"This is the Hawaii People Should See When They Come Here"

That's what my dad said after our visit to Waimea Valley on the north shore of Oahu, and he's right.  A lot of people who come to Hawaii never leave the hustle and bustle of Waikiki.  If they do, all they see is Pearl Harbor or an extremely commercialized luau.  Don't get me wrong, Waikiki can be fun, Pearl Harbor is certainly worthy of your time, and luaus can be...an experience; but exploring the 1,875 acres of lush vegetation at Waimea Valley is a great way to spend a day in Hawaii.

Today is normally Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, but I am currently away from my garden (and my blog), so I'm going to cheat and put up pictures from our Waimea Valley visit instead.  I don't think we saw anywhere near the 5,000 documented species of tropical plants that the 150-acre Arboretum and Botanical Garden boasts, but we did see quite a lot!

One of the first things you notice as you start up the path is the great trees!  And look-a shrimp plant!

There's me next to one of the great trees.  See me?  I'm teeny tiny.

This is a Brownea macrophylla, featured in the Central and South American Flora section.

This is what it looks like after it blooms...and gets rained on.

This is a Heliconia rostrata, featured in the section by the Snack Bar and Restrooms.

Dad was silly enough to leave me in charge of his camera while he went to the bathroom.

Me and my sister, being great photo subjects, in front of some more heliconias

This is the end of the trail.  Time to turn around.  Anybody recognize this waterfall?  I know it's not quite as scenic without Kate and Sawyer in it, but I did the best I could.  Come back in a few days to see what we found on the way back down the trail!

(I am still away from my computer, so I probably won't be able to respond to comments right away, but I promise to be very excited when I do finally get around to reading them!)