Hawaii…even the word sounds tropical. Much better than The Sandwich Isles, as they were dubbed by Capt Cook in 1778 on his third voyage to the South Pacific. Of the five major islands in this South Pacific chain of islands, Kauai is the oldest and most eroded by the wind and over 400 inches of rains that deluge Mt Weialia in the average year. The erosion caused by all this rain is what makes the Na Pali coast so spectacular. This coastline on the western side of the island is one of the most scenic locations you’ll find anywhere in the world. Along with the multitude of sandy beaches and Wiamia Canyon, Kauai has many natural treasures worthy of a visit. It is often referred to as the Garden Isle, and lives up to its name in many ways. The lush foliage covering the island is wondrous to behold for a visitor from one of the drier states in the more mundane “Lower 48”. The fiftieth anniversary of statehood for the 50th state seemed like a good time to visit and of the 3 islands we had previously enjoyed, Kauai beckoned us back the loudest.
This would be the first visit without our two now grown children and although we missed them, it made the trip very different than it would have been if we had brought them. There is no way we would have been allowed to schedule a tour of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens on the dry side southern side of the island, just past Poipu. And these gardens are definitely worth a visit. They are the cumulative efforts of a Hawaiian, Queen Emma, a sugar baron, Duncan McBride and a Midwestern millionaire. The Queen was an increbilge Hawaiian, a true renaissance woman. She was the first Hawaiian royal to tour the White House. She was ¼ haole, but the other ¾ Hawaiian was of royal descent. Born in 1836, she was educated in the European fashion as well as learning the standard Hawaiin lessons as a young wahine. She was born on Ohau and married King???,She wa certainly one of a kind.. She was Hawaii’s first renaissance queen. And she loved to garden. Not much exists about McBride, other than his family made their money in sugarcand and Duncan bought the property from Qween Emma in 1886
The Midwesterner, Robert Allerton, was the heir of the founder of the First National Bank of Chicago.Robert showed little interest in banking and after a few years of dabbling in the arts, he began to study landscaped architecture. He had found his passion. In 1938 he bought these 80 acres of tropical splendor that are now a showcase for the art of landscape design. Allerton sculpted open-air rooms with plants of all shapes, sizes and colors. He was constantly evolving it until his death in 1986. And its evolution goes on today.
The National Tropical Botanical organization that currently operates the gardens takes its responsibility seriously. The Congressional charter that started the group in 1964 designed it to aid in the research, education and preservation of tropical plants. In 1970, they purchased 171 acres of the Lawai Valley and they now care for and administrate the Allerton garden as well as the neighboring McBride gardens and the Lumihuli Gardens on Kauai’s northshore and the Kahanu gardens on the Hana side of Mauai. It must be tough to get employees in these desolate places. Although we only got to the Allerton garden, I’m sure they are all worth a visit if you get a chance.
These gardens are a botanist’s paradise, and I overheard our botanist guide quietly humming to herself as she led our tour group through the wide variety of magical plant life. The native species are far outnumbered by the imports, much like Hawaii itself.
The Lawa’i Valley, as the Hawaiian’s call it, is blessed with a picturesque stream, rich volcanic soil and a golden sandy beach that merges with the ocean just past the house where Allerton lived most of his later years. Evidence of Queen Emma also abounds with plantings of incredible colors, including lots of purples, her favorite color, scattered around the grounds. Allerton used the natural valley vegetation as well as the trees and shrubs that had been planted by his predecessors as a frame to build on. And, take it from someone who doesn’t know the Latin name of a single plant, the gardens now are a sight to see. And anyone who knows more of botany than your author, that would be most readers, will surely be moved by this collection of plants selected to enhance the already splendid surroundings. Water features of all kinds add to the beauty of the place.
Our tour begins with a short wait while all three parties load the tram for the short trip down a private lane, with distant views of the blue Pacific to the south. Our botanist, who is a classically trained harpist, conducts the tour and drives the tram. As the descent into the valley begins, a fern tunnel welcomes you to this peaceful paradise. The tram comes to a stop and we begin our walk through a group of keikis (the Hawaiian work for kids) setting up tents on some field trip. The gardens welcome you slowly, unfolding green outdoor room after green outdoor room. Everything flows together seamlessly and before you realize it, you’ve been through more plant education in a few hours than you had in your entire 16 years of schooling.
Since Kauai is the most isolated of the islands, the garden has a selection of plants that grow nowhere else in the world. Our guide showed us a plant that grew nowhere else in the world and was thought to be one of the last of its kind. In addition to the native flora, the embellishments added to the garden by Mc Bride and Allerton came from all over the world and most seem to like their new location. The tour continues and the outdoor rooms each showcase a selection of plants that compliment each other and form a memorable landscape unrivaled in less tropical gardens anywhere. The statuary adds to the exotic atmosphere, with stone Buddha’s and ironwork creations becoming the focal point of many of these rooms.
Then there are the water features, ranging from very natural looking waterfalls to geometrically shaped water-courses that are tuned to give a melodic symphony of gurgles.
As we wind our way through the gardens, we relax and enjoy the sheer beauty of the place. It is as if time has no meaning, or maybe it’s just that time is measured in plant years and we humans are forced to slow down and appreciate nature’s beauty on it’s own terms. The prehistoric nature of some of the plantings is best exemplified by the fig trees made famous in the Jurassic Park movie where they found the dinosaur eggs. These trees are enormous and their roots can easily hide small children as well as the occasional dinosaur egg.
We make our way into the Bambuddah room, where a stone stature of Buddah in front of a grove of bamboo welcomes us. We are shown a mark on a bamboo shoot about five feet above the ground and informed that the mark was only four feet above the ground last week. This certainly brings home the amazing growth rate of the bamboo plant.
After we tasted a pomelo, the largest of the citrus family, much like a grapefruit with an extremely thick skin, and boarded our tram to return to the visitor’s center, we all sat quietly and soaked in the serenity and beauty of this sacred valley that has been cultivated by Hawaiian royalty and Chicago financial failures for hundreds of years. When Kauai was clobbered by Hurricane Inike in 1992, volunteers managed to save hundreds of plants, although there was enough damage to close the garden for 3 years while the visitor’s center was rebuilt and the gardens were replanted. It’s all back together now, waiting for your visit.
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