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9. Haiku Gardens Haiku Garden on (naturally) Haiku Drive in Kaneohe is a great little garden -- hard to find and not a typical tourist stop anymore, but just as attractive as it was a number of yars ago when it was better narked and more popular. The garden is in valley, something like an old sinkhole, in the middl of a residential neighborhood. Access is from a parking lot at a restaurant, now Joe's Seafood Grille, that overlooks the garden. The paved path leading down to the garden affords a good view of the gazebo at the end of a pier on the center pond.

This is the view from the garden floor. Easy to believe is the fact that this is the spot of many weddings. What a great start for a marriage, don't you think? Two additional scenes in the garden. 10. Valley of the Temples Farther along on the highway that runs north along the windward side of the island is Valley of the Temples, a memorial park (cemetery) on the left. The chapels we see here can be seen from the highway, and many people think that these and the open memorial grounds are about all there is to the park. In fact, there is more located farther back in the valley, most prominently a spectacular Buddhist temple. A custom here is leaving food at the graves of departed family members. These are not token offerings, but rather complete meals often of rice, steak, guava, sushi, and other likely favorites of the deceased. Typically a can of beer is placed on the left for the father, and a can of soda on the right for the mother -- always opened for the convenience of those who rest below. (You'd think that birds, dogs, and cats would have a heyday here, but there are none around today). Just beyond the chapel on the left (shown two images above on the left) are the interesting memorials shown here on the upslope at the edge of the park. Back in the valley is this absolutely beautiful Buddhist temple, the Byodo-In Temple, a replica of the 900-year-old Temple at Uji, Japan. The setting here could not be better. The temple is approached by car from a fairly high elevation and is surrounded by the foliage of trees and the mountains behind -- no distracting other buildings, utility poles, or other distractions at all. This may be "only" a replica of a better known temple, but it's difficult to imagine that the original could be any more attractrive than this. The bridge spans a creek and leads to the temple grounds. Directly in front of the temple is a picturesque pond. The temple is approached from the left where there is an open house (see "additional scenes" below) with a five-foot, three-ton brass bell cast in Japan. People entering the temple should first strike the bell with a swinging log strike "to cleanse the mind of evil and temptation." The deep rich tone of the bell seems to do just that, creating as best sound can an aura of peace and calm. Close to the left entry to the temple is a corner of the koi pond (koi is a large carp popularly bred in Japan for their size and variety of colors). There are several hundred koi in this two-acre pond. Carp, by the way, are symbolize order and permanence to the Japanese and are important in Japanese lore. Inside the central part of the temple is a statue of The Great Buddha in the classic pose (but too dark for a photo here). The more than nine-foot high image was created by the Japanese sculptor Masazo Inui. It is wooden figure covered with gold and lacquer. The temple, actually, consists primarily of this one room. Another less noticeable section projects out the bak (see last photo on the "additional scenes" page) but is closed to the public and apparently used mostly for storage. In front to the right of the temple are absolutely inctedible gardens. If you can imagine gardens that are supremely peaceful and "idyllic," these must be them. The gardens here (picture on the right above) are the largest of their kind outside of Japan. Four additional scenes at the temple. 11. Kamehameha Highway on the Bay Turning right onto Kamehameha Highway, originally the main highway along the coast here, we start the long ocean drive leg of the tour that will take us back to Waikiki and include some great oceanfront sights. At this point the road runs close to the water. This is Kaneohe Bay with typically calm water, perfect for fishing, boating, and other water sports. In ancient Hawai'i, Kaneohe Bay was the center of fishing activity. 12. Heeia Kai Boat Harbor The principal harbor serving this section of the bay is Heeia. It includes dockage, boat launching ramps, a restaurant overlooking the bay, outrigger canoe rentals, and other services. 