This was a pleasant park to walk around since we did not have reservations at another nearby state monument. Picnic facilities, well tended gardens, notable statues and structures honoring Asian groups that reside on Maui, and koi ponds. We also saw chickens, a turtle, and a pig. Beautiful views available free of charge. read more

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Right along Wailuku Stream, this park was created to honor Maui's multicultural immigrant history. Inside you'll find architecture inspired by early Hawaiian homes, a New England saltbox, a Portuguese villa with gardens, plus courtyards reflecting Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditions. The park's name dates back to the 1790 Battle of Kepaniwai, when Kamehameha I fought against Maui's King Kahekili. Though the site was once left in ruins, today it's a peaceful park. Locals come here to grill (you can bring your own meat and charcoal) and cool off in the stream. The park itself isn't very large. At the entrance you'll spot the "天下為公" arch, and inside the Chinese garden there's a bronze statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Displays highlight his connections to Honolulu and Maui, as well as the early Chinese immigrants who came to Hawaii in the 18th century. (Some of the info boards even gave me a little more perspective on how Sun Yat-sen was able to fund and recover from his failed revolutions.) It's only a few minutes from Iao Valley State Monument, so it makes a nice quick stop for photos and a walk. But if you're coming just for this park, it might feel a bit underwhelming. Kepaniwai Park & Heritage Gardens 870 Iao Valley Rd, Wailuku, HI 96793 Open 7am-5:30pm read more

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We didn't expect much based on some of the not-so-positive reviews from previous Yelpers. But Kepaniwai Park has lots to offer. Beautiful scenery, lots of rest areas, and picnic tables to enjoy your meals and relax with loved ones. I like the fact that they have gardens from different nations (Korea, China, Japan, the Philippines, Portugal, etc.) that have contributed to the island. It's one of the smaller gardens but it's beautiful and free (entrance and parking). Which is rare these days. read more

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Beautiful picnic spot, educational heritage park and place to take a dip in the Ioa Valley waters. There's huge covered picnic areas with grills, washrooms, washing up facilities and lots of refuse bins. Nice place for a serene stroll or an afternoon rest, the breeze off the cool water is so refreshing. Lots of families visit this park to have BBQs and birthday parties. A lovely stop on the way to/from the Ioa Valley State Park. Just needs a little more clean-up and maintenance. "Don't be a litter bug!" read more

Nice park, a little noisy, combined with some international structures and gardens. The gardens are 4 star but the raucous people drinking away may make the park more like 3 stars at times. read more

Kepaniwai Park - Gardens - Parks Near Me - Wailuku, Hawaii

There is so much to see here. You can bring your lunch and eat at the tables while enjoying the scenery. I was a bit limited in time but I walked around to look/read as many things as I could. Such a beautiful area and place. I look forward to relaxing here again. read more

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Great spot for get togethers and family picnics, with tables and BBQs, bathrooms, and the stream for swimming in is right beside the park. There is an overflow parking lot just before you enter the park. The cute little houses from different cultures that inhabit Maui are a nice feature. It's great to see improvements being made in this small park. The Hawaiian Hale is being rebuilt and I'm looking forward to seeing the final building. read more

Kepaniwai Park - Rebuilding the Hawai'ian hale - Parks Near Me - Wailuku, Hawaii

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This was so peaceful to walk through! Lots of pretty flowers and plants. Really enjoyed the Chinese exhibit and Portuguese garden as well as the history of African Americans in Hawaii. You're sure to spend a few hours of your day here. read more

Accidentally came across the Beautiful, Peaceful, Historical park as Iao Needles was closed . They have got different Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean sections. Serene place was site of bloody battle. So Lucy green surrounded by Maui mountains and Iao valley stream of water flowing. Picnic tables bbq pit fun day to have picnic. Lots of parking read more

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A couple hours before sunset is an amazing time to check this place out. The sun moves through the valley and it's absolutely breathtaking. Free park/ heritage garden. Stopped on our way down from Loa State Park - also highly recommended. read more

