TROPICAL GARDENS OF HAWAII WITH GRAHAM ROSS
19 – 27 June 2013

ITINERARY

Aloha! Graham cannot wait to show you his favourite spots including the dramatic Waimea Canyon, rare plants and Botanic Gardens and five relaxing days in Honolulu’s famed Royal Pink Palace Hotel right on Waikiki Beach, this is a dream come true holiday.

Meet your Graham Ross at Sydney airport for a flight to Ohahu, Hawaii then transfer to Kauai, the ‘Garden Isle’ of the Hawaiian Islands. Check in to your hotel with a Welcome Dinner this evening to meet your fellow travelers.
Accommodation: Grand Hyatt Resort, Kauai

Morning visit to Allerton Gardens (Lawai Kai) where Queen Emma, wife of King Kamehameha IV chose to build her garden estate. She named her garden retreat Lawai Kai which means ‘Garden By The Sea’, and she carefully introduced exotic species into the natural landscape, including bougainvillea and Morton Bay fig. Between 1938 and 1989 Robert and John Allerton introduced more plants from around the world, along with design features such as water channels, cascades, pools and waterfalls, latticed pavilions and European sculpture.
Nearby is Limahuli Garden and Preserve, set in a lush tropical valley surrounded by towering peaks sculpted by eons of wind and rain, Limahuli Garden offers visions of natural beauty and intriguing antiquity. Walk through lava rock terraces built by Limahuli’s early inhabitants and see the taro that still thrives there. Learn about the native plants of Hawai‘i, the plants brought to the islands by voyaging Polynesians, and the flowers and fruits introduced during Hawaii’s plantation era. Find enchantment in legends of the Valley and the ancient rocks that watch over it.
Limahuli Garden was selected by the American Horticultural Society as the best natural botanical garden in the United States, having demonstrated the best sound environmental practices of water, soil, and rare plant conservation in an overall garden design.
Accommodation: Grand Hyatt Resort, Kauai

Scenic drive around the island today including a visit to Smith’s Tropical Paradise, a 30 acre botanical and cultural garden located on the east side of Kauai, known as ‘The Coconut Coast’ within the Wailua Marina State Park.
Visit Hanalei on Kauai’s scenic north shore. Discover taro that grows in flooded fields and used to make poi, a Hawaiian staple starch that you can taste at any luau. Stop for lunch and some free time in Hanalei town and visit the famous pier on Hanalei Bay. You can get a good view of this emerald quilt of these taro farms from the Hanalei Valley Lookout.
Accommodation: Grand Hyatt Resort, Kauai

Over to the western side of Kauai this morning to visit Waimea Canyon, the largest canyon in the Pacific and a dramatic sight. The canyon measures 10 miles long, 1 mile wide, and more than 3,500-feet deep. It was carved thousands of years ago by rivers and floods that flowed from Mount Waialeale’s summit. The lines in the canyon walls depict different volcanic eruptions and lava flows that have occurred over the centuries. The elevation makes the air 10-15 degrees cooler than in the valley and by afternoon many areas are often shrouded in clouds. Afternoon flight to Ohahu.
Accommodation: Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Honolulu

Morning visit to Koko Crater, which was set aside for development into a botanical garden in 1958. Sixty acres of the inner slope and basin is now cultivated with rare and endangered dry land plants. This garden specializes in African plants, cacti and succulents, frangipani cultivars, native wiliwili, palms and bougainvillea.
Afternoon visit to Forster Botanical Garden, home to a collection of rare and beautiful plants from the tropical regions of the world. Some are rare or endangered in their native habitat. this living museum of tropical plants, have been collected from throughout the world’s tropics over a period of 150 years.
Accommodation: Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Honolulu

Private garden visits today and return to Royal Hawaiian hotel for a Luau.
Accommodation: Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Honolulu

Morning visit to Queen Emma Summer Palace, the summer retreat of Queen Emma, wife of King Kamehameha IV and preserved and managed by the Daughters of Hawaii. See the restored palace with a guided tour. It is preserved by the Daughters of Hawai`i in a charming Hawaiian-Victorian setting. Membership is open to any woman who is directly descended from a person who lived in Hawai`i prior to 1880, with no restrictions to race.
Accommodation: Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Honolulu

Transfer to airport for homeward flight.

Arrive home

HOW TO BOOK

To secure your booking and make your deposit, please complete our online booking form. You will be contacted by a Ross Tours Travel Manager to confirm your details and preferred method of payment.

CANCELLATIONS

Cancellations received 180-200 days prior to departure will incur a loss of deposit.
Cancellations received between 119-60 days prior to departure will incur a 25% cancellation fee plus any non-recoverable costs incurred.
Cancellations received between 59-30 days prior to departure will incur a 100% cancellation fee.
Cancellations must be sent in writing.
Cancellation fee is based upon the total amounts paid including tours, airfares and all other travel arrangements.
Please refer to the Ross Garden Tours standard terms and conditions.