park and view exhibits of the work of area artists. Finally, visit Rainbow Falls in Wailuku
River State Park. When the sun cooperates, a colorful shimmering arch is caught in the mist at the falls.
HIL02 VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK – GROUP A (1230-1630 Sunday, 05 December) Minimum
25/Maximum 50 (PRICE: $49)
According to Hawai’ian legends, Volcanoes National Park is the home of Pele, the Hawai’ian goddess of fire. The
area was established as a national park in 1916 to preserve the region’s unique volcanic features, its early human
history, and the plant and animal life that is part of this special bioregion. Terrain in the 377-square-mile park
ranges from arid expanses of lava flows to lush green jungles. The climate ranges from desert to rainforest. A
highlight of the park is Mauna Loa, the second-highest and most massive mountain in the world. Mauna Loa
erupted 14 times in the last century. Its last eruption in 1984 threatened the city of Hilo for a time. Mauna Loa’s
much smaller neighbor, 4,000-foot Kilauea, might go unnoticed except that it is the world’s most active volcano.
For more than 100 years, Kilauea was almost continuously active. The Kilauea Visitor Center and the Volcano Art
Center are located on the northern rim of oval-shaped Kilauea Caldera. Within this caldera is Halema’uma’u Crater
where visitors can smell sulfur and hear steam hissing out of fissures in the rock. When Kilauea is erupting, it is
possible to see seething lakes of molten rock, curtains of fire, and fountains of red-hot lava. A 20-minute movie on
eruptions is shown hourly at the Visitor Center, and there are displays on volcano formation and geologic processes,
native plants and animals, and early Hawai’ians. In addition to the summit calderas, or craters, examine lava flows,
lava tubes, pit craters, steam vents, sulfur banks, kipuka (isolated ―islands‖ untouched by lava flows), fault scarps,
tree molds, and black sand beaches. Please note: Bring a pre-packaged snack and flashlight.
HIL03 HAWAI’IAN LU'AU EXPERIENCE (1630-2130 Sunday, 05 December) Minimum 150/No Maximum
(PRICE: TBA)
Mark your calendars, this is an event not to be missed! Experience a Hawai’ian Lu’au while meeting University
of Hawai’i-Hilo students! Travel to Pana’ewa, the location of this cultural event. Once at the campus’ beautiful
agricultural farm, begin your lu’au introduction with a lei-making activity. A lu’au is a celebration or a feast and
this evening embraces that tradition and includes entertainment, dinner and prizes. The feast begins after enjoying
the Pupu Line and includes traditional Hawai’ian food, such as poi, Kalua pig, lomi lomi salmon and squid luau.
After a Hawai’ian blessing, the chancellor of the university will address the group. The entertainment continues
with performances by UH-Hilo students.
Hawai’i Field Program – page 4