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What a beautiful park just moments away from Wailuku and Kahului. The Iao Valley Monument was closed but we saw that this park existed close by so we still ventured to the area. We are so happy we did. The towering lush landforms above and the beautiful gardens and foliage around made for a nice walk. It was really interesting to read the plaques about some of the different immigrants to Hawaii and of course the battle between Kamehameha I and Kalanikūpule. We plan to return to bath in the stepped pools of the river, which babbles slowly right now in late August 2022. read more

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It's a beautiful, free, public park that displays Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Native Hawaiian, and Korean culture and architecture. We came here after visiting Iao Valley, it's right next to each other. It's a nice place to walk around and take pictures. It's worth a quick stop! read more

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The area honoring immigration to the islands & cultural heritage is a must visit. Please take a moment to reflect on the lengthy travels of the ancestors ... Please respect the site & the history mahalo read more

Kepaniwai Park - Portuguese Garden - Parks Near Me - Wailuku, Hawaii

After a quick visit to 'Iao Monument, we drove 2 minutes back down to Kepaniwai Park to have lunch. Because it was raining, the sheltered picnic tables were ideal to have our lunch and there was hardly anyone else there. When the rain stopped, I walked around a bit and discovered that there was more to this park than meets the eye. There are different sections of the park that are dedicated to a particular group of people (ie. African American, Korean, Portuguese, etc) and maintained by different cultural groups. Currently, there is one section of the park undergoing a remodel and I suspect it housed the koi pond that I've read about, but didn't find. Nonetheless, a great park to have lunch. read more

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Beautiful spot! It was crowded today and difficult to find parking. We were just exploring and not prepared to stay and play, but we are going to try to get back here during our visit. read more

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great little place for toddlers nice secluded little park with amazing views of the base of the maui mountains. most of the morning was covered in fog and drizzled making it a lovely mysterious place. it has many small pagodas boasting heritages from multiple asian cultures. beautiful. many toddlers running around and parents/grandparents following. a lot of locals slip through the fencing or walk into the forest for quick dips. definitely would be a challenge with a young kid or baby so tourists beware. just follow the locals. read more

Kepaniwai is a really nice park with a variety of gardens (Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, etc), as well as a few statues and monuments. They have a variety of picnic tables and scenic areas to relax, and even now (during Covid) the park had a number of friends and families relaxing and BBQing. It's a lovely park just outside the entrance to the Lao Valley State Monument Park - I highly recommend stopping by as you leave the Lao Valley. This isn't a large enough park to really do a hike though - an entire lap of the park will only take 5-10 minutes. This is more of a peaceful park to relax in, rather than exercise/jog/hike in. read more

Kepaniwai Park and Heritage Garden is a beautiful place and am surprised to find that it is free to the public, along with parking. My husband and I came by this park and garden on a weekday, late morning. We pulled into the parking lot and started exploring the park side. We saw some locals swimming down by the rocks and some having a nice picnic. As we explored the park side, we found ourselves in a mostly shaded trail, that lead across a very narrow bridge. Please note that this trail is pretty easy/ mild for the most part but has a lot of mud and rocks. So please wear the appropriate foot wear (it amazes me all of the people attempting the trail wearing flip flops). On the garden side, it was nice to see the Japanese stone statues, koi pond and Chinese stone lions. Walking through the bamboo fencing made for some great photos. This place is very low key and surprisingly a hidden gem that is worth exploring if you are on this side of the island. There are public restrooms here but please note that the ladies' restroom did not have soap but there was running water and toilet paper. read more

