KCC Cactus Garden

The Cactus Garden on the campus of KCC is remarkable. I stumbled upon the garden while visiting the Farmer's Market. The plants are huge and lush. The garden is the brainchild of Moriso Teraoka. Teraoka began planting the garden in 1988, starting many of the plants from seed. Many volunteers have joined the effort. The garden gives the campus a beautiful spot to explore and contemplate. A nice paved path runs through the garden. The garden is open to the pubic (free) and attracts many plant lovers. There is free parking near the garden. There is a public restroom not too far from the garden. Plan 30 minutes to an hour to walk through.

I absolutely love and appreciate the great outdoors...Something I've grown to appreciate more as I got older is how calming a patch of greenery can do for your soul and the Cactus Garden at KCC or Kapiolani Community College is just breathtaking.With my work schedule it's one thing that I don't have any of the pleasure to take part of is the Saturday Farmers Market so when I took some time off you know that it had to include Saturday and this was the very first place I wanted to go and soon after browsing and assembling items at the Farmers Market I instantly head up to the other upper side of the garden where there's some benches and stumps overlooking much of the gardens along with the stunning view of Diamond Head.It's really incredible how large the garden is and l love how it's totally accessible for everyone to enjoy as there's stairs and a ramp though it's just a slight bit of a walk I do recommend coming here to enjoy the work and effort it took to create this masterpiece of a garden.Thank you!

Cyndy's Bottom Line: The garden is absolutely amazing and so is the man behind the garden.The Kapiolani Community College Cactus Garden (KCC) is a spectacular botanical garden specializing in cactus. Located on the Kapiolani Community College campus, near Parking Lot C. The garden was created by Moriso Teraoka in 1988. Mr. Teraoka was truly an amazing man. He was a Nisei, 100th Infantry Battalion Veteran and a perennial part-time student at KCC after he retired from the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. While attending KCC he asked school officials if he could start a garden especially because he enjoyed collecting plants. Mr. Teraoka donated the garden plants and enlisted help of friends, volunteers and expanded the size of the garden. Mr. Teraoka received a service award from the KCC chancellor for his volunteerism and awards from the campus community and neighborhood. The school received beautification awards from the the Outdoor Circle in 1990 and 1998.Kapiolani Community College Cactus Garden is on the list of botanical gardens and arboretums in the U.S.Highly recommend for the plant enthusiasts. A must visit.

After all the rain over the past months, the cacti seem to be popping. new growth and flowers. Fun place to photograph or just marvel at the strange plants. I shot some infrared to add to the strange shapes and sizes of the cacti.

The largest cactus garden on Oahu! Right there at KCC next to Diamond Head crater. Has all kines of cactus!! Highly recommended to visit if you love the spiky stuff! Don't go on Saturday as they have the KCC farmer's market and parking is full, otherwise free parking.

I stumbled upon this awesome Catcus Garden. There are so many various types of cactus' here, big, small, short, tall. I was able to walk through the garden, take pictures and I suppose you can touch at your own risk - hehe... But I'm so glad that I found this place. There is a picnic table that I saw people sitting at having a bite. The scenery is actually very relaxing and therapeutic. I found the experience very different in a way that I can say I've never seen a garden of this sort. I spent about an hour there, taking pictures, walking around and taking in the scenery.

YELP 365 CHALLENGE 2014-(136/365) "Nopales"Of all my years attending KCC ('89-'91) I never noticed this cactus garden until now!?all kinds of varieties I have never seen in my life. Many beautiful varieties and even some dangerous looking ones too!Created by Moriso Teraoka in 1988, it is truly a labor of love and definitely a sight to see. If you are in the area, or at the farmer's market on Saturday, come check it out! ALOHA!!!Shaka Meter: \uuu/ \uuu/ \uuu/ \uuu/ \uuu/ 5

To my knowledge this is the only cactus garden on the island. Well the only cactus garden worth visiting if your a big fan of cactus gardens. There are so many different types of cactuses, many that give bloom to beautiful flowers, many with hair,any with no spines. All shapes and sizes. If your looking to do something unique while here I recommend visiting this garden. The garden is quite big and wraps around a whole section of the college. There are a few wildlife species mongoose, geckos, wild cats and mice.

In the summer of 1988, 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd RCT member and retiree Moriso Teraoka gets permission to landscape a small area on the campus of Kapiolani Community College. He creates a cactus and succulent garden that he labors in 7 days a week. Over the years, Moriso and a host of volunteers are able to expand the garden. Over twenty years later, Moriso's garden wins the Outdoor Circle Beautification Award in 1990 and 1998. . .and the 88-year old Moriso is still working in the garden 6 days a week.Hands down, the most beautiful and oldest cactus garden on the island. I love taking walks through the garden to look at the amazing variety of plants. Examining them close up reveals the most amazing patterns and textures. Tip: Moriso created a "Poet-tree" at the top of the garden. He loves it when visitors to the garden write a poem that he can laminate and hang on his growing poet-tree (a tree he created out of branches with numerous poems hanging from it).

Peaceful, serene, and pokey come to mind when I think of a cactus garden and this garden delivers! A variety of cacti are available for your viewing pleasure and the best part is that it's free! If you're in need of cacti, clippings can be obtained by following directions on nearby signs. Parking is usually readily available during off-peak times. A definite must visit if you want some place peaceful. The occasional mongoose, bird, and cat come out sometimes.