Nestled between the rolling mountains of Oahu is an absolute gem.

Koko Crater Botanical Garden is a 60-acre-long stretch of whimsical nature. As soon as I found out about this place, I knew it would be a great opportunity for a nature walk with the girls!

“Look at all the flowers, mama!” My oldest exclaimed as we arrived, dancing in delight. My youngest was already picking up the fallen, fragrant plumerias from the ground at the plumeria grove. The soft texture of the petals kept her attention, and eventually they wound up interwoven through her poni-tails and behind her ears.

 

 

 

The colors in this garden were one of the best parts of the whole experience. The deep purples, soft pinks, forest greens, vibrant oranges & yellows and baby blues were all plenty to explore. My oldest even ventured up a small, overgrown hill and found the perfect little flower house to call her own.

“It’s a little house, mama! I’m going to go live inside!”

It wasn’t long after when we discovered a tiny inch worm. The girls were so excited to watch him inch up their arms, onto sticks, next to rocks… and everywhere!

 

 

 

 

Down on the ground, I noticed my youngest examining the sandy dirt next to me; it was sparkling so magically! My guess would be that it was minerals in the dirt, but my girls were convinced it was sparkly magic dust. Either works!

There was even a section of prickly cacti, and the initiative had to be taken to teach my girls not to touch the “pointy things”.

Our rock collection definitely grew after our visit to this garden; all sorts of colors, shapes and sizes. We love to bring our baskets along on nature walks and collect some of the things from the ground, so that we can bring them home with us. The girls usually choose to incorporate them into their play, which is fun! Whether it be imaginary soup ingredients, tools, food, money, tiny animals or even people, they put it all to good use. If they don’t choose to use them for play, we craft with them.

After about two hours of enjoyment, daylight slowly began to turn to dusk. It was time to say goodbye to the garden and head home.

“Goodbye, garden!” My oldest yelled out, “See you soon!”