Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens

It's hard to say whether waterfalls or botanical gardens are more abundant in Hawaii, but it would be a shame to come all this way and not take advantage of both. Our first botanical garden visit this trip was to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens and was time well spent. The 40-acre valley is a natural greenhouse, protected from buffeting trade winds and blessed with fertile volcanic soil. Nature trails meander through a true tropical rainforest, crossing bubbling streams, passing several waterfalls, and encompassing ocean vistas along the rugged Pacific coast. With over 2,000 species of plants, representing more than 125 families and 750 genera, it was not a surprise that we came home with over 200 pictures on our camera. It was almost impossible to choose which ones to include in this post, but I managed to keep the count under 30!

Rainbow Falls, Hilo, Hawaii

Not only are there waterfalls all over the Big Island, Rainbow Falls is literally walking distance from where we are staying in Hilo. The Rainbow Falls drops from the Wailuku River into a large turquoise colored pool below, and the surrounding area is blanketed by lush, dense, tropical foliage, beautiful wild ginger and monstera (a giant fern). Known in the Hawaiian language as Waiānuenue (literally "rainbow water"), the falls flow over a natural lava cave, the mythological home to an ancient Hawaiian goddess named Hina. If you are lucky, on a sunny morning around 10:00 a.m. rainbows can be seen in the mist thrown up by the waterfall. We've been twice now trying to arrive at the perfect time to actually catch the famous rainbow, but so far, no luck. No matter, it's a beautiful sight to behold with or without the rainbow.

Cafe Ono, Volcano Village, Hawaii

Finding restaurants that accommodate our vegan lifestyle seems to be getting easier all the time, and in certain parts of the country you can almost find a vegan friendly restaurant on every corner. But here on the Island of Hawaii, we haven't found a whole lot of viable options, which made our visit to Café Ono the other day quite special. The restaurant itself isn't totally vegan, or even totally vegetarian, but about half of the small menu offerings are vegan friendly. But what we had to eat was only a part of this very positive experience. Café Ono is part of Volcano Garden Arts, which includes a meandering garden you are invited to explore, a tree sanctuary, gift shop, and even a rental cottage for travelers. I was especially impressed with the beautiful birdhouses hanging from the trees. Here are some pictures from our visit.

'Akaka Falls, Hawaii

Waterfalls are a big draw on the Hawaiian Islands, and on the Big Island, the east side is where you will find them. Our first falls visit was to the 'Akaka Falls State Park, about 11 miles north of Hilo and is perhaps Hawaii Island's most famous waterfall. This park includes 'Akaka Falls at 422 feet, and the Kahūnā Falls at 100 feet. In the Hawaiian language 'Akaka means "a rent, split, chink, separation; to crack, split, scale". The falls can be viewed from several points along a short loop trail that winds through the park. Local folklore describes a stone here called Pōhaku a Pele that, when struck by a branch of the ʻōhiʻa tree, will call the sky to darken and rain to fall with dark red blossoms. While we weren't lucky enough to witness this mystical occurrence, we were treated to lush rainforest filled with wild orchids, bamboo groves and draping ferns, as well as the beautiful waterfalls.