Story Ideas

Beyond your hotel and outside of Hawaiʻi’s cities and towns, you’ll find tropical oases – some hidden in the rainforests and others more easier to spot – that are sanctuaries of tranquility and nature. Their breathtaking vistas, tropical foliage or quiet serenity – and many times, all three – will soothe your senses and awaken your spirit.

• While visiting the island of Hawaiʻi, make an escape to Hawaiʻi Tropical Bioreserve & Garden at beautiful Onomea Bay. The 20-acre garden is home to enormous mango and coconut trees believed to be more than a century old, and rare and endangered flora from all over the world. www.HTBG.com
• You’ll find the 26 acres of nature trails, tropical flowers and rare trees, and quiet tranquility of Garden of Eden Botanical Gardens and Arboretum along the Road to Hāna on Māui. Its vistas include offshore islet Keōpuka Rock, which appeared in the opening sequence of the blockbuster film “Jurassic Park.” www.MauiGardenOfEden.com
• When many visit the island of Oʻahu, they do not expect to find a huge tropical oasis in the middle of the urban cityscape. But Senator Fong’s Plantation and Gardens is a hidden treasure located beneath the majestic Koʻolau mountain range in Kahaluʻu. View rare and exotic species that would otherwise be unavailable to the general public. www.FongGarden.net
• Limahuli Garden and Preserve on Kauaʻi’s north shore is just one of three National Tropical Botanical Gardens on the island that takes visitors back in time to learn about early Hawaiian agricultural practices and native, culturally significant and endangered plant species. Another bonus? The preserve is situated in a breathtakingly beautiful valley with amazing ocean views. www.NTBG.org

Hawaiʻi is home to two National Marine Sanctuaries, both managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Islands Region Headquarters. While thoughts of the Hawaiian Islands typically conjure visions of beautiful beaches, palm trees, outrigger canoes and surfers, there are less explored, endlessly wondrous worlds beneath the waves where fascinating marine life thrive in deep-blue tropical waters and across stunning coral reefs.

• Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument – Established in 2006, this 582,578-square-mile marine refuge stretches the length of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and is the largest protected conservation area under the U.S. flag. The monument preserves one of the most pristine areas of coral reef in the world and teems with marine life. Visitors and residents are invited to assist in its protective mission by volunteering at or simply visiting the Papahānaumokuākea-focused Mokupāpapa Discover Center in Hilo on the island of Hawaiʻi, or assisting with the closed-captioning of videos for the monument.
• Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary – Designated in 1992, this 1,400-square-mile sanctuary is comprised of five separate offshore areas abutting six of Hawaiʻi’s eight main islands. Its singular mission is the protection of migrating North Pacific humpback whales and their Hawaiʻi habitats through education, research and rescue. The sanctuary relies on the help of volunteers and offers multiple opportunities to assist in its mission statewide. A fun way to help during January through March peak humpback whale season in Hawaiʻi is participating in the annual Sanctuary Ocean Count project, which gives the public a chance to monitor whales from the coastlines Kauaʻi, Oʻahu and the island of Hawaiʻi.