Waikiki Sunrise Walking Tour – Wednesday morning (ticket required)

Join True Professional of Arboriculture, Steve Nimz, for an early morning walking tour of Waikiki. Visit the iconic Indian Banyan (Ficus benghalensis) at the International Market Place and hear how it survived and thrived through numerous redevelopment schemes over the decades, culminating in the demolition of the old and the construction of the new (2016) International Market Place around the tree. Visit the Moana Surfrider Indian Banyan and find out how arboricultural diagnosticians had to be true detectives to save this tree. If time permits, we will also visit the legendary Kuhio Beach Banyan.

Exceptional Trees of Downtown Honolulu – Thursday afternoon (ticket required)

Steve Nimz will host a guided walking tour of the Exceptional Trees of Downtown Honolulu, starting at the Lolani Palace grounds with its large Indian Banyan (Ficus benghalensis), passing by the Kauri (Agathis robusta) and Indian banyan at the Judiciary Building, crossing to the Queen’s Medical Center to see its impressive Baobab (Adansonia digitata) and Pink Bombax Tree (Pseudobombax ellipticum), and passing by the Pili Nut tree (Canarium vulgare) at Washington Place, Hawaii’s Governor’s mansion, before returning to Lolani Palace to catch the tour bus back to Sheraton Waikiki. Other interesting but not officially “exceptional” trees will also be discussed along the route.

Honolulu Botanic Garden Tour – Thursday afternoon (ticket required)

Join the staff for a guided tour of Foster Botanical Garden, the oldest of the five Honolulu Botanical Gardens. Some of the magnificent trees in the collection at the 14-acre site were planted by Dr. William Hillebrand in the 1850s when it was his home. Dr. Hillebrand sold the site to Thomas and Mary Foster in 1880 and it was later bequeathed to the City, who opened Foster Botanical Garden to the public in 1930. The garden features an Outdoor Butterfly Garden, a Palm Garden, a Prehistoric Glen Cycad Collection, a Conservatory, and over 20 exceptional trees. It’s a tropical oasis amidst bustling downtown Honolulu!