Keʻanae Arboretum

Keʻanae Arboretum is a compact plant walk beside Piʻinaʻau Stream, reached from Hāna Highway near Keʻanae. The out-and-back is roughly half a mile. Stop for an easy leg stretch and a close look at tropical plants; skip it if you’re expecting the scale or polish of a formal botanical garden.

The smooth-barked rainbow eucalyptus are the signature. Their bark sheds in layers and shows streaks of green, orange and purple, so get close enough to see the colors and include a little of the surrounding foliage in the frame. Labeled tropical trees and flowers continue along the path; take time to read the tags instead of treating this as a single-photo stop.

The dedication plaque says the arboretum was developed in 1971 as a six-acre display of timber, ornamental and food plants from across the tropics, with an educational purpose. That mix is still the point of the walk: look for the names on the labels as you move among the trees and plantings.

The access is listed about 0.8 mile past mile marker 16 on Hāna Highway. The roadside pull-off is small and easy to miss; visitors describe crossing the highway to reach the gate, so slow down as you approach and cross only when traffic is clear. Accounts call much of the path paved, but muddy or uneven stretches are also reported. Mosquitoes are a recurring complaint, so bring repellent, especially after rain or in humid weather.