Back from my cruise to Hawaii with photos from Pana'ewa botanical gardens in Hilo

Our first port of call on the cruise to Hawaii that my lucky husband won in a contest was Hilo on the Big Island. We went to a botanical garden at the Pana'ewa Rain Forest Zoo first. It's on our list to go back to when we can spend more time than the tour allowed.

These are red sealing wax palms, so called because of the lipstick-colored new growth on their trunks. It peels off as the trees grow. They look rather like bamboo, but they're palm trees. They are originally from Malaysia and can grow to 20 feet.