The area, on the makai side of Diamond Head Road by the lighthouse, is managed by the city but owned by the state. Two years ago the city began greening up the area, trimming struggling kiawe and haole koa bushes that barely survive in the harsh sun and saltwater spray.

The city spent about $80,000 on landscaping and irrigation, at the constant shepherding of Kaimuki resident Amy Brown. Following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States, Brown saw the cliff park as a place for people to rejuvenate their spirits, but believed it needed to be green.

It all started when Brown wanted to plant a tree. She soon realized there was no water source available. So she carried buckets of water. But as the tree grew, it needed more. She went to the city and learned about former Mayor Jeremy Harris' vision team program, where citizen champions could pitch projects that would benefit the community and the city would see that the work was done.

Now, four years later, the plantings have taken root.

"The greenery is knee-high here to ensure that people don't walk to the cliff's edge," said Brown. "Nothing could grow here because the irrigation lines were broken and there was no money to fix them."

The area is still enclosed behind temporary orange fencing, but when it's removed there will be a sea of greenery overlooking the blue Pacific.

"It gets awful dry out there," said Alison Kay, a member of the governor's Diamond Head Citizens Advisory Committee. "Our major goal is to have it look as nice as possible but still keep it within its natural state."

One of the best learning experiences for Brown about the landscaping project was seeing how one person could make a difference.

"I never dreamed that I could influence a public project," Brown said. "Former Mayor Jeremy Harris taught me that a vision can come to life ... that a person could make a difference. It's a lot of work. I am pleased and grateful for the work the city did."

Some surfers and hikers walking down to the tiny beach hardly take note of the greenery.

But Kekoa Hayashi, a regular surfer who lives in Kapahulu, said he noticed that between the wet winter and the irrigation, the plantings took root quickly.

"It is all nice and green now," Hayashi said. "The area on the makai side of Diamond Head Road looks all green now from the surfers garden to the lighthouse."