By Mateo Castillo

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Honolulu’s Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden is scheduled to take a break from the crowds with planned weekly closures starting in 2026. Officials have cited the need for “a regular schedule of rest and rehabilitation” due to the rising influx of visitors that has put strain on the 400-acre site’s environment and facilities. In light of this, the City and County of Honolulu have opened a public survey to determine whether the garden should close on Tuesdays or Thursdays, as reported by Spectrum Local News. The poll will remain open until October 8, 5 p.m., and aims to incorporate community preference into the final decision.

With visitor figures reaching 723,495 from July 2024 to June 2025, the need for a day of rest and maintenance has become critical. “We are on track for another record-breaking year of attendance, and more and more we are continuing to see the strain this is having on the natural allure and recreational offerings of this wahi pana (storied place),” Joshlyn Sand, director of Honolulu Botanical Gardens, stated in a news release obtained by Spectrum Local News. The decision mirrors the protocol already established at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, which closes twice a week, providing a precedent for the benefits of closures on the area’s well-being.

The choice of closure days was limited to Tuesdays or Thursdays, based on lower foot traffic and the absence of scheduled garden programs on those days. The garden has been operating at or beyond its estimated carrying capacity, having been designed to accommodate 600,000 visitors annually, a figure that has recently been surpassed. The planned closure will also afford the garden’s small staff of nine full-time employees the opportunity to work on maintenance tasks without the usual disruptions caused by large numbers of visitors, according to Hawaii News Now.

“Simply put, just like anyone who needs to rejuvenate themselves go take a spa day, the Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden also needs to take a spa day and rejuvenate itself so that it could continue to be the wondrous beauty that it is for both our kamaʻāina as well as visitors,” Honolulu City Esther Kiaʻāina told Hawaii News Now. By giving the public a say in the decision, the Department of Parks and Recreation hopes to foster a sense of ownership and involvement within the community. Residents and visitors alike can cast their vote online, with results dictating the garden’s weekly day of rest commencing in 2026. So, will it be Tuesday or Thursday? Only time, and the consensus of the survey participants, will tell.