Road Trip Garden-Liliuokalani Gardens

Hilo, Hawaii

Considering that 21.5% of the total population registered as Japanese in the 2020 census, it’s not surprising that the largest authentic ornamental Japanese garden outside of Japan is found on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Located on Hilo’s historic Banyan Drive, this 24.67-acre Japanese garden, dedicated in 1917, is a living tribute to Hawaiʻi’s first Japanese immigrants who worked on the island of Hawaiʻi’s sugar cane fields.

Unlike most public gardens, Liliuokalani Gardens is a free garden open 24 hours. There are no main entrances, fencing, or gates, which, combined with the location wedged between downtown Hilo and most of the town’s larger hotels, give it a city park-like atmosphere. The views of Hilo Bay just across the road are another asset that helps draw locals and visitors alike on morning runs or dog-walks.

Liliuokalani Gardens is a typical “Edo-style” Japanese Garden, with winding pathways leading past its bright pagoda and bridges, traditional tea house, stone lanterns, and statuary. The name Liliuokalani honors Hawaii’s last ruling monarch, Queen Lili’uokalani, who donated the original five acres to create a public park in 1907. This was increased to seventeen acres by the Legislative Committee concerned with the management of public lands in November 1917. The garden officially opened in 1919.

One noticeable difference between Hawaiian and other Continental US landscapes is the unique black lava presence everywhere. Just as a Midwest Garden might use local limestone or granite, or a New England garden chooses slate, Hawai’i’s abundant, never-ending lava rock resource is apparent in natural outcroppings of ancient flows, in retaining walls and building facades, to even the sand on the beaches and grit on the roads. The dark stone presence in Liliuokalani Gardens lends a sophisticated look and feel compared to other park-like public gardens I’ve visited.

If you read the review of Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, you might remember that the Big Island of Hawaii has two climates: an arid one and a very tropical one on the island’s other side. Hilo averages 130 inches per year, and the diversity of the flora is outstanding. Japanese Gardens, by design, are not always diverse, focusing on symbology and peaceful contemplation. While this garden lacks taxa count, it makes up for it with outstanding specimens, most notably with the massive trees resembling characters from Tim Burton or J.R.R. Tolkien’s adventures.

In 2016, the US Postal Service selected the gardens as the inspiration for its US Priority Mail stamp. The Hilo Japanese Women’s Friendship Association and the Hilo Board of Trade both contributed to the care and design of Liliuokalani Gardens. Today, the County of Hawaii and the non-profit Friends of Liliuokalani Gardens maintain the gardens for locals and visitors to enjoy.