You Have Just 10 Days to Visit Waialua’s Sunflower Fields

But there is only one day when you can get in during sunset. So plan accordingly.

By Christi Young

Photos: David Croxford

Selfie alert. The sunflowers are in bloom in Waialua.

Once a year, Corteva Agriscience (the relatively new moniker of the agricultural arm under the DowDuPont megacompany) opens its acres so people can wander through the head-high blossoms. The tours are free and parking is $5, which will benefit nearby nonprofits including the rotary club and Waialua High School. You are not mistaken. The fields usually open in the fall. But after heavy rain from two tropical storms canceled it last year, Corteva decided to do the planting earlier this year to avoid the bad weather.

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Tours run for just 10 days and are only offered for two hours on weekdays, four hours on weekends. This year, you can also stop by at sunset on Tuesday, July 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. The entry fee for the Sunset with the Sunflowers event is $15, with proceeds to benefit Waialua Elementary School.

You can talk to farmers and others at the farm about the process and uses (the seeds are harvested for cooking oil), what else the company grows on its 2,300 acres on the North Shore (J. Ludivico, Twin Bridge and Waialua farms are listed among its contract growers on the 400 acres dedicated to local produce) or what’s ahead for the land. But most of us are just too mesmerized by the flowers to do much else than take dozens of photos.

Opens Thursday, July 11, through Saturday, July 20. Noon to 2 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends. 67-172 Farrington Highway, Waialua. No reservations needed. $5 for parking. hawaii.corteva.com