One of five botanical gardens operated by the city and county of Honolulu, Wahiawa is the best family freebie on the way from Waikiki to the North Shore. A new (2006) visitors center, footbridges, and walkways punctuated with benches and vintage lamp posts create a restful route through 27 acres of mature trees and flowering plants, all of it spanning a stream ravine.
Most visitors miss the gardens since they are a mile or so off the main road, and instead are lured into the friendly tourist trap of nearby Dole Plantation. See page 191 of Oahu Trailblazer.