Page 169 - WDT Magazine Egypt

McBryde’s major feature is the Hawaiian Life Canoe
Garden, which showcases plant varieties that Polyne-
sians brought with them to the Hawaiian archipelago
when they journeyed in canoes across an uncharted
Pacific Ocean more than one thousand years ago.
These were the plants that the settlers would depend
on for food, clothing, tools, medicine, and shelter.
“The Hawaiian Life Canoe Garden is a place where
people can come and experience Hawaii and bet-
ter understand the role of plants in Hawaiian culture,
in the present as well as the past,” said Jon Letman,
spokesperson for the National Tropical Botanical Gar-
den. “It’s not just a walk in a pretty place, it’s a walk in
a place of botanical and conservational importance.”
Guests can stroll past stands of plants that Poly-
nesians depended on for their survival, including
coconut palms, taro, sweet potatoes, and many others
– roughly 27 in all. Displays explain the role the plants
played in the islanders’ daily lives.
One such plant is the breadfruit, which originated in
the South Pacific and served as a nutritional source
for early Hawaiians. Breadfruit trees have many uses
and can grow up to 60 feet. They bear a rich, creamy
fruit full of nutrients, including a complete protein.
The National Tropical Botanical Garden has estab-
lished a Breadfruit Institute dedicated to researching
and propagating the species for food and reforesta-
tion. Institute researchers see the species as playing
an important role in feeding the hungry throughout
the tropics in years to come.
McBryde offers several self-guided trails, including
the tempting Spice of Life Trail, which takes visitors
past such spice sources as vanilla, allspice, black
pepper, and a very special tree, cacao, the source of
chocolate.
McBryde Garden is unique, offering both an aes-
thetic experience and a telescope that peers into
Hawaii’s rich cultural past. An afternoon spent explor-
ing its grounds is well worth the time.

Hawaiian sunsets are always memorable, and this one at Kauai’s south
shore was no exception.
A reproduction of a traditional Hawaiian thatched house, or hale, is on dis-
play at McBryde Garden, as is this star compass, which was developed by
navigator Nainoa Thompson and shows how early Polynesian voyagers
likely used the stars to navigate across the vast Pacific.
Bottom photos courtesy of the National Tropical Botanical Garden.

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