Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [122]
HE′EIA STATE PARK
Despite looking abandoned, this park offers picturesque views of He′eia Fishpond, an impressive survivor from the days when stone-walled ponds used for raising fish for royalty were common on Hawaiian hores. It remains largely intact despite invasive mangrove.
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TOP PICKS – O′AHU’S GARDENS & GREEN SPACES
Lyon Arboretum (Click here)
Foster Botanical Garden (Click here)
Ho′omaluhia Botanical Garden (Click here)
Koko Crater Botanical Garden (Click here)
James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge (Click here)
Waimea Valley (Click here)
Waihaiwa Botanical Garden (Click here)
Honouliuli Forest Reserve (Click here)
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Just offshore to the southeast, Moku o Lo′e was a royal playground. Its nickname ‘Coconut Island’ comes from the trees planted there by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop in the mid-1800s. During WWII, the US military used it for R&R. Today the Hawai′i Institute of Marine Biology occupies much of the island, which you might recognize from the opening scenes of the Gilligan’s Island TV series.
Near the park entrance, there’s a traditional Hawaiian canoe shed and workshop.
GOLF
It’s no contest: 18-hole/par-73 Ko′olau Golf Club (247-7088; www.koolaugolfclub.com; 45-550 Kionaole Rd; green fees $59-145) is O′ahu’s toughest course, scenically nestled beneath the Ko′olau Range. Nearby, the municipal 18-hole/par-72 hillside Pali Golf Course (266-7612; www.co.honolulu.hi.us/des/golf; 45-050 Kamehameha Hwy; green fees $21-42) also has stunning views, stretching from the mountains across to Kane′ohe Bay. For tee-time reservations, green fees and general information, Click here. Club and handcart rentals are available at both of these courses.
Sleeping & Eating
Before your circle-island tour, you’re better off eating in nearby Kailua (Click here).
County-run Ho′omaluhia Botanical Garden (233-7323; www.co.honolulu.hi.us/parks/hbg; 45-680 Luluku Rd; campsites free) allows camping from 9am Friday until 4pm Monday. With an overnight guard and gates that open after-hours only for pre-registered campers, it’s among O′ahu’s safest places to camp. You can get a permit in advance at any satellite city hall (Click here), or simply go to the park’s visitor center between 9am and 4pm, but call first to confirm that space is available. No alcohol allowed.
Getting There & Away
TheBus No 55 and 65 leave from Honolulu’s Ala Moana Center every 20 minutes, taking just under an hour to reach Kane′ohe. From Kailua, TheBus No 56 runs once or twice hourly to Kane′ohe. TheBus No 55 trundles north from Kane′ohe along the Kamehameha Hwy to Turtle Bay (Click here), taking about an hour to reach La′ie; this route usually operates every 30 minutes or so until after 6pm, then approximately hourly until 10:45pm.
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WAIAHOLE & WAIKANE
Traveling north along the Kamehameha Hwy across the bridge beside Kahulu′u’s Hygienic Store is a physical and cultural departure from the gravitational pull of Honolulu. Now you’ve officially crossed into ‘the country,’ where the highway becomes a two-laner and the ocean shares the shoulder. You’ll cruise through sun-dappled valleys inhabited by small towns and farms. A roadside landmark, the Waiahole Poi Factory (48-140 Kamehameha Hwy) opens a couple of days each week to sell bags of poi and Hawaiian plate lunches.
Not everything in these parts is as peaceful as the lo′i kalo (taro fields) however. Large tracts of the Waikane Valley were taken over by the US military during WWII for training and target practice, which continued into