Moanalua Gardens

I’ve checked into so many parks on Unilocal that I’ve earned my Tree Hugger Badge! Haha I have 3 kids so I need to get them out of the house before they break it. Sadly a lot of people don’t pick up after their dogs so we’ve unknowingly picnicked next to and on as well as stepped and rolled in one too many piles of dog mess. Soooo now we try our best to only go to parks that strictly enforce a no dog policy.
Moanalua Gardens has quite a few rules i.e. no dogs; strict permits required otherwise no big groups or professional photography; no fruit picking; only gentle ball playing, etc, etc, etc. But these rules keep the park picturesque and magical. The old royal cottages, the giant Monkeypod trees, and pond set front an old church, bridge and tall lush bamboo trees… just breathtaking and serene even with the busy Moanalua Freeway just parallel to it.
The pond used to be full of large beautiful koi fish, but nowadays it’s over taken by guppies and overly friendly ducks that scoop up the koi pellets before what kois are left even knows what’s going on. But my kids, even the 8yo boy who always says he doesn’t want to go, always have a blast!
Laying a picnic blanket down, lunch whether is be spam musubis or a gourmet sandwich, while the kids blow bubbles and collect leaves is the perfect way to end your visit at the gardens!

This place is easy to find and get to, you can’t miss it! When I was a little kid, we used to go here to picnic and catch guppies in the stream. I wanted to share this experience with my kids. We took them here and there’s an admission fee, not a bad price but I think it’s based on an honesty system. You pay for your admission in the gift shop. No gate or anything to stop you from entering on your own. Since I’m honest I paid the admission and bought a cup of fish/​duck food.
We went onto the open grass and ate our lunch. While we were here I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful landscape for our yearly family photo and candid shots of my kids. We were trying to figure out which tree was the «official/​famous» Hitachi tree and we assumed it’s the one all the tourist were taking pictures by.
My kids and I ran all the way to the end of the grassy area to a tree branch which the kids could sit on to take pics. We were half way thru when one of my kids started screaming her head off! She got bit by a bunch of red ants. I smashed them all off of her and ran her back to wipe her up and put some ice. She refuses to sit by any tree anymore.
We packed up and went to feed the ducks and fish. Boy were they hungry! The kids enjoyed that part. All in all it was a great visit because there’s bathrooms nearby, a big grassy area for the kids to run and get tired and photo opportunities as well as fish and ducks. Btw… you can’t catch guppies anymore cause there’s bushes growing and a «fence» line. You might be able to but I wasn’t going to risk it with my young kids.

This place is relaxing. The taro and koi ponds are nice to look at. Perfect place for some quiet time or to read a book under the trees. It is $ 3 admission fee but only $ 1 for military/​kamaiina. I’d probably come here again.

This place is so beautiful and peaceful. The scenery is perfect for taking photos for all events. Here’s one of the photos I’ve taken here.

I have visited this place numerous times to take my little nieces and/​or friends for a photo shoot. Very beautiful place with an abundance of ducks, fish, and greenery. Would have given it 5 stars if it was drone friendly. There were no signs around the entrance that prohibited it, however, I was approached by a grounds keeper who informed me that drone usage was not allowed. Boo! But I still like the place

Like everyone else, I concur that this place is awesome. $ 1 with a military ID and my family can lounge on a blanket and catch some sun, have a picnic. There are many areas with shade so that is an option as well. My toddler loved running through the open park and feeding the koi fish ($ 2/​container). We did see some people blatantly ignore the signs to only feed the koi fish proper food and saw them with their own bucket of fish food. Just follow the rules folks! It’s also a great area for a photo op and I took advantage and got great new pics of my daughter with my new camera. Love it. Oh, the coffee ice cream bar at the shop is on point !!

Love going to this place. My son loves the koi pond, we buy fish food from the little souvenir shop they have inside. Very well-​maintained garden, perfect for a picnic or just to kick back and relax. Bring a picnic mat and a book and enjoy the day.

