Volunteers came together Saturday morning to help clear gravel and mud from coves at Liliuokalani Park and Gardens that will be rehabilitated into suhama.
Suhama in Japanese gardens indicates a pebbled beach sloping gently into a pond. A landscaping team from Japan will be in Hilo this week to implement the smooth stone beach.
The team from Japan will work with Hawaii landscapers and contractors to rehabilitate the stone beach that existed in the two coves back in the 1930s.
The project was supposed to be completed two years ago before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and delayed the work, according to K.T. Cannon-Eger.
Near the red wooden bridge at the park, gravel washed off the path, clogging nearby springs. Over the weekend, volunteers cleared the two coves, so the team from Japan can work quickly to implement the suhama.
The contractors and landscapers will be onsite from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily from Friday to Tuesday.
Heavy equipment will be operating Friday and Saturday, and a passing of stones hand to hand is planned for Sunday at noon.
Those interested can attend a blessing of the site at 3:30 p.m on Thursday.