Koko Crater Botanical Garden, Botanical garden in Koko Crater, Hawaii, US
Koko Crater Botanical Garden is a botanical garden set inside an extinct volcanic crater on the eastern tip of O'ahu, Hawaii. It is divided into distinct plant sections, each dedicated to species from a specific region such as Africa, the Americas, or the Pacific.
The garden was founded in 1958, and in 1966 it received the secondary name Charles M. Wills Cactus Garden in honor of an early supporter of its plant collections. Over the following decades, new sections were added as the range of plants grew beyond cacti to include species from across the Pacific and beyond.
The crater is known in Hawaiian as Ko'olaupoko, a name tied to the winds of the eastern side of O'ahu. Visitors walking through the garden today often notice how the volcanic walls create a sheltered space that feels set apart from the rest of the island.
A loop trail of about 2 miles (3 km) winds through the garden and takes roughly an hour and a half to walk at a comfortable pace. The ground is uneven in places, so sturdy shoes are a good choice before heading in.
Although the garden is often associated with its cactus collection, it also holds one of the few groves of wiliwili trees on O'ahu, a species that is native to Hawaii and rarely seen outside its natural range. These trees produce bright orange flowers and tend to catch visitors off guard in what otherwise looks like a dry, desert-like setting.
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