Waimea’s cherry blossom trees are putting on a show this year, painting the North Hawaii town pink.
The ornamental trees typically bloom in late January and early February following a good winter’s chill and ample rainfall. Celebrating the season’s first bloom dates to eighth century Japan when aristocrats would enjoy the blossoms while writing poetry. “Hanami,” literally “flower look,” is the Japanese word for “cherry blossom viewing party.”
Waimea’s first cherry trees arrived in 1953 as a memorial to Fred Makino, who founded Japanese language newspaper Hawaii Hochi in 1912. Three ornamental cherry trees were distributed, one of which was propagated, and 20 of its saplings were later donated to the Waimea Lions Club to be planted along Church Row Park in 1972.
In 1975, the organization planted 50 more trees in commemoration of the first Japanese immigrants to settle the Waimea area a century earlier. Over the years, additional trees have been planted, including in 2012 when a dozen trees were planted by the Consulate of Japan and other dignitaries to mark the centennial anniversary of cherry blossom trees from Japan that were planted in Washington, D.C., to foster goodwill and friendship.
The 29th annual Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.