Our last full day in Maui, we decided to visit the Kula Botanical Gardens-- the one that we closing when we tried to stop on our first full day in Maui. We slept in a bit and enjoyed a lazy breakfast at/around the condo before heading out.
It was another beautiful, clear day!
We arrived at the botanical gardens around 9:30 and spent nearly 2 hours exploring. Evan and I took a crazy amount of photos and Alec brought along his sketchpad and pencil.
My photos are in no particular order and I threw in some of Evan's as well... enjoy the roundup!
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| notice the flowers growing OUT of the pink fronds! |
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| I was obsessed with these hanging flowers |
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| The green balls are macadamia nuts; this was a macadamia tree |
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| There were a couple of gazebos |
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| we saw ducks, cats, koi, geese, and more. |
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| This tree had the neatest bark! |
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| There were statues and benches and mosaics walkways |
We got to see painted eucalyptus! Pinks, greens, purples, so many colors you don't expect to see on the trunks of trees.
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| aren't the colors amazing?! They're even more colorful up close. |
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| The new jumpsuit I bought while souvenir shopping yesterday was so comfy! |
This 8 acre botanical garden is entirely family owned and well worth the money (we thought!) to explore.
After touring the gardens we headed to the north shore (back over on the road to Hana) to try and glimpse the major swells (50-60 feet!) predicted... but apparently everyone else had the same idea as there was no parking to be found anywhere. Luckily we had seen some pretty large ones rolling in our way home from Hana that we were told were probably around 40 feet.
We continued on to the west coast instead to check out the towns of Olowalu, Lahaina, and Kaanapali-- pretty much the only section of Maui we hadn't yet visited.
Lahaina was where the wild fires from 2023 raged and while we still saw lots of signs and efforts to raise money it did seem like it was slowly coming back but there were wide swaths of areas where all you saw were foundations and barren landscapes.
We ate lunch at Duke's Beach House in Lahaina- the food was incredible!
I got Duke's Hawaiian Plate Lunch (a plate lunch in Hawaii usually refers to a protein served with rice and macaroni salad).
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My protein was Ono-- a really delicious fish
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| Alec got the mango BBQ chicken salad |
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| We all split Hula pie (macadamia nut ice cream with cookie base, chocolate sauce and crushed macadamia nuts) |
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| We had such lovely views with this open air restaurant too. |
It was such a beautiful property.
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| These series of resorts had a sign that their "wild cats" were vaccinated and taken care of so it was safe to pet them. |
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| Alec made friends with every one we saw. |
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| Duke's as seen from the beach/boardwalk area |
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| This side of the island looked quite different. |
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| From the highway back looking at the part of the island we've been staying on. |
We sat on the lanai and watched our final sunset on Maui.
Grabbed some ice cream/gelato for dinner and called it an early night.
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| Toasted coconut with macadamia nuts |
The botanical garden was amazing! Those flowers and trees!! I'll bet it was so neat to see those unique varieties of plants in person. The pictures are stunning!
ReplyDeleteIt really was incredible. There were so many flowers everywhere.
DeleteSo fun that you got to visit the botanical gardens! That place looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteWe really liked it a lot.
DeleteMother Nature is amazing and the hard work of the family who run it. The flowers and trees are beautiful. All those cats, not so much. I’m a dog person.
ReplyDeleteWe call my son "the cat whisperer" as he seems to draw all cats-- wild or domestic to him. I'm just not really an animal person.
DeleteBeautiful flowers and plants, looks like a bird, bee and butterfly heaven. It's nice to see the preservation of the diverse species of plants, there are many undiscovered plants that hold medicinal cures for ills that plague humans.
ReplyDeleteThey had a few iguanas and lizards too!
DeleteSo beautiful and your photography is on point!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you!
DeleteWhat incredible blooms! I am adding this botanical garden to my bucket list for Hawaii!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Definitely! We went to another on the big island (which I'll cover soon!) and enjoyed it just as much.
DeleteI've always heard Hawaii/Maui has the most beautiful flowers. I would have gone to the botanical gardens too. It looks like you had the whole place to yourselves. The food looks amazing, especially that pie.
ReplyDeleteI think we saw one other couple the whole time we were there but we did spot a few workers here and there.
DeleteThat gelato is one I would order. Your pictures are beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen macadamia nuts growing. I love a botanical garden and look for them when we travel. Have a nice weekend!
