Oahu Gardens and Views!

Diamond Head State Park See Honolulu for more details.
Round-Top Forest Reserve (excellent view of Honolulu and the surrounding area)
Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden, in Kane'ohe
Nu'uanu Pali Lookout. See Honolulu for more details.
Hale'iwa Historical town.
Pu'u O Mahuka. National historical sight and Hawaiian holy site.
Lyon Arboretum - located in the Manoa Valley. Operated by the University of Hawaii.

Byodo-in 47-200 Kahekili Highway, Kaneohe, HI 96744 (about 5 minutes from Kaneohe town). 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM daily. Situated against the backdrop of steep green cliffs is a recreation of the 900-year-old Byodo-In Temple in Kyoto. The temple grounds include a nine-foot Buddha statue and the three-ton Peace Bell. Byodo-in is located in the back of the Valley of the Temples cemetery. Admission $2.

Waimea Valley Audubon Center 59-864 Kamehameha Hwy., Haleiwa, HI 96712 (across Kamehameha Hwy. from Waimea Bay Beach Park). 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM daily except Jan. 1 and Dec. 25; 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM on Thanksgiving Day (4th Thurs. in Nov.) and Dec. 31. Formerly known as Waimea Falls Park, the National Audubon Society received a contract from the City and County of Honolulu to operate the site as a nature preserve. The preserve is home to endangered moorhen and a botanical garden with both endemic Hawaiian plants and other plants from around the world. A 0.75 mile hike on paved trails leads to the centerpiece of the park, Waihi Falls, where visitors can swim in the pool at the base of the falls. Admission $8 adults; $5 seniors, military, and children (4-12); discounts for Hawaii residents.

Dole Plantation 64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy., Wahiawa, HI 96786 (about 3 miles N of Wahiawa on highway 99, 1 mile N of the jct. with highway 80; H-2 north to its end, then continue on highway 99, approximately 40 minutes from Waikiki). (808) 621-8408. Visitor center and garden open 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM daily; train and maze to 5:00 PM daily. Once a roadside fruit stand, this tourist attraction has been renovated and billed as "Hawaii's Complete Pineapple Experience." Among the attractions are a pineapple variety garden, a 20-minute miniature train ride into the surrounding pineapple fields, and the Pineapple Garden Maze, recognized in the 2001 Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest maze. Admission free for site; garden tour $3.75 adults $3.00 children; train $7.50 adults $5.50 children; maze $5.00 adults $3.00 children. Discounts available for U.S. military and Hawaii residents.

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