Coconut Island (Mokuola) is closed right now, so you cannot visit. The footbridge from Hilo’s shoreline to the island collapsed on November 14, 2025, after a county crew member drove a mini-excavator across it, and the park has been shut ever since. As of April 2026, the county plans a temporary span to restore access within about two years, with full reconstruction not starting until 2029 (April 2026 update).
While it is closed, the free Queen Liliʻuokalani Gardens next door is the better Hilo stop. When it reopens, Coconut Island is calm and protected, good for swimming and picnics but not snorkeling: the bay runs murky in the lee of the Hilo pier. The real draw is the stone jumping tower on the northern tip, where most people favor the lower platform over the 20-foot jump.
Overview from the west showing Coconut Island in the foreground, and the Hilo Cruise Ship terminal in the background.
Coconut Island: swimming, relaxing, and tower jumping
Coconut Island draws local families more than tourists. They picnic on the lawn and in the small pavilions, swim in the sheltered bay, and let the kids work the jumping tower. It is one of the easiest swimming spots right in Hilo, the restrooms are clean, and Queen Liliʻuokalani Gardens sits next door, so you can see both in one stop.
The two sandy beaches are sheltered by the Hilo pier, so the water stays calm. Several tide pools sit along the edge for kids to explore. The bay water is often murky, though, so Coconut Island is not a place to snorkel.
Pro tip: bring fruit and a sandwich or plate lunch from the Hilo Farmers Market for a small picnic.
This place is most popular with the local kids though, because of the small stone tower on the northern tip of the island from which they can jump in the ocean while performing all kinds of acrobatics! The tower has two levels that are about 10 and 20 ft. above the ocean level.
You can see some of these tower-jumping shenanigans in the video below:
Oh, we almost forgot: this is a great place to take pictures of downtown Hilo. On a clear day you can see the Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa volcanoes behind Hilo, and on a rainy day the passing showers can be dramatic:
Showers passing over Hilo back lit by the afternoon sun.
Why is Coconut Island also called Mokuola?
Mokuola literally means “Island of Life” in Hawaiian (Moku means “Island” and Ola means “Life”). The reason is debated, but two explanations come up: [1] that it once held an ancient temple dedicated to healing, or [2] that it served as a place of refuge for the Hilo region (source).
As for the current name of Coconut Island, well, there are a lot of coconut palms on the island :).
By the way, now that we are having fun with names, did you know that Coconut Island is also known as (source):
- Cocoanut Island (Cocoanut is an old-fashioned spelling for coconut)
- Moku-o-Loʻe (Loʻe means ” Curve of a fishhook“, referring to the shape of the island)
- and the more self-explanatory Moku Ola and Mokuola Island
Annotated map (from Google) showing the pedestrian bridge, two white sand beaches, the tower and parking area.
Getting to Coconut Island
Coconut Island sits in Hilo Bay, reached by a footbridge off Banyan Drive just north of Queen Liliʻuokalani Gardens. For navigation, the address is 77 Keliipio Pl, Hilo HI 96720. Remember that the footbridge collapsed in November 2025 and is still down, so the crossing described here does not apply until a replacement span is in place.
Parking is straightforward: a small lot sits just before the bridge. If it is full, park on Banyan Drive and walk the short distance over.
Once across, the footbridge runs 75 meters (250 feet) to the island, and you have arrived at your destination.
The 250 ft (75 meters) bridge to Coconut island. Note that there is a ramp for wheelchairs so the island is accessible! Image credit: google maps
Coconut Island on Oʻahu
There are other coconut islands in Hawaiʻi. On Oʻahu, for example, you can find the 28-acre Coconut Island in Kāneʻohe Bay. This is a marine research facility and not accessible to the general public except by (very interesting!) supervised visits.