Don’t miss the Hawaiian Gardens, in the Nixon Valley. There you can still smell the aroma of the Sandalwood emanating from the grove of over 100 such trees given to Senator Fong to preserve. Once common in old Hawaii (the Chinese name for Honolulu is Fragrance of Sandalwood Mountain), during the 1800s the tree, whose wood was prized throughout the world for its sweet, light fragrance, was deforested to near extinction. 

If you ever wanted to learn lei-making here’s the place. The flowers used are seasonal and from the plantation itself, and include plumeria of various colors, orchids, ginger, and the highly fragrant pikake. Lessons in lei-making are given frequently throughout the day in either English or Japanese. No reservations are required and the charge is $6.50. Not a bad deal when you consider you get to take home the lei. 

The Garden’s gift shop has a wide array of local handicrafts and Senator Fong Garden memorabilia. Bring home a handmade muumuu. If it’s personal service you really want you can arrange to see the gardens by personal tour rather than by the tram tour. This can be arranged in advance at the cost of $10/hour.