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This park is located before Iao Valley Monument. The road up to the Needle is still closed. I can't believe of the many times I've visited Maui Ive never been here before. Im thankful that im staying with Maui Kamaaina friends they took us up to the park today. Today is Sunday and we came around 2pm there is a parking lot and when that fills up you can park along the roads. I didn't see any parking tickets so I think it's safe to park. The different Chinese and Japanese gardens were beautiful and although the Koi ponds are no longer filled the gardens are still pretty and well maintained. There are public bathrooms and various pavilions there that have concrete benches and are covered and have a grill next to them. Today there were lots of locals families and tourists having barbeques in the pavilions. It was a relaxed family atmosphere. Right next to the pavilions is the Wailuku stream and it's breathtaking with many smaller sections that you can swim in. If you dont feel like a swim, you can walk on various paths up toward the valley and walk over the small bridge over the river. There are hiking paths that lead further into the valley but we didn't go in all the way. Along the paths you will be able to see very old Hawaiian structures that were once used many many years ago by ancient Hawaiians. It's a spiritual place and very beautiful. The water is fresh flowing water from the valley however please Be Careful if it rains the river can be very dangerous and will rise quickly be careful. This is a great place to picnic, hike, swim and relax. Please be respectful of the park and it's beauty and history. The Iao Valley is significant in Hawaiian history because it was the location of one of the bloodiest battles between Kamehameha 1 Hawaii vs Kalanikupule of Maui during Kamehameha's attempt to control all of the islands. Knowing the history of this sacred place really added to the experience. read more

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Starting with the drive up to this park you are treated to a different side of Maui. Lush greenery likes the road with peek a boo views of a canyon. The park itself has several covered picnic area and many different garden displays that tell a story about the past. Beautiful place to spend an hour or so. read more

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I love this park to stop & eat lunch at when we're going or coming from Iao valley park. There is lots of parking/ many covered picnic tables-some close to the beautiful stream that goes through the park/nice clean bathroom(but no soap or towels when I was there)/bbq grills which I haven't used but have seen many others use. It has a nice easy path that wanders through the park. It honors some of the different nationalities that have settled here-Japanese/Portuguese/Chinese/Missionaries/African Americans. It is easy to spend an hour or so exploring. read more

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This park has a lot of potential, but unfortunately most of it is under construction until November 2019. The Japanese gardens were nice, although most of the ponds did not have any water. One did and I could spot one orange koi fish in the dirty water. There were a lot of locals there at the picnic tables listening to music and smoking weed. There's easy access to the water pools down below and many locals were swimming. I only came here because I walked down from Iao Valley and was able to Uber home from here. There's spotty reception. After the renovations are complete this park will be beautiful, but right now there's not much to see. read more

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Back in the day, this was the place I'd ask my mom to take me on Saturdays so I could "feed the fish" in one of the ponds. Not much has changed since then. THE PARK: It's located deep inside Iao Valley on the way to Iao Valley State Park. Entry is free and parking is plentiful. On the stream side of the parking lot are covered picnic tables with grills which are popular with locals especially on the weekends, but can sometimes be a bit shady during the late afternoons. On the other side of the parking lot are several gardens that are themed by the major immigrant ethnic groups in Hawaii which are Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, and Portuguese. Each has its own culturally-inspired garden setting and a scaled-down version of a building structure. There are very picturesque foot bridges, art work, ponds, and streams. A bamboo forest is perched at the highest point of the gardens which you can walk through on a paved trail, and features a pipe pumping out fresh water that meanders to the gardens below. SWIMMING: Just below the main bridge at the front of the park is a great swimming spot in the stream. Do NOT go swimming if it's raining, unless you want to get caught in a flash flood. Use common sense! OVERALL: A nice place to breeze through on your way to Iao Valley State Park. read more

This is a great spot for a picnic or to swim in the stream. The park is falling apart a little, but it looks like it is getting restored. We stopped here while we were waiting for our flight later in the evening. It was interesting to read some of the dedications. read more

Kepaniwai Park - Parks Near Me - Wailuku, Hawaii

Just down from Iao Valley State Park, in the same favorite part of the West Maui Mountains, lies an interesting homage to the settlers of Maui. The Heritage Gardens consists mostly of a variety of monuments and mock buildings that represent the major cultural groups that form the core of the island. Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, American (New England), and Hawai`ian each have a section of the park dedicated to them. Some of the sections are new (erected in the past 10 years) while others are old and could use some love. Occasionally one of the areas gains an update, such as the new monuments to Sun Yat-Sen, a resident of Maui and founding father of the Chinese Revolution. I find this place almost as relaxing as Iao park and just as informative, albeit from a historical and cultural viewpoint. This park also has a bunch of shelters that people regularly use for picnics, parties, etc. I recommend combining a visit to both the State Park and the Heritage Gardens to truly enjoy the wonder of Iao Valley. read more

