Lyon Arboretum |
View across the Manoa Valley from Inspiration Point
The weather seems reversed in its pattern here in the subtropical land of Hawaiʻi. On the west Pacific Coast of the mainland, it becomes more sunny as you leave the ocean. But here, where the sun is shining at the beach, as you wind your way towards the steep mountains a tower of clouds blocks the sun, and, as the skies darken, photography becomes a challenge. The rain holds off but the moisture is in the air and the lush vegetation seems to perk up even more beneath the passing clouds.
Reflecting the reality of mountain and sea that define their land, Hawaiians use two concepts to construct their mental maps of the islands: makai or “towards the ocean,” and mauka, “towards the mountains.” When you travel up the Mānoa Valley to the Arboretum, makai and mauka take on more meaning: although the distance is not great, the significance is evident in cloud and forest.
Lyon Arboretum
Ti planting in the Children's Garden
3860 Manoa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822
808-988-0456
www.hawaii.edu/lyonarboretum/
Admission is free
Established 1903
194 acres. More than 5,000 tropical plant species are represented
USDA Hardiness Zone 12A