Today was our last day in Hawai’i, and we are not ready to leave. Tom suggested the we visit the Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden, which meant a scenic drive halfway around the island in the morning light. The garden was extensive but had a paved path – perfect for my injured toe!
This was absolutely, hands-down the most breathtaking botanical garden. They had thousands of species of rare and endangered plants, cultivated from around the world. Some of these plants are extinct in the wild now, and only exist here and in other curated gardens.
The garden was started by a couple who loved to travel, and would bring back plants from all over the world to plant on their expansive property in Hawai’i. Their intent quickly changed from personal enjoyment, to the desire to create a space for everyone to enjoy. The entire garden was crafted by hand, in order to avoid damaging the sensitive surroundings.
Even the spiders who lived in the garden were fabulous! We could not stop taking photo after photo of all the beauty surrounding us.
Orchid Garden | Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden
The Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden was divided into many different areas, including “Lily Lake”, “Treasures of the Garden” and “Native Hawaiian Terracing”. One of my favorite sections was the Orchid Garden – never have I ever seen so many orchids or so many different orchids! We enjoyed inspecting their sculpted petals, and were stunned by how few attachment points some of the orchids had.
There were so many varieties of ferns too! I was unfamiliar with the basket-style fern, but it’s essentially wearable art for the more fashionable young trees.
The Legend of Twin Rocks | Onomea Bay
The rough rock formations pictured above are said to be the lovers of the long-gone village of Kahali’i. According to legend, this couple gave their lives to protect their village from an incoming attack by transforming into an obstacle in the bay. It’s not hard to imagine, the rocks look as if they will meet in an embrace any moment now.
Tropical Crayfish
There was a beautiful overlook for a small waterfall, and in the pools of the falls were a number of these tropical crayfish.
These are some of the largest ones we’ve seen!
What an amazing final day on the unforgettably beautiful Big Island of Hawai’i.
