Yesterday I was needing new scenery on my walk so I took the local bus to Turtle Bay Hotel on the North Shore of Oahu to have an outing. Helpfully for tourists and locals alike, the bus detours up the hotel's long driveway to turn around in the parking lot there and then goes back to Kamehameha Hwy again. I got my exercise walking along the coastal track and returning along the golf course cart pathway. (In Hawaii, there always has to be public access to the shoreline which is owned by us all.) With camera in hand, I then circled the hotel to check out the new gardens that were installed as part of the renovations during the Covid shutdown. Two years later the gardens are looking fabulous. They seem stuffed with healthy and bright plants. Pretty amazing as this is a hotel that juts out into the sea on a rocky point that gets inundated with salt laden winds. I expect there is a clever horticulturist supervising irrigation and feeding to keep the grounds looking so good. The several hundreds of dollars per night for a hotel room there helps pay for all that garden care. I contributed by treating myself to a cappuccino and almond croissant in the lobby cafe with the scenic view of the beach below.
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| A view of the hotel from along the coastal track. |
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| New native plants going in along the coast. |
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| Going back by the golf course. |
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| The new drive through entrance. Vinca and Kupukupu ferns in front. |
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| Approaching the drive through from the right side. That wood artwork/wall helps protect the area from the wind. |
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| The windy ocean side walkway still looks lush although mostly planted with tough beach plants like Naupaka. |
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| The pool area on the other side of the hotel. |
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| Lush gardens amongst the walkways out front. Bright orange Crotons in beds of Laua'e fern. |
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| Native white Hibiscus looking at its best. |
Aloha
