HILO, Hawaii—Nina Wild and Andreas Maeder were planning to go out for a nice dinner after flying to Hawaii from Switzerland. But the manager of the bed and breakfast where they stayed near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park told them that wasn’t a good idea.
“She laughed and told us ‘No, no, we have a hurricane. You can’t go, everything’s closed,’” Wild said.
Instead, the couple was treated to a homemade meal at the bed and breakfast. They were among thousands of visitors to Hawaii adjusting their expectations of paradise this week as two hurricanes threatened to hit the islands.
Oahu, Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe were under a hurricane watch Friday as Hurricane Lester surged closer to the islands. Hurricane Madeline threatened the Big Island earlier in the week but was downgraded to a tropical storm and passed without causing major damage.
Lester weakened to a Category 2 but was expected to remain a hurricane as it passes north of the islands Saturday and Sunday, said meteorologist Bob Burke of the National Weather Service. Large waves from 15 to 25 feet are expected to pound east-facing shores of major islands, he said.
Around Hawaii, tourists who had been planning an escape to a sunny island paradise were making the most of their vacations.
Julie Harrison said she was a little nervous the hurricanes would ruin her trip to the Big Island but she decided to come regardless.
“It’s enough of an experience that I just wanted to come out anyway and make it out no matter what,” said Harrison during a stop to see the bubbling crater at Kilauea volcano’s summit.
“I’ve only been here since yesterday and already it’s amazing, being able to see the volcanoes and beaches,” said Harrison, who lives near Buffalo, New York.
Two other relatives — one in her 60s and another in her 90s — who were going to come with her delayed their trip by about a week because of the storms.
Oahu’s 205 campsites remained open as Lester approached, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell told reporters Friday.
“We want to allow people to continue to plan to camp, but we want to ask those campers to pay attention...be ready,” Caldwell said. “It’s going to be a wet weekend.”
