Tucked away in a neighborhood in Kahaluu (near Kaneohe) is the Tagami & Powell Gallery and Gardens.

The garden is full of exotic plants.

In the gallery, you’ll find the paintings of Hiroshi Tagami and Michael Powell, and the photography of fellow hiker and blogger Nate Yuen.

If you’ve ever researched a hike online, you’ve no doubt come across Nate’s blog, HawaiianForest.com. I’ve referenced Nate’s blog several times on my site as it’s been an invaluable resource for me to find info on hikes in Hawaii. Before I went on a backpacking trip to Waimanu (Big Island), Nate’s blog was the only place I could find photos and information on the secluded campsite.

Nate has been a member of the Hawaiian Trail & Mountain Club for over a decade now and hikes every weekend. He’s covered countless trails on Oahu and made several trips to the other islands to hike. And through hiking, he found a passion for photography.

Nate’s photography is different than most of the stuff you’ll see out there. It’s not just the typical mountain and ocean views you see on sites like … well, like mine. Nate focuses on the small things. On the trail, he has this uncanny ability to spot tiny animals, insects or plants that most people would hike right past. And he has the patience to sit and wait for the specimen to come into view of his camera to snap a good shot. So when you look at his work, not only is it beautiful, you learn something. His unique perspective is pretty much summed up in this video he created. It’s a video from a hike and you can see where his attention is focused and what he wants to share with the viewer.

In his own words, Nate says, “My body of work is at the confluence of hiking, conservation, and fine art photography. It is my goal to showcase the unique plants and animals that live at these places and give you a reason to protect them for future generations.”

Not everyone can get these types of photos. It takes years of education and experience on the trail to learn where the different species can be found. Looking at his blog you would think Nate is a researcher or scientist of some sort but nope, dude is an accountant. He’s got a regular 9 to 5. What you see in his photos and on his blog are products of his passion for being outdoors and on the trail over the weekend.

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The temple sits at the base of the Koolau Mountains in Kahaluu (East Oahu).

It’s one of the best places to snap photos of koi.

There are ornamental details all over the place.

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If you like photowalking, you can’t go wrong making a visit to the Byodo-In. The temple sits at the back of a mortuary called the Valley of the Temples. It’s a replica of an ancient temple in Japan of the same name. This was my first time visiting the temple.

You can spend an hour or so walking around taking pictures. Once you start paying attention to all the details, you can find some very interesting compositions.

Get a new dSLR recently? The Byodo-In is a perfect spot to come practice your skills.

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A veiny tree offers plenty shade.

A garden sculpture / bench.

There’s a small museum tucked away up in Makiki Heights. You can come here to check out the art in the gallery, grab a cup of coffee or eat lunch. You can also simply walk around the premises and take pictures. That’s what we did.

It’s a nice place to start your day on a weekend.

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If you’ve done the Ka’au Crater hike you’ve no doubt seen this temple. It sits at the back of Palolo Valley and you drive past it on you’re way to the Ka’au Crater trailhead. But, have you ever been in it?

The Mu-Ryang-Sa temple is a humble Korean Buddhist temple that’s been around for over 30 years. As your driving to the back of Palolo, it’s hard to miss. This weekend I decided to check it out before heading into the rainforest. I thought I would walk around for 5-10 minutes but ended up spending over half and hour here taking pictures. And I would’ve stayed longer if I had more time. There’s eye candy galore on these grounds.

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