Honouliuli Pu'uhonua · Ewa, Hawai'i

A garden where love grows,
and healing takes root.

The Iwalani Foundation tends a living sanctuary for those touched by cancer — survivors, families, friends, and the kind hands who care for them.

Donate Iwalani's Story →
01

Ka leo o ke ola
The voice of life.

The Iwalani Foundation provides people of all ethnic groups — regardless of age, gender, or health status — with resources through community outreach to mālama i ke kino: to take care of the body.

We aim to provide a garden for a peaceful and therapeutic retreat — a positive environment filled with life and growth. A place for solitude. A place for visiting with friends who may be cancer survivors. A place to create happy new memories and good experiences.

For those who are able, it is also a place to work the earth and nurture plants for others, while enjoying the therapeutic benefits firsthand.

02

Iwalani's
Story.

Kumu Hula Iwalani Tseu
Photo by Mike Bambi
Iwalani as Kumu Hula, performing
Kumu Hula

Iwalani Evelyn Rae Walsh Wahinekapu Tseu

A renowned Kumu Hula, Iwalani has taught generations of girls and women the dances of Hawai'i and the Pacific Islands. She began her career as a beloved entertainer, circling the globe many times, and helped establish hula as a treasured art form across the world.

Iwalani is a two-time cancer survivor. She was first successfully treated for ovarian cancer in 1984 while expecting her youngest daughter, Aureana — today an accomplished hula and Polynesian dancer, and Miss Hawaii USA 2009. Her older daughters, Tatiana, a teacher at Kamehameha Schools, and Chariya, a businesswoman in Honolulu, are her pride as well.

In 2005, despite faithful mammograms and regular checks, Iwalani was diagnosed with advanced Stage III breast cancer. The news was devastating to her family and many friends. She underwent rigorous surgery and radiation.

“During her recovery, she began her mission of compassion and peace for all those touched by cancer — creating a special place for retreat in an environment full of life and nature, away from hospitals and institutions.”

Iwalani's healing garden is a place for quiet growth, and the creation of happy new memories.

03

The Healing
Garden.

The Iwalani Foundation was formed in 2007 to provide educational services to women about early breast cancer detection — and to provide comfort to those in treatment, and to everyone touched by cancer in some way.

For decades, the Honouliuli property was neglected — a place to dump trash, furniture, and old cars; a meeting place for those involved in criminal activity. Working together, the foundation, community groups, and the Honolulu Police Department's Ewa branch energetically transformed it into a safe garden retreat for the entire community.

Iwalani tending to the healing garden
Iwalani tends the garden, each week, like a full-time job.
A white bird of paradise in bloom
White bird of paradise — a flower of Iwalani's private sanctuary.
Pink bromeliad bloom
Pretty pinks.
Pink hibiscus bloom
Each pink bloom is set with intention among the green.
Pink ti plant
The bird's nest garden, started by friends Alan & Apple.
04

Be an
Ewa Garden Angel.

Volunteer gardeners at work

Do you have a few extra hours a week to give — to gardening, and to experiencing the Honouliuli healing garden as it grows? The environment is healthy and peaceful thanks to the many wonderful volunteers who help.

They water the plants, pull weeds, rake fallen leaves, and attend to the daily work of caring for our island garden. Afternoons and mornings, weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays — all are welcome.

Schedule a Visit →

Garden Wish List

Cash and service donations are dearly appreciated. From single plants to dream items, here is what we need:

Plants

  • Papyrus
  • Pink Heliconia
  • Ginger
  • Papaya Trees

Supplies

  • Fertilizer

Tools

  • Rakes
  • Shovels
  • Brooms

Features

  • Wrought iron benches & side tables
  • Stage for performances

Infrastructure

  • Sprinkler system
  • Lighting
  • Entry landscape — palms, Norfolk Pine, permanent signage
05

Mahalo nui loa
Our Garden Angels.

We love our volunteer gardeners who devote their many talents and green thumbs, and give up free time to help at the Honouliuli Garden in Ewa.

Honolulu · Ewa Police Department
Iwalani School of Dance students & families

06

Come visit
the garden.

Reach out to schedule a work visit, to make a donation, or to share your aloha. Iwalani welcomes you.

Telephone (808) 623-6776
Email iwalanihula1@yahoo.com
Location Honouliuli, Ewa
O'ahu, Hawai'i

Mahalo nui loa,
Iwalani