Na ‘Āina Kai Botanical Gardens is a testimony to the remarkable potential of an ever-evolving union between nature, imagination, artistry, and innumerable hours of hard work.

When founder Joyce Doty set her sights on grand dreams for this property, she envisioned not a master plan set in stone, but rather a continuously unfolding creation, wrought from nature’s palette and enhanced year after year by human creativity.

At the core of her aspirations for Na ‘Āina Kai was Joyce’s lifelong love of the arts. “I have always been interested in the many facets of art”, recalls Mrs. Doty. “Being surrounded by beautiful things lifts my spirits. As a teenager I would listen to Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto and cry at the beautiful passages. It touched my soul.”

“In the beginning of Na ‘Āina Kai, the challenge of creating the landscape occupied my enthusiasm” she said. “Then, like a painter who feels his work is still not complete, I realized that these already bounteous gardens could become even more alive if the art and culture muses were to share this space with nature’s extraordinary artistic creations.”

Today, Na ‘Āina Kai is very much alive – as a home to untold species of flora and fauna, and as an outdoor sculpture gallery and arts performance center of unparalleled distinction.