Waimanalo Country Farms: Pumpkins and Sunflowers

The Wong family started this Waimānalo farm in 1948 as Golden Melon Farm and planted its first pumpkin patch and sunflowers in 2010. Six generations later it is still a working farm, open to the public only during events. Outside event hours, a visit counts as trespassing.

The festival is scheduled to run to Nov. 11, but the closing date follows the sunflower bloom. Gates open at 1 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends. Last entry is 4 p.m., and the fields close at 4:30. Prices split the week differently: Friday keeps weekday hours but charges the weekend rate.

Those are cash prices. Cards add a 3.5% fee plus Hawaii sales tax, so bring cash. The lower rate needs a valid ID; visitors pay the general rate. Pumpkins ($2 to $30 by size) and sunflowers ($3 a stem) cost extra, and you can’t pick your own.

Check in at the stand, then walk the paths through the pumpkin patch and sunflower fields, with photo spots along the way. Phone photos are fine if you keep moving; professional shoots are after-hours only, by separate booking.

The Country Market Stand sells farm honey, handmade gifts, cornbread and NaloMade Lemonade, the farm’s fresh-squeezed lemonade. On weekends the grub stand runs its full menu: corn on the cob, Kalua pig sliders, a low country boil and more, $3 to $20 an item. Weekdays get a limited menu. Picnics and Rustic Nights, an evening event, are booked on the farm’s site.

By car. Take H-1 east until it becomes Kalanianaʻole Highway (Route 72) and follow the coast around Makapuʻu Point into Waimānalo: about 17 miles, roughly 40 minutes without traffic. The Pali Highway through Kailua takes about as long, so loop out one way and back the other. Both routes are on the Oahu Drive Map.

Parking. Parking is limited. When the lot fills, the farm closes the gate and admits cars as spots open, so carpool. The farm posts a 9.5-foot height clearance.

By bus. TheBus Route 67 runs from Ala Moana Center to Waimānalo about every 30 minutes. Get off at Kalanianaʻole Highway and Nakini Street, 55 to 85 minutes out, and walk 7 minutes to the farm. For the full day a car is easier; see our guide to renting a car on Oahu.

Monday to Thursday is $3 cheaper; arrive near 1 p.m. to get the full three hours. Weekends open at 9 a.m. with the full grub menu. If the sunflowers are the point, go early in the season: each field blooms for about 10 days, and the festival ends when the bloom does. Weather or crop loss can close the farm, so check its Instagram that morning. Our pick: a Monday to Thursday afternoon in October. More fall ideas are in our best time to visit Oahu guide.

• Closed-toe shoes. No sandals, flip-flops or heels. It is a working farm with ants and mosquitoes, so bring bug spray.
• A cover-up. Swimwear isn’t allowed, so cover up if you come from the beach.
• Cash. For entry, pumpkins and flowers.
• Water only. No outside food or drink, and no eating in the fields.
• No pets. ADA service dogs only.
• Hands off the crop. No picking flowers or climbing on pumpkins. You break it, you buy it.

No smoking or alcohol; restrooms are portable toilets. Full rules: the farm’s FAQ page.

The 1 p.m. weekday opening makes the farm an afternoon stop. Hike the Makapuʻu Lighthouse trail first thing: 2 miles round trip and 500 feet of climb, which the state parks division calls exposed and usually hot. Lunch at Kalapawai Market (41-865 Kalanianaʻole Hwy, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily), since no outside food is allowed on the farm, then spend an hour at Waimānalo Beach Park before the gate opens. The Oahu Itinerary Builder fits the day into your trip, and our things to do in Oahu list covers the rest of the island.

The tour above passes the Waimānalo coast and stops at Hālona Blowhole and Byodo-In Temple, but not at the farm. For the pumpkin patch, drive or take the bus. Our circle island tour guide compares tours with driving yourself.