Kepaniwai Park - Parks Near Me - Wailuku, Hawaii

Located in Wailuku the natural stream comes flowing through from above in Iao Valley. I came very early to miss the crowds with my weapon of choice, my Nikon DSLR and other equipment. I wanted to enjoy the peacefulness of each Ethnic garden. Since grandpa was a part of the first wave to work these Hawaiian lands prior to it becoming a state. Felt it would be a good idea to pay some homage to the people of Hawaii who make up this rich cultural tapestry that is Hawaii. There's Koi fish, little waterfalls, wonderful intricate details from the Korean garden, the precise clean lines of the Japanese Garden, Portuguese, Philippines, New England and Hawaiian gardens. Lovely place to take selfies at and get creative with a DSLR if you're into photography. It's good for kids and dogs just clean up after yourselves. There's picnic tables and benches to enjoy your surroundings while listening to the natural stream in the background. Love this place. read more

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Stopped by here after visiting the Iao Needle. The park was very peaceful, not crowded, and there was plenty of parking. There are several different sections such as the Japanese Garden, Portuguese Garden, Chinese building etc. A couple of the buildings and the grounds overall were a bit neglected (ex: paint peeling, overgrowth) but I think they have repaired some of the things since some of the older reviews have been written. Reading the plaques that accompany the buildings and statues give you a sense of the rich and diverse history of Maui/Hawaii. In total, we spent about 45 minutes wandering the park and taking pictures. The highlight of our visit was seeing a bunch of locals drive in with trucks full of empty gallon-water bottles. I saw them filling them up at the faucets and asked them about it. They told me to try some! Lo and behold I've never had water more fresh, crisp, and "sweet." Nothing beats Mother Nature's H2O, and nothing beats Maui water huh. We, of course, filled up an empty gallon of water for ourselves to enjoy for the rest of our week at Maui. :) Definitely worth a quick pit stop after visiting the Needle to explore the park and to fill up those water bottles! read more

A very pretty place, this park is dedicated to preserving Maui's ethnic heritage which include the Hawaiian, Portuguese, Japanese, Caucasian and Filipino cultures. Located next to the Nature Center in Iao Valley, Heritage Park is home to a Portugese villa, a New England "saltbox" and a Japanese garden with a stone pagoda. It's hard to believe this serene place was once the site of a bloody battle where Maui warrior corpses, victims of Kamehameha I, blocked the Iao Stream. In fact, the name means "damning of the waters". My daughter really enjoyed exploring this place. It's a great place for a picnic and an explorative walk. It also comes at a great price, FREE. read more

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YAY! It's back open! We've been so many fun gatherings at this place and it's so awesome! I was sooooo bummed when the September storm tore through and ripped this place up! It was closed to the public for restoration and just opened on April 10th--7 months later. Parking can be a bit congested on the weekends as this is a spot that a lot of local's love to spend time at. There is a small lot across Iao Valley Road. It is free to get in. There are plenty of little pretty gardens to enjoy, paths to walk on and beautiful views everywhere. There are also quite a few covered areas with picnic tables and grills. Swimming (wading) is okay when the weather is nice but use caution: flash food means STAY OUT. The storm really moved a lot of the land so there are nice little tide pool pockets all over. A nice place to enjoy and explore on your way to Iao Valley State Park (which as of today, 4/20/17 is still closed. Rumors floating that it could open this summer.) read more

Great place for a party with the family, a trip to swim in the freezing cold stream, or just to walk around the heritage gardens. There are numbered pavilions which are great for family parties. Used to go to a lot of birthday parties here growing up. The stream is very easily accessible from this park. The rocks can get slippery when it gets wet so be careful going in, otherwise it's great for lounging around and cooling off. The heritage gardens have definitely gone downhill in the past 20 years. There are "houses" and associated gardens representing the heritage and culture of the main ethnicities that came to Hawaii. Still really neat to see, despite its need for maintenance. Parking is ample and free. read more