13. Heeia State Park Right next to the harbor is Heeia State Park, a small park on a sprit of land with a lighthouse at the point. It's a shady little park with a dining facility in the middle (photo on the left) and a path around the grounds (photo on the right). Located on higher ground, there are nice views of Heeia Harbor and the bay. 14. Windward Mall The Kam Highway leads us into the heart of Kaneohe. Windward Mall with Sears and Liberty House anchor stores is a fairly new mall and now the shopping center of the community. Before proceeding farther into the business district, we'll turn left and loop around a scenic neighborhood on the bay. 15. Lilipuna Road Lilipuna Road runs through a strictly residential area. There are homes on both sides of the road and views of the bay here and there between the homes and at occasional open spots. The road is interestingly curvy. The land slopes up quite steeply from the water, so both homes on the water and homes on the opposite side of the road have great views of the water, Mokapu Peninsula in the distance, and the rather steady meandering of sailboats on the bay. Views of the bay. In the right photo, Mokapu Peninsula and the Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station facilities in the distance. Sailboats on the bay. On the right, a stretch of Lilipuna where it runs away from the bay. 16. Kaneohe Business District This is the main business interestion in Kaneohe (Kamehameha Highway and Kahuhipa Street). The buildings in Kaneohe are characteristically lowrise, and there are many small businesses. The tallest buildings, in fact, are residential condominiums located elsewhere. Although some individual buildings are attractive, the many signs, utility poles, and power lines really make most of the business district very cluttered looking. We'll continue on Kamehameha Highway (left in the photo at the right) and turn toward the ocean again at the next major intersection. 17. Bayview Golf Park Very close to Ho-omaluhia Gardens visited earlier, we turn off of Kamehameha Highway and onto Kaneohe Bay Drive. The first stop we'll make is Bayview Golf Park on the left. Besides golf links, the park includes a well-kept and attractive restaurant (photo at the left below), a driving range, and a miniature golf course ("Mini-Putt" as it's called). The golf park main building and restaurant, and the golf course itself. Thee views of the miniature golf course with its attractive landscaping and course obstacles. 18. Kaneohe Bay Drive Kaneohe Bay Drive and views of the bay from the drive are somewhat similar to those of Lilipuna Road. Homes, a little more upscale and probably not quite so close together, line both sides of the drive. Kaneohe Yacht Club is beautifully situated on the bay, but it's closed to the general public and mostly hidden from the road. On the left, a view of Kaneohe Bay Drive. On the right, shady Aumoana Place, a residential side street right off of Kaneohe Bay Drive. 19. Aikahi Park and Neighborhood 20. Kailua Beach Park Completing the long loop below Makapu Peninsula and heading south on Kalaheo Avenue, the ocean is mostly out of sight, and homes line both sides of the road, many blocked from view by privacy walls, fences, and hedges. We're now in Kailua. Roughly at the end of Kalaheo is Kailua Beach Park. Kalapawai Market, the last stop for picnic and beach supplies, is on the corner where we'll turn left and only half a block away enter the park. Kailua Beach is one of the best beaches you'll find in Hawai'i -- or anywhere else in the work. In those "best beaches of the world" reports, Kailua Beach consistently ranks in the top ten or fewer. The sand is fine and clean, the water depth increases gradually, the views are spectacular, and there are ample picnic areas, showers, restrooms, etc. My personal lack of complete amazement, though, is due to the fact that winds are such here that the blowing sand is often quite uncomfortable (it often covers the park road), and parking can be hard to find. But on ideal days (those that are a little more ideal than all of the others here in Hawai'i -- ahem), the beach can be absolutely perfect. Two views (above) as we approach the beach. On the beach, a view to the left (photo on the left) in the direction from which we came. That's Mokapu Peninsula stretching out to the right. In the photo on the right, a view to the right toward the community of Lanikai where we'd be if we continued on Kalaheo Avenue (but we'll inland to the Kailua business district next). That's Popoia Island off of Alala Point in the distance. There are a couple of other islands in that general direction, but they're around the point and out of sight.