Moanalua Gardens

The pristinely-manicured Moanalua Gardens are best known for its two main attractions: The cottage that was once the home of Prince Lot Kapuāiwa who would grow to become King Kamehameha V, and the Hitachi Tree—an iconic, instantly recognizable image in Japan for its use in Hitachi’s TV and print ads since the early 70s. The cozy Kamehameha V Cottage on the west end of the garden, built in the 1850s, was moved to three different locations in Monolua before finally settling down in this spot in 1960. The hundred-year-old, umbrella-shaped monkeypod tree in the middle of the garden, commonly referred to as the Hitachi Tree, has been the electronics company’s corporate symbol since 1973. In 2007, Hitachi agreed to pay the owner of Monolua Gardens $4 million for another ten years of the tree’s continued commercial use!