This morning I had an appointment in town (Honolulu). I ended up getting into town much earlier than I anticipated due to very little traffic. I had about thirty minutes to kill. I decided to head up to the Makiki Forest Recreation Area or as many know it, the Hawaii Nature Center. It is only a 5 minute drive from the craziness of traffic, high rises, and noise of the city.
I am always amazed at how peaceful this place can be. I haven’t been up there in a quite a while. The gravel parking lot has moved down to the bottom of the road. They have knocked down the old Nature Center (a great place to go on a field trip or to take kids to on the weekends) and built a new one. There are two hiking trails I used to hike quite a bit that start by the Nature Center.
I love walking around in this forest area. The smell of eucalyptus is in the air. Birds are chirping, the brook is babbling ( the Kanealole Stream), and the leaves of the trees are rustling in the wind. Oh and every once and a while you will hear a few chickens and roosters and if you are lucky, you will see a few hanging out.
Here are some of the photos I took today. The photos are of my walk from the parking lot to the beginning of the trail head. I did not hike today but hope to go back next week with a friend if the weather cooperates and do the Makiki Valley Loop Trail – the Kanealole Trail, the Makiki Valley Trail, and the Maunalaha Trail (all of which connect at one point to make the loop).
shave ice & gelato 
Oh, girasoli. You know I am loving this. I feel like diving into my computer. So peaceful. I do so which I was on Oahu right this second. Thank you for posting this.
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It’s just so incredibly lush and green! I can almost smell the eucalyptus looking at these photos. What a great place.
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Girasoli, the photos are beautiful! I think I’d like to spend some time there in couple weeks. Isn’t amazing that a little drive takes you from wild traffic to wild trails?
Awesome!
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I tagged you as one of 5 “Fabulous bloggers” today. Just drag the award to where you keep photos, and pass it on, or skip it if you like!
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Oh my – your photos made my morning! :)
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Lovely, lush, tropical hawaii. How I want to be there. You are so lucky to be able to take walks like this. Thank you.
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Girasoli, check this out http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/candi/2009/03/fabulous_blog_award.html , I have given you a fabulous blog award.
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That looks so beautiful and exotic — the trees and plants are amazing! It must be such a haven from city noise. And the stream looks like something out of a fairy tale!
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girasole,
Thank you!
I love Hawaii, and any photo of anyplace on the islands is enough to make me miss it more. Sigh…
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Di, I thought of you while there yesterday. You would love it! Someday…
Annie, the smell was so strong that I could still smell the eucalyptus on my hands an hour later! It is such a cool place. I can’t believe I haven’t been there in years now. I am going to correct that though.
candi, it is amazing! Thank goodness there are still places like this left. You will love it.
Palma and canid, that is so sweet of both of you to think of me! Thank you :) Sorry I haven’t responded sooner or done a post yet about my award. Will try to do one soon. Haven’t been feeling good. MIght end up going to the doctor tomorrow if I don’t sleep again tonight. Can’t stop coughing.
Leslie, happy to make your day :)
Barb, I am lucky and need to remind myself when I get lost in the rush and madness of traffic and craziness.
sandra, what amazes me the most is how big everything is. It really is a little oasis in the middle of Honolulu. I wish there was a place like this on my side of the island. The stream is really cool. There are a couple of houses along this road with little bridges to cross the stream.
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Gorgeous photos! The foliage looks so familiar, very similar to the flora in the Caribbean rain forests. The fourth photo from the bottom looks like a taro plant. Love the banana tree with its blossom opening up to make way for the banana cluster. Your lovely photos make me homesick.
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Whooa! Hope you are on the road to recovery! Initially, I was going to say that the clarity of the photos and past memories made me feel like I could feel and hear as well as see the beauty of Makiki – I think Ty lived around there at some point in his past! I also think I was in a great little coffee shop in the Makiki area – not close to this part but …. Feel better, menehune
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Hi girasoli!
Just a general hi and comment on all your recent posts, which I’ve just had a chance, finally, to catch up with and read. As always, they are wonderfully interesting and diverse. And these photos of the Nature Center are just gorgeous…
Dana
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Hi Girasoli, these are gorgeous photos. That last one with the creek….wish I was there myself. Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful photos! Have a great day.
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Girasoli, I thought I’d post a quick reponse here to your note on my blog about Agatha and the Storm — I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It was pretty wacky, and fun to see so many of the same cast as appeared in Bread and Tulips. I wish my Italian was advanced enough that could benefit more from watching Italian-language movies! I usually catch about 1 in 100 words. Which is why I have to keep taking Italian classes (and watching Italian movies, of course.)
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Brenda, I am sorry I did not reply to your comment earlier. I just found your comment in the spam box. Don’t ask my why it was there. That spam box is such a mystery! I am glad you enjoyed these photos. I felt the same way the 2 years I lived in Washington after living in Hawaii for 5 years.
María, I would guess that Puerto Rico would have very similar foliage. I would love to go there one day. Yes it is a taro plant. It was hard photographing the banana heart because it was darker in that area and I kept getting the shaky camera sign. Then the wind started whipping, so that was the best picture I got. I hope to take more if I go hiking next week.
menehune, thanks. I am getting there. It is so beautiful up near Tantalus. I think I know the coffee shop you are talking about. I used to live on Poki Street for about a year in the Makiki area.
dana, I am glad my posts continue to be interesting to you. It is good to hear. It is pretty amazing in the Nature Center area. I probably would not have stopped there if I had not been thinking about what to do for a blog post.
Kathy, the Kanealole Stream is so cool. It runs up through part of the hiking trail. Glad you enjoyed the photos :)
sandrac, I am just so glad you mentioned it on your blog. I probably never would have found it on my own. My Italian isn’t that great but I do understand some of the converstation and listening to it over and over really helps. Of course in real life, I am not sure how much of the conversatation of this movie would come into play during my travels in Italy.
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