Nani
Mau Gardens
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Nani
Mau offers 20 acres of tropical
plants from Hawaii and all over
the world. |
Nani
Mau Gardens
has a somewhat antiseptic and artificial
feel to it, not unlike Disneyland, which
is why we are not in a hurry to return.
While we love Disney, we were hoping for
something a little more tropical and
jungle-like at Nani Mau. Instead, we
found something which is, granted, very
beautiful, but a bit contrived with its
paved roads and overly neat flower beds.
In many ways, Nani Mau looks a lot like
some of the "tourist traps"
built in Florida in the 1950s.
Having said all that, Nani
Mau is not without its virtues. The
collection of orchids is worth seeing,
and the 6
acre annual garden is
fabulous. On the other hand, the Japanese
Garden close by the parking lot is a
disappointment because it is rather small
and not well maintained. It will only
take 30 seconds to visit the Japanese
garden, but we recommend you pass on it
if you are in a hurry.
The admission cost is $7.50
plus a $5 tram ride. We recommend that
you skip the tram ride because the
gardens are not all that large, they are
very easy to walk through, and the garden
brochure is very informative. Plus, if
you are on foot, you can get closer to
the various plants.
If you want something more
jungle-like (as we did) we recommend you
visit the lush gardens at Onomea Bay or
the free nature walk at Mauna
Loa Macadamia Nut Visitor Center.
Getting There
Nani Mau is located at 421
Makalika Street in Hilo, The Big Island
of Hawaii. Follow Route 130 for four
miles south of Hilo town center until you
see a sign for the Gardens. Call
808-959-3541 for more information.
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