Limahuli Gardens
While on the topic of native plants
and early Hawaiians, I took friends to Limahuli
Gardens on the North Shore
These terraced walls used for irrigating taro are probably 800 years old.
Native plants are being propagated and planted as well,to restore the
integrity of the area and make an effort to save some of them from
extinction.
Munroidendron - a Kauai endemic tree that is endangered
25 feet tall, this one is in bloom: long white racemes of white flowers
While Limahuli literature says the Hawaiian name was lost,
other sources call it Pokalakala (po-ka-la-ka-la)
Ulula (oo-loo-la)
Another Kauai endemic - this one near extinction in the wild
It seems to thrive here but where attempted at the refuge in Kilauea, it dies,
likely due to residue in the dirt from grazing cattle last century
While some of this work is being done in the areas open to the public,
the valley extends to the mountain top and some of the restoration depends on
teams helicoptered in to weed out invasive plants and plant indigenous
plants in the Upper Limahuli Preserve. Fences have been critically
placed to keep out the feral goats that have done so much damage on the Na
Pali, much like the pigs in the forest.
Limahuli Valley
Memorial to
Jaichima (hi-chee-ma)
The morning was more than visiting
the garden however. Kris had asked me to
take her to a place at 11:00 am so she could be in meditation simultaneous to the service being conducted on the mainland for her mentor, a Huichol Indian shaman, that had passed.
Near the entry to the garden Kris
sang a song to welcome the morning – one she had sang with her friend. Near the top, we found a shady spot
overlooking both the ocean and the valley and I did a Hawaiian chant to humbly ask for
the spiritual meaning of the moment to be anchored. Kris had brought red flowers as a tangible
reminder of Jaichima who often wore red. The anthuriums were accompanied by some club moss, one of the oldest plants on earth.
Kris & Sharon - old spiritual warriors
Kris and I have shared many sacred moments in many locations. The
spiral is often an icon to our work and I wasn’t surprised to find a native
tree fern about to unfurl its new frond nearby.
Hapu'u pulu (ha-poo-oo poo-loo) - native tree fern
Spiral of potential new life
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