Hilo — 1946 Tsunami Conspiracy

Your adventure begins on Banyan Drive, Hilo's iconic avenue along the bay. On April 1, 1946, the bustle was palpable, but no one suspected that the 8.6 Mw earthquake in the Aleutian Islands would soon unleash devastating waves on Hilo. The banyan trees planted in the 1930s, some having survived tsunamis, surround you, silent witnesses to the events. This starting point, less than 500 meters from the future Pacific Tsunami Museum and the bayfront park, places you at the heart of the area most affected by the 1946 and 1960 tsunamis. An introduction to Hawaii's heritage and its history.

Continue to Hilo Bayfront Park, an area that would be devastated by waves exceeding 30 feet (9 meters). Young Donald Ikeda, taking refuge on the roof of a building at the corner of Kamehameha Avenue and Bishop Street facing Hilo Bay, would witness the Hawai’i Planing Mill crossing the street to their shelter during the first wave. Here, an entire row of bayfront houses was ripped from its foundations and thrown into adjacent streets. Your visit to Hilo will make you relive this chaos, showing you the precise points of these destructions, a testament to the 1946 Hilo tsunami.

The route then takes you to the Pacific Tsunami Museum, a building constructed in 1930 as the First Bank of Hilo. This reinforced concrete building survived the 1946 tsunami, and a watermark from that disaster is still visible on its glass entrance door. The bank's old vault, converted into a video theater, shows a 20-minute film about the 1946 tsunami, recalling the 96 deaths in Hilo. An interactive exhibit with a wave generator simulates a mini-tsunami on house models, offering an educational insight into the power of nature and the history of Hilo.

Exploring Hilo's heritage, you reach the Hilo War Memorial Gymnasium, built in 1939-1940. Located about 1 km from Banyan Drive, in an area affected by the 1946 floods, this building served as a temporary shelter after the tsunami. It survived both the 1946 and 1960 tsunamis, becoming a symbol of Hilo's resilience in the face of disaster. Further on, the Suisan Fish Market, a historic building in the bayfront district, bears witness to the destruction that swept away fishing factories and warehouses along Hilo Bay. It is a post-1946 structural survivor, located within the 1.5 km perimeter around Banyan Drive, a historic site in Hilo.

Your immersion in Hilo's history continues towards the Hilo Meishoin Church on Piopio Street. It was here that Donald Ikeda, after running from Bishop Street via Punahoa Street and Piopio Street, took refuge on that tragic day. This Buddhist church served as a gathering point for neighborhood children during the tsunami day, in close proximity to the areas swept by the 1946 waves. By completing this thematic circuit in Hilo, you will have explored the monuments of Hawaii that tell this unique story, and understood how Hilo managed to rebuild, offering an interactive visit and a unique GPS scavenger hunt on the theme of the 1946 Hilo tsunami.