Shoreline use of Loko Waimaluhia partially restored, reinforced pathway opening

Family fishing set to return to Ho‘omaluhia’s lake July 1 as more lake access is restored in June 2026

The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation is thrilled to announce partial access to the shoreline of Loko (Lake) Waimaluhia at Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden, and a newly reinforced pathway down to the lake, will be open for public use beginning Saturday, June 6, 2026.

Garden visitors can once again experience the peace and tranquility of the lake’s shoreline utilizing the improved pathway from the Paul R. Weissich Education Center and access from the Kahua Kuou overlook.

This is the first time the education center’s pathway has been reinforced, which will provide garden visitors more stable, consistent grounding to visit the lake. Previously, the earthen path would often get muddy, especially with the regularly rainy conditions along the Windward Coast. The approximately $170,000 contract for the reinforced path was completed by Peterson Bros.

The lake’s shoreline experienced an extended closure after sustaining damage from March’s Kona low storms. Garden staff continue to work on restoring the shoreline, with several sections of the lake still unfit for use by the general public. We intend to have the majority of the lake’s shoreline restored for public use throughout June 2026, weather permitting.

As a result of this progress, DPR will be resuming the popular family fishing program to the general public beginning Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Online reservations for this program will reopen on June  17, 2026 at 5 p.m. utilizing DPR’s Parks and Recreation Online System (PROS) available at: bit.ly/HoomaluhiaFishing

Fishing is open and free to participants of all ages. You can bring your own pole (no barbed hooks or live bait), or rent one for free from our friendly botanical garden staff.  If you miss your chance to make a reservation for the time you want, no worries! We keep several of the 100 fishing spots for each two-hour time period open to accommodate walk-ins. Mahalo to garden visitors and fans of our family fishing program for their patience while we worked to restore the lake’s availability and reinforce the pathway to its shores.

Opened in 1982, Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden in Kāneʻohe features plantings from major tropical regions around the world grouped geographically. Geographical regions represented by our botanical collections: Philippines, Malaysia, Tropical America, India & Sri Lanka, Melanesia, Hawai‘i, Polynesia, and Africa. The Garden was designed and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide flood protection for Kāneʻohe, but is now the City’s most popular botanical garden hosting  some 724,000 visitors annually. Strolling or driving through these lush 400 acres in Windward Oʻahu, you will truly agree that Hoʻomaluhia is rightfully named ‘a peaceful refuge.

If you need an auxiliary aid/service, other accommodations due to a disability, or an interpreter for a language other than English in reference to this announcement, please contact the staff Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden at 808-768-8942 on weekdays from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or email hbg@honolulu.gov at least three business days before the scheduled event. Without sufficient advanced notice, it may not be possible to fulfill requests.

—PAU—

Follow the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation online and on social media:

YouTube: bit.ly/DPRyoutube    Twitter: @honolulu_parks   Instagram: @honolulu_parks 

Facebook: facebook.com/honolulu.parks    Nextdoor: bit.ly/DPRnextdoor    

Website: honolulu.gov/parks