Near the port of Hilo, where the ship docks, there are some formal Japanese Gardens. Their streams and ponds replenished twice daily by the tides that flow over the black lava rock beach. Queen Lili’uokani built the gardens in 1917 (after she was deposed) to honor Japanese migrant workers who came to work the Big Island’s sugar fields. It claims to be the largest formal Japanese garden outside of Japan. The gardens were a pleasant stop before getting on the ship for five sea days on our way to Victoria, British Columbia.
