An Oasis of greenery among the high rise of Downtown Honolulu —Foster Botanical Garden

fall at foster botanical garden 

Foster Botanical Garden is the oldest of the five botanical garden in Oahu, Hawaii operated by City and County of Honolulu. Located just a few blocks away from Honolulu’s business district, it is an oasis among the high rise of Downtown Honolulu.

It is spread across 14 acres and houses one of the nation’s largest collections of tropical plants—about 10,000 species in all, including rare and endangered varieties. It is located at 50 North Vineyard Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96817.

The garden has six special areas of interests that attract tourists and local residents alike.  First is The Lyon Orchid which displays a collection of Old and New World orchids species.  Second is the oldest part of the garden dating back to 1853 called as  upper terrace which has the Hillebrands house , followed by middle terrace which has the maximum number of trees like Ginger, Palms and heliconia. This is followed by economic terrace which displays various  herbs, spices, dyes, poisons and beverage plants used in Hawaii. The fifth is pre-historic glen which carries many primitive and older plants  from around the world. 

Bread fruit tree

leaves of Bread Fruit tree

Silk Cotton tree 

Nature's Cut work 

a quiet time at the Garden 

A greenhouse area on the lower terrace sports a hybrid garden which houses orchids and the famous Corpse plant. The amorphophallus titanium, also known as corpse plant, is native to Sumatra, Indonesia, and blooms once every two to five years. When it blooms, it emits an odor reminiscent of limburger cheese. It last bloomed in June,2016. Please click on the link for full article on blooming of the corpse plant. http://sendingalohafromhawaii.blogspot.com/2016/05/witnessing-historic-and-rarest-event.html

Corpse Plant 

Corpse Plant 

Corpse plant Flower 

Corpse Plant 

Corpse Plant 

The history of the garden dates back to 1853 when Queen Kalama leased land to William Hillebrand, a young German doctor. A physician and an avid botanist, Hillebrand built a home in the upper terrace of the garden and planted several trees that stand majestic today. After 20 years in Hawaii, he returned back to Germany and wrote his famous and exhaustive book flora of the Hawaiian islands.[1]

book written by Hillebrand,courtesy Google books 

On his return to Germany the garden was purchased by Nova Scotian Thomas Foster (a shipbuilder) and his partially native Hawaiian wife Mary. After her death Mary left the Garden to city of Honolulu.

Among its rarest specimens are the Hawaiian loulu palm and the East AfricanGigasiphon macrosiphon, both thought to be extinct in the wild. Oddities include the cannonball tree, the sausage tree and the double coconut palm capable of producing a 50lb nut.[2] Out of 100 special and exceptional trees as declared by state of Oahu It houses 26 of them .

greenery at the garden 

Greenery at the park 

Flowering plant at the garden 

Palm Flower 

Kapok Tree

Fall

The garden also contains several memorials and sculptures:

• A small replica of the Daibutsu of Kamakura commemorates 100 years of Japanese immigration to Hawaii
• A memorial stone on the site of the first Japanese language school on Oahu, where an anti-aircraft shell exploded into an auditorium full of children during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
• The 1977 abstract ceramic sculpture 'Sandwich Isle' by artist Bob Flint
• The 1974 sculpture Tree by Charles W. Watson

As soon as you enter the garden, there is a small souvenir shop and a ticket booth. A small information booth that hands you maps and brochures, handy for learning more about the other city-run gardens is also located at the entrance. Once you are inside than you have got a lot to choose regarding where to begin exploring.

Beautiful  color of fall leaves 

The garden also hosts many special events like Foster Botanical Garden Midsummer Night’s Gleam and Foster Botanical Garden Summer Twilight Series.

Hours:
Open daily from 9 am to 4 pm
Closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Guided tours are offered at 1 pm, Monday through Saturday. Reservations are recommended. Call (808) 522-7066 for more info on guided tours, weddings or commercial photo shoots.

Admission: 
General (13 years and older): $5
Kama'aina (Hawaii resident): $3 
Children (ages 6-12): $1
Children age 5 and under: Free
Annual family pass: $25

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[1] http://www.worldcat.org/title/flora-of-the-hawaiian-islands-a-description-of-their-phanerogams-and-vascular-cryptogams/oclc/1495833

[2] https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/honolulu/attractions/foster-botanical-garden/a/poi-sig/376771/361979

Marriages are made in heaven but the knots are tied in paradise on earth.

A couple taking the vows as Sun sets over the Diamond head mountains

The pacific island chain of Hawaiian island is known for its breathtaking beauty and diversity. It has rugged mountains, rural farmlands, active volcanoes, breathtaking waterfalls and sweeping canyons. And who can forget Hawaiian beaches that comes in every color of Nature’s palette jet black, green, gold, red, and stark white hues lacing the coves and inlets all around the central mountain ranges. Surfing, snorkeling, kayaking, or simply sunbathing along Hawaii’s stunning coastline is a beach lover’s dream.

