Department of Parks and Recreation > Honolulu Botanical Gardens > Koko Crater Botanical Garden
Honolulu Botanical Gardens
Koko Crater Botanical Garden
“A blooming volcanic crater”
In 1958, Koko Crater on the eastern side of O`ahu was set aside for development into a botanical garden. Plant collections occupy sixty acres of the inner slopes and basin of this 200-acre crater.
This garden focuses on the cultivation of rare and endangered dryland plants. Xeriscape concepts are used to transform this dry landscape into a garden where plants suitable to desert-like conditions can flourish.
- 7491 Kokonani St. Honolulu, HI 96825
- Daily, sunrise to sunset
closed Christmas Day (December 25)
closed New Year’s Day (January 1)
Free
Before you go
- Please bring your own water. There is no drinking water available and only a portable toilet.
- Walking shoes are recommended.
- Bicycles and motor vehicles are not allowed.
- Dogs are not allowed.
- The path is an unimproved roadway that is uneven and has loose rocks.
Tours
- Self-Guided Tour – This interpretive walk takes you on a 2-mile loop path through the Garden. You will find this tour and map printed in the brochure upon entering. Plan on about 1.5 hours to walk through the garden.
- Guided Group Tours – These may be arranged by special appointment. Please call 808-768-7135
(Storied Places) Installation
Titled "Ku‘u Pua i Kohelepelepe" by artists Ualani Davis and Ka‘imina‘auao Kahikina, this series of cyanotypes displays plants significant to the gardens (koa and kukui) and to Maunalua (‘ihi‘ihilauākea), Ualani reimagines the botanical garden as a garden of resistance. The installation casts shifting blue shadows of the images commemorating three historic days of Hawaiian resistance and celebration. It is also inspired by “Ku‘u Pua i Paoakalani,” a song by Queen Lili‘uokalani referencing Paoakalani, her personal garden, and Uluhaimalama, a kū‘oko‘a (independence) garden planted for the people after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Learn more at: https://wahipana.com/art/koko-crater/
Contact Us
Mailing Address: 50 North Vineyard Boulevard Honolulu, HI 96817
Phone: 808-768-7135
Fax: 808-522-7050
email: hbg@honolulu.gov