ReplyDeleteI kept trying to make sure I was picking "island" flavors while we were there and branched out to a few different ones that I really liked. But just about anything with macadamia nuts is a hit with me.
DeleteI love botanical gardens. I love that picture of the red flower in the foreground and the puffy red flower in the background! The grounds you visited later are beautiful too as is the sunset!
ReplyDeleteThat was Evan's shot and I love that he managed to focus on the bud while showing what the flower looks like in full bloom too. We really enjoyed watching the sun set from our lanai most evenings.
DeleteThe flowers and foliage is so amazing! I am saving all your Hawaii posts because Mr. Nine and I want to get there so bad. I can’t believe we haven’t yet. Your photos are amazing and happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you haven't made it there yet either. It's really lovely.
DeleteLOVE this photo essay of your last day in Maui at the Kula Botanical Gardens. The photos are gorgeous and you all look so happy and relaxed which is so good to see. Wishing you a beautiful weekend and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you!
DeleteAmazing pictures! Like Joyce said, I would have ordered the same gelato!
ReplyDeleteThey had some really amazing flavors to pick from.
DeleteWow. So very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt felt really weird to see so many blooms in December.
DeleteHi Joanne, It looks like you had a wonderful time in Maui. What town did you stay in? Our kids are planning a trip in 2026 (Lord willing) to celebrate our daughter and our daughter-in-law turning 40! That will be a trip with eleven of us, from age 7 to 75! Making notes of the restaurants you visited and the Botanic gardens, etc. No road to Hana for me! Once back in 1997 was enough for me since I was in the very back of a passenger van!! Did you return to snow on the ground? Hope your transition back goes well.
ReplyDeleteIn Maui we stayed in Kihei. We loved the area so much. That sounds like such an exciting trip for you all!!
DeleteWe do not have any snow on the ground at all; though it did snow a bit when we were gone it was all melted by the time we landed. It has been cold but dry.
Again, just breathtaking! What a trip and loved all of the photos!!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you!
DeleteThese photos are amazing! Loving all the beautiful flowers and unique trees. And how fun to see cats roaming around too! And such great sunset pictures too!
ReplyDeleteLots of cats and lots of chickens and goats around too!
DeleteWow! These photos are just breathtaking, Joanne! But, I have to ask...do the painted eucalyptus grow that way, or does someone paint them? This has to be one vacation you'll never forget. How in the world will you decide which photos to include in a scrapbook?
ReplyDeletehttps://marshainthemiddle.com/
Nope, they grow that way. When the bark starts to peel off it shows bright greens, pinks, and purples underneath. I have no idea how I am going to pick just a few photos from each day for each of our scrapbooks!
DeleteIt really shows how every place has such different fauna, and it's incredible.
ReplyDeleteLove that Alec loved the cats...maybe he needs one?
XOXO
Jodie
We've always had cats up until just a couple of years ago when our last one passed away and we made the choice not to get any more pets since the kids were heading off to college and we all wanted to travel more without worrying about pets. I definitely think he'll get a cat as soon as he gets his own place. He nearly roomed with a girl that had a kitten in his dorm and was very excited about that possibility (since JWU does have pet-friendly dorms).
DeleteI have been wondering how Lahaina is doing. We ate at Dukes too! - Sarah @ Toronto Sam (not anon)
ReplyDeleteWe drove through wide areas where all you see is house foundations and destruction. It is so sad and looks abandoned still but then there are other areas where they've already rebuilt. We did hear that the Hawaiian government announced that they had something like 15 million in funds to help townspeople rebuild but I'm sure it's slow going on an island where they need to import just about all building materials.
DeleteFantastic views and what a gorgeous plants. Those colours are so vibrant!
ReplyDeleteI loved the vibrant colors everywhere.
DeleteNow this is my kind of day -- a glorious garden, sunny skies, water -- that wonderful blue! This is just magnificent!
ReplyDeleteRight?! It was wonderful.
DeleteY'all had some gorgeous weather! It looks like perfection! Those blue skies!
ReplyDeleteWe had some really fabulous weather.
DeleteAw, thank you! Evan snapped that one of us real quick (and I made it into a Shutterfly ornament).
ReplyDeleteSuch an incredible trip and what amazing flowers! Thank you for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you. We really did have a wonderful time.
DeleteI've been to Maui several times but never to the botanical gardens. It looks absolutely beautiful! Love seeing your photos!
ReplyDeleteJill - Doused in Pink
Thank you so much!
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