Photohunt Challenge = Public

Our Saturday photohunt challenge was to interpret the word public and here in Hawaii everything is open to the public. One of my regular haunts is this beautiful japanese garden in Hilo called Queen Liliuokalani Gardens right off banyan drive, this is a scenic area with beautiful views of Hilo bay,the town and the Hamakua coastline.

This authentic japanese garden was built in the early 1900's as a tribute to Queen Liliuokalani who was the last reigning monarch in Hawaii before its annexation to the United States. The gardens are also a memorial to the many japanese immigrants that migrated to the Big Island to work at the many sugar plantations during the turn of the century during the annexation period.  Many nationalities of immigrants including the japanese went to Hawaii to work at these plantations and build a new future for themselves and create this new melting pot called Hawaii.

This thirty acre garden is filled with amazing Hawaiian and oriental plantings, intimate and grand walkways, pagodas, beautiful ponds, bridges and vistas to Hilo, the bay and large green areas for picnicking.

One of the favorite areas is this shaded dell with thousands of impatiens blooming underneath these huge monkeypod trees...it just illuminates this shady corner of the park and creates a magical area don't you think?

I just love public gardens like this. Isn't this a great park to just explore and wander, or find a nice shady tree to relax and take a nice long nap with the wind blowing behind your back.

To enjoy other interpretations of public go see http://tnchick.com/