Big Island · Hilo
Liliʻuokalani Park and Gardens
Liliʻuokalani
The park covers 24.14 acres on the Waiakea Peninsula. Its features include the five-acre Waihonu Pond, half-moon and arched stone bridges, lantern arrangements, a pagoda, the Shōrōan tea house (a gift from sister-city Iwakuni), and torii gates. The footbridge from the park to Mokuola — Coconut Island — is currently closed; see the Mokuola entry. The garden has been damaged and restored repeatedly; the 1946 tsunami required the most extensive of those restorations.
The park is free and used daily by Hilo residents — fishermen at the seawall, families at the pavilions, runners on the loop. Stay on the paths. Do not climb the stone lanterns or the bridges. The tea house is closed except during scheduled events. Do not feed the koi or the ducks. If you photograph people, ask first.