Getting married under cloud canopy 

Hurrah! we are married at last!

Hawaii is also the most sought after place on the globe to plan a destination wedding. A Hawaiian island wedding may seem like fantasy but in reality it is easier to execute. The aloha state has dozens of agencies that can plan your destination wedding at any budget and style.

Yeah! we are there at last 

The most famous places in Hawaii to get married are:

The big island: The big island is a mixture of old and new. At one end you have the Moana Kea observatory, which is famous for its telescope and star gazing while at the other end you have here Kilauea active Volcano, where lava actually pours into the ocean on a regular basis. 

Big Island wedding 

Oahu: This island which is home to the island capital, Honolulu boasts both the most urban convenience and scenic beauty. Couples can enjoy the city life with all the modern amenities, along with the natural beauty of the island.

hope our wedding album turns out good.Giving pose to photographer

The acrobatics of marriage begins  

Posing for the best shot.

Kauai is also called the garden isle as more than half of its landmass is made up of nature preserve, botanical gardens and parks. It is also the least populated and lush green in most of its part.

looking forward together 

New beginning  at Sunset 

The bonds of togetherness 

Lost in each other 

Silhouettes of a couple taking vows at sunrise

Maui has little bit of everything and it is the resort capital of the state. It boasts world class resorts that are picture perfect and the vendors for destination wedding are also perfect.

At last we are together 

looking forward to a bright future 

bride waiting for ceremony to begin

happy to be together 

Lanai – this is the simplest of all Hawaiian island, with not traffic light, only 30 miles of paved roads. It is smallest of the inhabited island with only 6 hotels listed. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city life and enjoy the secluded beauty in its raw form Lanai is for you.

Here are some of the links to agencies that offer packages for destination weddings.

http://www.destinationweddings.com/Destinations/Hawaii.aspx

https://www.theknot.com/content/best-hawaiian-destination-wedding-spots

http://www.turtlebayresort.com/Meetings/Oahu-Wedding/Packages

http://www.marriott.com/meeting-event-hotels/weddings/destination-weddings/hawaii.mi

http://www.mywedding.com/destination-weddings/united-states/hawaii-us

Eating Fresh, Organic and Local in Oahu----Farmers market at Kapi’olani community college

Located on the slopes of Diamond head in Waikiki , Kapi’olani community college has got a very picturesque and scenic campus. Every Saturday the Hawaii Farm Bureau operates farmer’s market at the KCC parking lot C. As Hawaii grows it Agricultural presence, more and more people are becoming aware of buying locally produced foods and produce.

Kapi'olani community college

The market opens every Saturday form 7.30-11 AM and Tuesday 4:00 – 7:00 pm.

They have white gloved police officers to regulate the traffic and direct people about parking the cars. Though ample parking place is available, it fills quickly and sometimes it may be difficult to get a spot.

a stall at the farmers market

It’s a great place to buy local produce and interact with local farmers and small business vendors. There are so many delicious things to try, you may want to come more than once.

Dessert at the farmer's market 

There are 3-4 rows of tent after tent of delicious foods, plants, and unique products offered for sale. you can fulfill your appetites with roasted corn on the cob, pizza using local Hawaii tomatoes and basil, green drinks, Vietnamese, Thai, bbq, seafoods, gourmet popsickles; Hawaiian herbal teas, sea salt that was once reserved for island royalty, grilled local-made sausages...the list goes on and on. 

Plants for sale

Eating healthy--Freshly made juices at the market

Taro and sweet potato chips---- freshly made 

But, the highlights are pig and the lady, the grilled abalone, the lemonade stand and the fried green tomatoes.

The pig lady 

Menu at the pig lady

Abalone

fried green tomatoes 

There are 2-3 stalls selling fresh flowers which includes exotic Hawaiian flowers and other locally grown blooms.

exotic flowers for sale

orchids for  sale 

exotic flowers for sale

exotic flowers for sale

exotic flowers for sale

There are two stands selling refreshing fruit drinks and smoothies, which are amazing: pineapple, lychee, coconut, papaya, apple banana, mango, Lilikoi, guava, watermelon, etc. and you can mix them.

Fresh fruit smoothies for sale 

One shop specially carries all the local tropical exotic fruits like starfruit, mangosteen, guavas and many more.

Avacado and Lilikoi 

Tropical papaya 

Avacados  

very sweet native mangoes 

Logan  and Rambutan 

Pink Guava 

Star-fruits 

Honey cream pineapple 

Sapote 

Mangosteen 

Chempedek -Jack-fruit relative native to Malaya

After visiting and enjoying the farmer’s market, many tourists roam around the scenic KKC campus.

The market is flocked by tourist, specifically who stay at Waikiki. It’s a 10-minute walk from Waikiki. You can also reach there by bus. Bus route 2, 3,9,23,24 directly service KCC. The complete bus schedule can be found here. 

Popcorn stall at the market 

Hawaii grown coffee 

Organic skin care products

Fresh sugarcane  juice