Oahu alone has several Botanical Gardens and other parks where there are great collections of plants. We did not get to the main Botanical Gardens but did visit Waimea Valley and Arboretum while on an Circle Island Eco Tour. A very beautiful spot to spend several hours or a day. Here is a picture of the falls and pool. Several people tried out the swimming but we resisted. It truly is a great place with an extensive plant collection that is well identified.Plants are my thing of course so going for walks anywhere was always a good experience and we did a lot of walking since we did not rent a car. Trolleys and buses will get you anywhere around Waikiki so a car is not necessary. And tours will get you to the other remote areas.
We did try snorkeling which for non swimmers is a bit of a challenge in the waves even of Hanauma Bay. But it is something we would do again. It does seem a bit expensive as entry to the Preserve is $7.50 US per day. But having your own gear would help and also bringing your own food. The food was good but to do this several times in a week would be costly.
As you can tell this was a fairly cloudy day which seemed to be the prevailing thing while we were there. This was a particularly interesting day as we met a young Japanese lady whom we really felt a great deal of compassion for as she shared some of her story about challenges and choices she was trying to make for her life. A great connecting point for my wife and I.
Another place to visit is the zoo. Very nicely done and a good collection of animals. Too many pictures to include here but this is one of the many fine animals there. And of course the whole island is surrounded by water so there are many opportunities to photograph waves and surfers. So we will end with water and say it was a good time.
And a flower.
2 comments:
Hawaii is a place I dream of going. You must have absolutely loved the gardens there!
Glad to hear you and your wife got away for a nice winter break. I'm betting that after Christmas you will be getting the garden under lights going. I look forward to seeing your progress. :)
All the best for a wonderful Christmas!
I could not make myself insist on visiting more gardens since I was sharing this trip with my wife, and she was very generous as it was. Next time we will definitely drop in on some other gardens. It was the dry season so the south east area around Diamond Head was quite brown as there had not been rain. Other places were not really healthy either but for the most part it is a plant lovers paradise. Take a Trees and Plants of Hawaii if you go.
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