The Enchanted Garden Hiding In Hawaii You’ll Want To Visit This Spring
By Megan Shute|Published May 14, 2017
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
The Hawaiian Islands may be known for their incredibly lush, green landscapes, but you’ll find a variety of barren vistas if you look closely. One such desert-like place is found on the southeastern shore of Oahu: within the iconic Koko Crater, you will find an enchanting botanical garden that will easily transport you to another world.
This is the Koko Crater Botanical Garden, and it's quite unlike any other garden you’ll find in Hawaii.
On the outside of this tuff cone is the popular Koko Head Stairs, while on the inside, you will find that extensive plant collections occupy 60 acres of the inner slopes and basin of this 200-acre volcanic crater found on Oahu’s southeastern shore.
The entire 200 acres were set aside for use as a botanical garden in 1958, though the area is still under development, and you will not find any facilities at this little-known garden.
The garden focuses heavily on the cultivation of rare and endangered dryland plants, and utilizes xeriscape concepts in order to transform this dry landscape into a stunning garden where plants suitable to desert-like conditions can flourish.
In fact, this botanical garden is also known as the Charles M. Wills Cactus Garden – a name that suits the hot, dry climate and the flora that are able to thrive in this environment.
The Koko Crater Botanical Garden is located within the Koko Head District Park at 7491 Kokonani Street in Honolulu. Love Hawaii’s beautiful gardens? These 16 botanical gardens are a must-visit.
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