The Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative hosts the 11th annual Wiliwili Festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in Waikoloa Village.
This free educational event will be based in the Waikoloa Dry Forest Preserve, a conservation area dedicated to the restoration of the native ecosystem and a place for the community to learn and enjoy the unique landscape.
The Wiliwili Festival will include exhibitors, guided hikes, open hiking trails, plant propagation workshops, a native plant giveaway, a photo contest, and a keiki-friendly scavenger hunt. Guests will be allowed to park near the preserve and hike in or they may park at the new Waikoloa Plaza parking lot where Hawaii Forest &Trail will provide shuttle service to the preserve’s front gate.
The terrain in Waikoloa is quite rugged and visitors should be prepared with good hiking shoes or boots, a water bottle, and sun protection. Hiking trails will be open and guided hikes will be offered every hour, on the hour, by staff and knowledgeable volunteers. Exhibitors will be spread out along the main access road where they will share their work and provide information and activities for keiki and adults.
A bit farther down the road at Hana Hou Hale, will be the Waikoloa Dry Forest booth with merchandise, activities, and native seeds. Here, there will also be a native plant giveaway including wiliwili, ‘a‘ali‘i, ko‘oko‘olau, and ‘aweoweo. Plants will be available throughout the day while supplies last, with two plants per family maximum. Two plant propagation workshops will also be offered at the on-site nursery. Join Preserve Manager Rob Yagi at 10 a.m. and landscape expert and native plant enthusiast Ray Keenan at 1 p.m. to learn about growing plants at home.
Food vendors will be available throughout the day. Cold drinks will be sold by the Future Foresters, an after-school program of the Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative, to help raise money for a new passenger van for weekly field trips.
Other activities include a wiliwili photo contest on Instagram and a scavenger hunt that can be picked up at the front gate and redeemed for a chance to win a prize. A wiliwili fun coloring contest is also on display at KTA Waikoloa Village. Coloring forms can be picked up in-store or downloaded online.
For more information and to register, visit waikoloadryforest.org/wiliwilifest.