Went here with a bunch of mommy friends thinking I’ve never been here before. Woah did I feel the paddle board slapping me in the face once I got to the koi pond!
So it’s where my then boyfriend (currently my better half) had brought me to one of the first trips to Hawaii. (But he doesn’t know that! Shhhhh!) I mean how am I supposed to forget a place like this!!! Hmm well some moves, add a dog, some kids all sorts of brain cells have been stolen! Ok joking aside — glad I made it here with my lil minions.
They just ran away, then shouted, then squealed, and ran back to me, then ran away again. Yup wide open spaces!
It sits below the freeway, and in the valley below the ever pink Tripler hospital. So very easy to find! :) Parking is free, and entrance under Kama’aina rate is $ 1! $ 2 for a 20oz cup stuffed w/​koi pellets! (Oh yes, that’s PLENTY! And all matters of critters will be flapping, quacking, and practically throwing themselves at your hands!)
While the grounds are kept in excellent condition, the same cannot be said about the former King’s cottage, or the temple by the koi pond. Seems to be in ‘still repairing’ state. Would be nice to finally have them fixed up and allow us history lovers to meander in those areas.
Small gift shop for those who wish to get souvenirs. Apparently there are festivals held here, I have yet to attend one. One of these days!
Outside food, beverages are allowed but no pooches. Please keep it clean and pick up after yourself! Enjoy!

No Animals Allowed! A search of dog parks on Unilocal lists this park. The dog park is next to it, under the overpass. Nice and shady, but gets very muddy after the rains. Take Furbaby home if you want to tour the gardens.

One of the most underrated spots on Oahu. I understand why they started charging because this beautiful park looks like it takes a lot of work to maintain. The Chinese hall is breathtaking, adorned with a quaint koi pond that every age enjoys taking part in. The koi food was about $ 3 I believe and well worth it because of the smiles it leaves on the faces of the kids.
Then there is the actual park itself. Very spacious and private, perfect setting for a lovely picnic with that special someone. The freeway noise and the occasional busload of tourists can be a bit of a distraction, but overall, this is a wonderful place to visit… as long as the the parking remains free!

This privately owned park is a hidden treasure of Oahu. A large parking lot with quick access from the Moanalua Freeway makes it convenient to visit. Besides the famous Hitachi Tree and expansive grounds, Moanalua Gardens Park offers many picnic and personal photography opportunities.
Commercial use for weddings or events must be arranged for a fee.
Dozens of Monkeypod Tree Stump Chairs, Benches and Tables are wonderful uses for trees that are periodically cut back.

This place can be described in one word– beautiful! We went there for the first time to have a picnic and take pictures (woooooohoooo I love using my Nikon), anyway it was absolutely divine. When we got there, parking was available right in front of the entrance. We spotted a tree right to the side of the beautiful and huge Hitachi tree. We pulled out a blanket and started having a yummy picnic with a fantastic view, shade and the tranquility only nature brings. After we ate, we walked around and I took pictures of everything I saw. Everything from the gorgeous trees, to the flowers, to feeding the ducks, to the Koi fishes to the summer cottage of King Kamehameha V was awesome to see. We had such a great time, but now I found out that the park will start charging admission to go in?! I understand that it takes money to keep things clean but charging to enjoy nature and have a picnic? That’s a little absurd. I went to the website after reading some Unilocalers’ reviews and yes they will start charging effective April 15^th. $ 3 regular admission, $ 1 for military and locals. Children under 12 years of age are free. This is a disappointment, with so many free places to go to here in Hawaii, this will turn off many people to come visit this beautiful place!

Pro: Great place to feed koi fishes and ducks with your kids. It is two bucks for the cup of fish food. There are beautiful wooden artistic sculpted chairs around the park.
Con: they are going to charge admission for people to come to the park. There are also groups who reserve areas in the park with no signs.

I took my kids here this morning, because it’s the first day of spring break & we needed to get out of the house for a little bit. It was our first time going & after today, I know we will be regulars here. First & best of all, it’s free! Lots of parking, too. When we got to the gardens, I bought 2 cups of food from the store & asked for 2 empty cups, so that we could share. The lady working in the store was soooo nice! As we walked over to the fish pond, I was in awe of the big trees, especially «Hitachi»? I think I spelled it right. We saw some baby ducks next to the fish pond & my kids were instantly in love with the place. We stayed over an hour, just feeding the fish & enjoying each other’s company. My youngest can’t wait to go back! She says it’s her «new favorite place».

Have come to Moanalua Gardens a few times recently and I really like it. The garden is free to enter and free to park. Parking seems ample as I don’t ever have a problem finding a stall. I think most of the visitors are tourists that come on a bus so most of the crowd doesn’t have individual cars.
The Gardens are so large so there is enough room for everyone without feeling like there are too many people. You can easily find a spot to play, picnic, lay around, etc. You can go way far back and cross the bridge to look at the fish or go down to the stream.
There’s also a koi pond with a lot of ducks and you can buy fish food at the store near the parking lot. The cups of food are quite large.
This park is so beautiful and relaxing and definitely a great place to unwind!

