I recently found out that most Oʻahu public parks, while enforced inconsistently, do not allow dogs anywhere in the park whether leashed or not. There has to be an explicit sign saying it's an On Leash or Off Leash Park. That list is determined by the Director of the City's Parks and Recreation Department and this director is appointed by the mayor. See the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu (ROH) 10-1.6 and 10-1.7 for more information if curious.
There are 8 parks listed in my area that have designated Leashed Dog Areas, so I decided to check them all out to see if I would bring my dog there. This small number of "parks" that are listed on the city's website for my area are listed below. Come with me on this journey and you can check out these parks too.
District 1 - Hawai'i Kai to McCully
- Kamole Mini Park
- Mānoa Valley District Park Perimeter Area
- Mauʻumae Nature Preserve
- Median Strip at Kapi'olani Park
- Pūkele Avenue Mini Park
- Puʻu O Kaimuki Mini Park
- Sandy Beach
- Wailupe Valley Neighborhood Park
The park where this cache is located in is called "Median Strip at Kapi'olani Park" according to the city's website. I could not find it on Google Maps, so I had to make an educated guess walking around the park on the legal city sidewalk perimeter until l confirmed the area with posted signs. The confirmation of the On Leash Area is in the middle of the park, instead of the edge, which was confusing. Luckily, the city made sure any other median you might confuse for the "Median Strip at Kapi'olani Park" is well marked with which grass you are allowed to use.
Why do you need posted hours for the medians if you aren't even supposed to even be on them?
The area on Google Maps is listed as "Waikiki-Diamond Head Shoreline Fisheries Management Area", but that seems wrong since "the SFMA encompasses the nearshore waters between the ʻEwa wall of the Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium and the Diamond Head Lighthouse, from the high-water mark on shore to a minimum seaward distance of 500 yards, or to the edge of the fringing reef if one occurs beyond 500 yards."
Leave a note in the log on how dog friendly the park looks.
For the dog owners, how likely you would be to bring your dogs here more than once?
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My personal rating for this one is 8/10. I was expecting to hate it, but it's actually pretty nice. It has shade, parking nearby, trash cans, and a view of Diamond Head. This area is breezy and the grass is well maintained. There is a picnic table if you wanted to have lunch with your dog in the park.
One thing it is missing that would be nice, is a doggy watering station for hot days. Another thing that would be nice is a bag dispenser in case you forgot a bag or if you needed more bags than you brought (which sometimes happens). The spot is also pretty far from the human bathrooms, which are in the park, so bringing your dog to those bathrooms would be prohibited.
I am pleasantly surprised on this one and given that it is actually in walking distance from my apt, (or a short drive), I will be using this park. Every other park close by, could get me a ticket, if someone has the whim to enforce it.