What to do in Rainy Honolulu ~ Art, Flowers & Books

On a rainy Honolulu afternoon we decided to visit the Honolulu Museum of Art on our favourite #2 bus (The Bus) from Waikiki and were pleasantly surprised at this lovely art gallery with its distinctive and diverse art displays exhibiting art from Rembrandt to Monet as well as other special displays. The building itself is a “work of art” with its inviting courtyard tapestries and peaceful gardens with water features. The gallery is open for a few hours on Sunday afternoon and there is so much to see we recommend planning a few hours to take extra time to see all the displays.

Honolulu Museum of Art ~ courtyard in the rain

Art on a Rainy Honolulu afternoon

We had a great afternoon at the museum and art gallery and enjoyed such an interesting collection. The environment and architecture are well worth the visit. Highly recommended even if you are not an art buff!

Notes:

The easiest way to visit the art gallery for us was on The Bus. It runs often, between Waikiki and the gallery and stops in front of the museum at South Beretania Street, Honolulu
Although there were many security personnel in the building, it was surprising that photo taking was permitted
When you have gone through all the displays on the ground floor there is a second floor for you to investigate (elevators available)
Tours of the library are available – check in advance
Take a break in the on site cafe or gift shop

The Children of the Duc de Bouillon, 1647 by Pierre Mignard (French, 1612 - 1695) Honolulu Museum of Art

Hawaii State Library & Foster Gardens

Other rainy day activities we enjoyed were to visit the State Library of Hawaii - a great place for information, peaceful reading and a good way to spend a few hours
We also visited the Foster Botanical Gardens which has many rare and ancient trees and even though it is "winter" in Hawaii there were orchids in bloom in a greenhouse. This was the rainiest day of our week with several torrential downpours. It was great as we and the Ibis had the 5 acre park pretty much to ourselves; we had borrowed an umbrella from the hotel and after the rain "dried out" quite quickly

Orchid - Foster Botanical Gardens Hawaii

All three locations are easily accessible from The #2 Bus from Waikiki
We did not visit the humongous Ala Moana shopping mall this visit but there are frequent buses from Waikiki - just take The #8 Bus

North Shore Hawaii a must visit

The highlight of our trip was to rent a car and drive around the island of Oahu - a beautiful sunny day and were treated with viewing

Near the Blowhole we saw two humpback whales - breaching
There were wild chickens everywhere
And a wind farm right beside the road
Lunch on the beach watching the magnificent waves roll (crashing) onto the shore and many surfers - great fun
Lush Waimea valley with graves and peacocks
Lots of tourists and busses - everywhere - to the extent that when we reached a popular pineapple plantation on our return trip it was so busy we did not go in

Rain or shine - it's always a great time to visit Honolulu, Hawaii. Aloha!