Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens and why you can skip it
Banyan Tree at Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens Kane’ohe, Hawaii.
Introduction to the Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens
The Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens are nestled just south of the Ko’olau mountains on the windward side of Oahu in Kane’ohe. Entrance to the gardens is free and they are open from 9-4 each day. The gardens comprise 6 different areas and a lake that are connected by a dead end road. Each area has a different theme and it’s own parking lot with restrooms and a walking path through the gardens. A few of the gardens are also connected via mowed, grass paths, so that you can piece together your own loop trail. Additionally, there are a couple short trails that meander through the property and are separate from the gardens.
Why we went to the Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens
We decided to check out the gardens for two reasons. 1. I love knowing what types of trees are around me. I’m constantly pointing out tree types to the kids in Kentucky, which is knowledge I gained growing up with my grandparents in eastern Ky, and I am lost here in Hawaii where I don’t know any of the trees. Since botanical gardens usually have labels on the plants, I thought this would be a high yield way to learn 5-10 common tree types. 2. Bailey came down with a horrible case of food borne illness and couldn’t leave the house for 5 days. This was a short, easy outing that I felt we could do without her on day 3 of her quarantine.
What we liked about Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens:
The drive to the gardens, through the mountains on H3 was spectacular. We hadn’t ventured to this part of the island yet and were glad we came to see it.
There are some really magnificent, large trees in the gardens.
The lake is a pleasant place to take a stroll and Gus loved seeing the fish in the lake.
The Stream Trail had some areas where the trees completely surrounded you in a thick canopy and it felt like hiking in the jungle.
Large Breadfruit Tree
What we didn’t like about Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens:
The labeling was sparse and poorly done. Most of the labels only displayed the scientific names of the trees, and who can remember those? I ended up looking them up on my phone while walking and this made for a less pleasant experience. Additionally, a lot of the biggest trees had no labels, while a tiny palm tree nearby would proudly don it’s scientific name. It was completely nonsensical.
The variety of trees and plants was very underwhelming. Compared to other botanical gardens we have visited, this was more of a park with a few labeled trees.
There was no natural flow to the gardens and most were only accessible from the main road. As a result, you have to choose between walking from area to area on the road with cars or getting into your car and driving to each area. I imagined us strolling through garden paths for the day, but instead, we were getting in and out of the car and spending 5-10 minutes looking at the 5 labeled trees in each area. It was really disappointing.
Summary
If you’re spending a whole month in Oahu and you want a relatively chill day, this area is nice and you can see a pleasant lake and a few old, cool trees. If you are only going to be on Oahu for 1-2 weeks, however, I would skip this one. There are many more unique, interesting, and beautiful places to see on Oahu.
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Ko’olau Mountain Range at Kane’ohe, Hawaii from the Ho’omaluhia Botanical Gardens
