Waiakea Mission Station-Hilo Station

The Waiākea Mission Station was the first Christian mission on the eastern side of the Island of Hawaii. Also known as the Hilo Station, the latest structure is now called Haili Church.The first missionThe American missionaries Asa Thurston, Artemis Bishop, Joseph Goodrich and English missionary William Ellis toured the island in 1823 and planned to establish a network of several posts. The first two were Mokuaikaua Church in the Kona District (western coast), and this one on the east side. On May 19, 1824, a simple grass hut was dedicated as the first church of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions with Joseph Goodrich as preacher and Samuel Ruggles as teacher. The Hawaiian village at the time was called Waiākea, in the district called Hilo. The name of the village came from wai ākea in the Hawaiian language meaning "broad waters", and was located in what is now the southeast part of the city of Hilo.In December 1824, Goodrich met Chiefess Kapiolani at the Kīlauea volcano, for a dramatic demonstration that the new faith was acceptable. In June 1825 the arrived, and Goodrich guided a party to the summit of Mauna Kea.