So much fun for a cheap romantic date!
There’s a gift shop at the entrance where you can buy snacks, drinks, souvenirs, and big cups of koi fish food for $ 2. (You can only feed the koi fish with the specific fish food.) The clerk was super cool and suggested that 1 cup would go too quickly since both ducks and fish enjoy the food. He was right about that! We bought 2 cups and had a good half hour worth of fun just sitting near the pond feeding the ducks and fish. They were insatiable.

What a peaceful place…
My son and I try to come here at least once a month to feed the fish and the ducks. That said, you can only feed the Koi fish Koi food. So, if you don’t have any… they do sell some in the gift shop. But bring your bread too, just DON’T throw it in the Koi pond. There is another stream nearby with other fish, birds and ducks… they need to eat too! I can’t express enough to respect the Koi and only feed them the proper food.
Other than the beautiful Monkeypod trees the park is known for there is a huge field. Activities like hula contest are held here However, we like to just walk it. It is amazing to just walk so out in the open and feel like you are in the middle of nowhere yet outside the park you are surrounded by a huge city and lots of traffic. Bring a picnic, a frisbee, maybe a ball and some gloves… or just a blanket to relax and enjoy the day. It is a wonderful place to just «be».
There are historic cottages there that they seem to constantly be working on. I do hope they have them open soon. They look amazing. But we have been coming here for 2 years and haven’t seen them open yet.
Here is a link to some history of the gardens:

Unilocal 365 Challenge 2015 #16/​365
So I’ve come to this park twice in my life: Once with my gf Rachel for a nice little picnic, and the second time with Rachel and her family for a barbeque. I never knew you could barbeque at this park!
The first time I came here, I never realized how nice it was, being that I’d only seen the outside of it while driving past on the freeway. However, the park is absolutely massive, and well maintained, making it easy to find a spot to sit down and have a nice meal.
The second time I came, we had a BBQ, which I did not know was a possibility. I figured, being that this is a tourist destination, that open fires would not be allowed, but I was wrong; and that’s very cool. They even have a little charcoal pit (which is filled with mostly cigarettes) to dispose of your ashes when finished.
Apparently the reason why tourists come to this park is because of the Hitachi tree, which is a monkeypod tree that is used in the Japanese Hitachi commercials. The company actually sends funds to make sure that the park and tree are well kept.
There’s also a small gift shop that sells drinks, snacks, and of course, memorabilia.
There’s also an old man who lives near the park, and used to play in the park with his friends and other military folk during the Vietnam War. This man told me his story twice while I was trying to start the fire in the grill…

This park is HUGE — and so well kept. It’s the perfect place to spend some quality family time, or even plan a romantic picnic lunch under a tree. It’s a nice change of pace, and a potential date spot that won’t break the bank for sure!
My family just recently got together for a BBQ here this past weekend. Management likes you to BBQ closer to the front of the park, which also makes things easy in terms of transporting your campsite from the parking lot to a tree. They also request that your BBQ be 3 ft. off the ground. You’ll find the bucket for used charcoal under the tree nearest to the entrance.
Once we got the grill going, we were playing catch, bean bag toss, and just lounging around in our chairs… It was a great afternoon! My family isn’t always this ambitious — this park is also great if you just feel like eating some takeout with some scenery. We’ve been known to bring Taco Bell.
If you are planning a picnic, the biggest advice I can give you is don’t sit under the Hitachi tree — the second nearest tree to the entrance of the park. Buses drop off groups of tourists throughout the day to see the famous monkeypod tree because it appears in Hitachi commercials in Japan, and the visitors are not shy about invading your space if you’re under it. (You’ll also be in a million family photos.)
This park brings back so many memories for me. I remember my parents bringing my brother and I down to check out the stream, nets at the ready to catch whatever we could. There’s even a Koi pond in the back where kids always enjoy feeding the fish. You can buy tablets to feed them at the gift shop in front. So what are you waiting for?! Get out of the house and play!
PARKING: Free! Just park in the lot next to the lawn and walk right in.

Aaaaah the memories all come rushing back to me of when my parents used to bring me here for picnic lunches and I’d run to the stream to catch little tadpoles or fish to bring home… Lol. That was many years ago… I love this garden it’s very dear to my heart. It’s gotten a lot nicer and cleaner then when I was little. It’s been well kept and nicely managed. They ask that you feed the fish Koi Pellets they sell in the gift shop for $ 2 for a reasonable size cup. The ducks and fish come by and the kids just Love it! So much space to run loose or just relax. Lots of shade from the beautiful Hitachi trees. The tour buses do come by with a flock of tourist, mostly during the lunch hour, they stay about half an hour then jump back on their buses. I’ve decided to make it a point to bring my kids here more often… make it a family tradition to spend more quality time together like this. It’s great!