About Us
The first thing one sees upon crossing the Singing Bridge is the Kaipalaoa Landing Park and the old U.S. Coastguard Lighthouse, but the only way to reach it from Downtown is to walk across a turn lane and 3 lanes of traffic without a cross walk, or to walk along the coast from the Hilo Bus Stop. The Kaipalaoa Landing Park is about half an acre of land located at the base of Waiānuenue Avenue and was transferred from the state to the county in 2013. Currently the land is taken care of by Mālama Kaipalaoa, a citizen-working group of volunteers headed by Stan Lawrence of Orchidland Surf. Local surfers and the community began cleanup efforts at the landing in 2009. The park is currently waiting to receive funding to provide public amenities such as trashcans, picnic tables, and a public outdoor shower. Mālama Kaipalaoa and Mokupāpapa Discovery Center are interested in improving access to Kaipalaoa Park. There is currently no safe means for pedestrians to cross the road between Downtown and the park. Access to the park would allow a strong community presence to develop at the park, as well as for Mokupāpapa to conduct hands on educational programs with visitors, such as water quality monitoring at the site. Annually Mokupāpapa hosts approximately 60,000 visitors and an average of 2,700 students through scheduled educational and outreach activity groups. Kaipalaoa has great potential for use as a field site in education programs at the center. Kaipalaoa Landing is truly a wahi pana, or legendary place in Hilo. Legends note that the site served as a campground for King Kamehameha, and the site where he declared the Law of the Splintered Paddle. Currently the park is used for fishing, throw-net, ocean recreation and relaxation. Mālama Kaipalaoa Working Group and Mokupāpapa are eager to continue momentum in reviving the park as a recognized historical site, and a safe recreational site for the community by improving pedestrian access. Current concepts for the connecting highway include the addition of a crosswalk or round about. The County Council adopted the Envision Downtown Hilo 2025 plan in 2010. The plan identified the revival of Kaipalaoa Landing Park, as well as to establish pedestrian friendly sidewalk standards as action items.