Fodor's Expert Review Moanalua Gardens

This lovely and peaceful 24-acre park is a great place to spread out a blanket, have a picnic, take a snooze, fly a kite, or simply idle an afternoon away. You'll often see Japanese visitors taking pictures by a sprawling monkeypod tree nicknamed the Hitachi Tree and famous for advertising the Hitachi brand in Japan. There's a koi pond, a summer cottage once belonging to King Kamehameha V, a Chinese Hall, a taro patch, and a small gift shop. To reach Moanalua Gardens, take the Moanalua Freeway (78) westbound. Take the Tripler exit, then take a right on Jarrett White Road. Turn left at the first cross street onto Mahiole Street. The gardens are on the left, a serene pocket of green surrounded by busy roads.