Kepaniwai Park - Near the Japanese garden - Parks Near Me - Wailuku, Hawaii

This is a nice small park where you can walk around and see replicas of buildings from China, Philippines etc. There is also a pretty Japanese pond you can admire for a bit. This is a free attraction so I didn't expect too much. It took us about 30 min to walk around and take pictures . It 's a nice spot to go to if you want some fresh air and enjoy nature. read more

Kepaniwai Park - Parks Near Me - Wailuku, Hawaii

1/26/08: A stone's throw from 'Iao Valley State Park this County Park has a number of pavillions from various non-hawaiian cultures (korean, japanese, chinese, portugese) - its a chop suey assemblage of buildings from each of those cultures (I forgot to mentioned the New England salt box cape-cod home). There's a monument from the 1980's commemorating the Japanese culture heritage in Maui (75th anniversary of something). Most of the park is tired and needs alot of love. If you can look past this, it's an interesting place to spend some time. There are picnic tables and BBQ's around to spend the afternoon here. read more

You'll have to forgive me for bringing in some mainland nose-in-the-airness but this is a sad sight for eager eyes. First, if you're expecting any kind of botanical garden'ness, like flora from the different regions represented, you will not find it. There is a small bamboo 'forest' near the Chinese 'garden' and there is a small sad attempt at a Japanese water walk. The Filipino structure is literally falling apart and not in that good worn way but in that sheer neglect sort of way. There is no logic to which way to walk as the gardens are segmented by a road and a parking lot and some stone fences. The nicest part we found is the semi wild area next to a creek on the margins of the gardens. You can take your shoes off and dip your toes in. Besides that, there are some statues that tourists like to sit on and take cheesy photos of (slightly disrespectful?) and some trees people try and climb. I left feeling disappointed and slightly piteous. Iao Valley deserves better and is better. The most entertaining part was watching young girls smoke weed at the picnic table and act hilarious and the young men who were listening to love ballads in their car, drinking, and singing along. I like being around the locals using this place for a getaway. But the gardens themselves will not be a destination for me. read more

nice gardens! garden gates are pretty there is a nice portuguese garden with non-native but colorful plants there are a bunch of pavilions which are great for picnic and BBQ, and are frequently used on the weekends for birthday parties and such. the parking lot can get full there's a little area with ponds that kids like to catch tadpoles in there is a huge super gorgeous tree. i don't know what kind it is but Laurie Z captured it in the photos very nicely. kids climb and play in it restrooms available read more

Kepaniwai Park - Portuguese garden - Parks Near Me - Wailuku, Hawaii

Right down the hill from 'Iao parking. Really cute, with lots of pavilions and pagodas. When I stopped by there was a love band and there were lots of kids playing. Lots of shelter from the rain and sun, and probably an especially good stop off with kids. read more

Shortly after I stopped at the nearby Iao Needle, I visited Kepaniwai Park's Heritage Gardens. The gardens have plants, ponds, small waterfalls, and scale models of ethnic buildings representing the immigration of Hawaiian, American missionary, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, and Filipino cultures to Hawaii. There are supposed to be BBQ grills and picnic facilities, but I did not use them so cannot comment on them. During my 1.5-week-long vacation to Hawaii, these gardens were one of the few places that highlighted the many different cultures that make up the island, so they are worthwhile to see. read more

As of 09-13-2016, I'ao and Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens are CLOSED. Major flooding cause more than 15 million dollars in damage to the area. There is no estimated date for reopening. The I'ao Valley Road is closed. Please don't try to get to I'ao or because you can't. read more

Total sadness now. The heritage gardens used to be a regular stop on our family's ritual trips to Iao. The years have not been kind, though. The little shoji structure is bolted closed and dilapidated. The lawns are balding. The gardens seem minimally kept. The water features were filled with algae and many of the plants were dying. Also sad was the little pine tree monument to the Fukushima disaster survivors, which had since perished. read more

Have such a potential to be beautiful but instead filled with garbage and noise. Things are not kept nice and it saddens me. It could be very nice place for history and heritage and I wish Maui keeps it better read more

Must see, so pretty. Multi culture elements brought to the expansive park like setting. You will meander through the paths to relax and get planting ideas that are quite inspiring. read more