Photos: Students go holoholo! UH Hilo’s Student Activities Council hosts “Get Away Day,” a day trip to West Hawaiʻi cultural and recreational sites

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Stops on the excursion: Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area (fun!), Waikoloa Plaza (food and shopping), Hapuna Beach Park (more fun!), and Puʻukoholā Heiau and Visitor Center (to learn some Hawaiʻi Island history).

Group of eight students stand next to sign for Puʻukoholā Heiau that is made of metal and installed on a rock wall. Dry hills are in the bakcground.
A few of the students, those from the Student Activities Council, on “Get Away Day” gather for a group photo at Puʻukoholā Heiau, Nov. 9, 2014. The day trip, that included several stops, was organized by Ariell Siliado (at far right), vice chair of SAC, which sponsored the trip. (Courtesy photo from Ariell Siliado/SAC/UH Hilo)

By Caleilah-Estelle Ah Yee/UH Hilo Stories.

SAC logo of green leaf with University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Student Activities Council.An adventurous group of students from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo went holoholo (traveling) on a recent Saturday to tour sites on the west side of Hawaiʻi Island. “Get Away Day” was sponsored by the Student Activities Council and organized by Ariell Siliado who serves as SAC’s vice chair.

“I feel it’s important for students to learn and experience the place that they are going to school, not just on campus,” says Siliado, a biology major with a minor in chemistry who comes from Kauaʻi. “Especially in Hawaiʻi where we have so much culture to share, it is my responsibility as a guest on this island to expand my knowledge.”

Stops on the Nov. 9 excursion included Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area, Waikoloa Plaza, Hapuna Beach Park, and Puʻukoholā Heiau and Visitor Center. The group traveled by bus, leaving campus at 8:00 in the morning and returning about 4:30 in the afternoon.

It was a beautiful sunny morning at departure, clear blue skies, and then an even warmer afternoon. Students and the SAC crew were able to partake in all sorts of activities at each stop: take a quick pit stop at the Gilbert Kahele Recreational Area at the halfway point across Saddle Road to play and enjoy the beautiful view of Mauna Loa; get lunch and shop all throughout Waikoloa Shopping Center; go for a cool swim in the midday sun at Hapuna Beach Park; and learn some Hawaiian history at Puʻukoholā Heiau and Visitor Center.

Gilbert Kahele Recreational Area

Group of students pose at rest stop with buildings and hills in the background.
“Get Away Day” group photo at the Gilbert Kahele Recreational Area, Nov. 9, 2024. (Courtesy photo from Ariell Siliado/SAC/UH Hilo)
Vivid blue sky with Maunaloa, crystal clear, light clouds at lower elevation.
Beautiful Mauna Loa under clear blue skies as seen from the Gilbert Kahele Recreational Area during the Nov. 9 “Get Away Day” trip. (Photo: Caleilah-Estelle Ah Yee/UH Hilo Stories)

Hapuna Beach Park

Two students at the beach flash the peace sign. beautiful sunny day with sand and ocean in background. They are seated in the shade next to a large tree,
Students enjoying Hapuna Beach Park. (Photo: Ariell Siliado/SAC/UH Hilo)
White sand beach with ocean and blue skies with a few lower clouds in the background.
A warm sunny day at Hapuna Beach Park, Nov. 9, 2024. (Photo: Caleilah-Estelle Ah Yee/UH Hilo Stories)
Two nene feeding in the grass.
Nene at Hapuna Beach Park. (Photo: Caleilah-Estelle Ah Yee/UH Hilo Stories)

Puʻukoholā Heiau and Visitor Center

Group at the sign for Puʻukoholā Heiau. Rock wall of the heiau in the background.
“Get Away Day” group photo at Puʻukoholā Heiau, Nov. 9, 2024. (Courtesy photo from Ariell Siliado/SAC/UH Hilo)

“Something surprising that I learned during and after the event was the amount of students who were interested in Puʻukohola Heiau,” says Siliado. “I was pleasantly amazed that all the students who attended were actively looking throughout the museum and walking through the trail between each heiau. After sending out an evaluation, I also learned that some students wished they had more time to explore the site, which is great feedback!”

She is right! The Visitor Center displays a multitude of artifacts from the time the heiau was built around 1790. Students commented on the beautiful showcases of actual artifacts used for a wide range of purposes. (Fun Fact: Hawaiian spears were about 16 feet long and Kamehameha the Great (I) was as tall as seven feet!)

There is a paved pathway for guests — the visiting students — to see the heiau for themselves. Students marveled at the two heiau or sacrificial temples that are surprisingly intact after so long. One student commented on the mesmerizing sights of the open sea near the heiau and the kukui trees all along a trail that leads right back to the visitor center.

The importance of off-campus excursions

Siliado came into her role as vice chair of the Student Activities Center promising to provide more off-campus events for students.

“Off-campus events are important to me because it’s an opportunity to experience significant areas this island has to offer while I’m here,” she says. “I could paint on a canvas or sing karaoke anywhere in the world, but only here would I be able to explore Puʻukohola Heiau.”

She says another important point to off-campus events is that it gives students the chance to leave campus (and Hilo) without having to worry about their safety and transportation security.

“Many students that benefit from these trips don’t have their own cars or may feel insecure about going to a new place alone,” she says. “I think Get Away Day was a great event to fulfill all the goals and reasonings I had for off-campus events.”

As for the future of Get Away Day, Siliado says she would definitely like it to be an annual event.

Story by Caleilah-Estelle Ah Yee, a Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi graduate (2024) majoring in education studies at UH Hilo.

Susan Enright, a public information specialist at the UH Hilo Office of the Chancellor, contributed.

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