Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

Away from the areas of current volcanic activity, much of the Big Island is covered with lush tropical vegetation.  Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is located in a scenic valley that opens out into Onomea Bay. The valley provides shelter that allows a wide range of tropical vegetation to thrive, but the native vegetation had been removed by early settlers. In 1977 Dan Lutkenhouse and his wife Pauline discovered the valley and and fell in love with it. They purchased 7 hectares (17 acres) of land and after considering a number of options they decided to turn the valley into a Botanical Garden. Dan became so committed to the project that he sold his San Francisco based trucking business in order to move to Hawaii and work full time on the development of the garden. With a small team he worked to clear paths through the jungle and planned where every plant would be sited. Dan and Pauline travelled to tropical jungles around the world to collect plants for the garden. The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden cost over $2 million and it opened to the public in 1984. Dan Lutkenhouse died in 2007 at the age of 85.

Lily Lake

The Lily Lake in the centre of the garden was hand dug by Dan Lutkenhouse and his small team. The lake contains a range of water lilies and large Japanese Koi Carp..

Orchid Garden

The Lutkenhouses collected orchids from around the world. Many of the species that they collected are  on display in the Orchid Garden.

Onomea Falls

When Dan Lutkenhouse bought the land that became Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden he had no idea that deep in the jungle was a beautiful, three tiered waterfall. Several years after work began Lutkenhouse decided to hack his way through the jungle following the course of the river and was surprised to find a waterfall. Today there is no need to hack your way to the waterfall, there are paths and a viewing bridge.

'Ku' Tiki

If you go along the Alakahi Stream Trail you will encounter this fearsome creature. This is Ku, the Hawaiian God of War, carved from a Monkeypod Tree by sculptor Rocky Vargas.

DLU160614

Click on Minimap to navigate

Home > US States > The West > Hawaii > Big Island >

Twin Rocks, Onomea Bay from Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

The valley ends at Onomea Bay where the Oceanfront Trail offers views of the bay and its many volcanic features. Onomea Arch  was a well known landmark here but it collapsed in a 1956 earthquake. Legend says that the two rocks in the foreground were two young lovers who turned to stone while protecting their village from attack..

To move forwards or backwards through the Big Island Trail click the arrows above, or select your next destination on the Minimap.

© Mike  Elsden 1981 - 2025

The contents of this page may not be reproduced in full or in part without permission