Waimea Valley Audubon Center, O'ahu, Hawai'i

Previously, I wrote about the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden near Hilo, Hawaii (the Big Island). That garden taught me tons about what plants grow in the islands. On our next island, Oahu, we visited another garden.

The Waimea Valley Audubon Center (formerly known as the Arboretum) consists of a paved walk from the Visitor Center to Waimea Valley Falls (about ¾ of a mile). Many visitors aren’t interested in the plants as they come to swim and picnic at the falls.

But I was really interested in the plants. The paved path follows the direct path to the falls but we decided to venture onto the dirt paths to explore the plants more closely. Following the other paths increased our walk to maybe 2 to 2 ½ miles total.

We noticed that the areas were planted with plants from other areas around the world with climates similar to Hawaii. That is where I learned the difference between native, introduced, and indigenous plants. For your information, I have listed the differences here:

· Native: Plants brought to a location without the help of man, such as by wind, wave and or birds.
· Endemic: Plants that are native and can be found ONLY in that location. These are plants that have evolved over time from ‘native’ plants.
· Indigenous: Plants that are native but can be found elsewhere.
· Alien or Introduced Species: Plants that were not brought to that location naturally, but by man, such as the Polynesian. The common guava is one example.

Since this park was devoted to mostly “Introduced” or “Indigenous” plants, we didn’t get to see many “Endemic” plants. Still, the park tries to educate you about plants that have been eliminated in their native lands and plants that are considered endangered.

One plant we learned about was a tree considered poisonous. In fact, all parts of this tree are hazardous including the fruit. When ripe, the fruit will fall from the tree and explode when it hits the ground. That is how the seeds are distributed away from the parent tree. Cool, but the name of the tree wasn’t listed on the caution sign.

Overall, I was very disappointed in this park. Of course, some areas educated me about certain plants but the most interesting ones were not labeled. I would have been much happier if they concentrated on teaching more about their plants. Or, if I had visited this garden before the Hawaiian Tropical Gardens!

It is a worthwhile trip as long as you bring mosquito repellent! Those insects dined extremely well on my Texas blood! And the drive along the windward coast to get there was rewarding in itself.