HOME & GARDEN
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Abby Ward, visiting with her family from Colorado, gets a whif of an allspice leaf while touring the spice garden at Lyon Arboretum.
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Lyon Arboretum tour is cultural treat
Lawmakers provided funds to repair the buildings and paths
James Sato lived in Hawaii for much of his life, but Monday was his first visit to the Lyon Arboretum. "It's a well-kept secret -- a resource we need to protect," he said.
Lyon Arboretum
Free guided tours: 10 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays to Fridays, limited to 12. Weekend tours are scheduled to resume in the fall. Call 988-0461.
Guides needed: Eight-week training program begins Aug. 21, with sessions from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays, covering basic botany and horticulture, plant conservation, Hawaii's natural history and ethnobotany, and the arboretum's special collections. College-age students to retirees welcome. Call Jill Laughlin, 988-0461.
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Sato lives in Colorado now but returns yearly to visit his parents. "We try to reserve one or two days of cultural stuff. This is an experience my grandkids won't forget," he said.
The Lyon Arboretum recently resumed guided tours after being shut down in August 2004 because of safety concerns over deteriorated buildings and pathways. The Legislature appropriated $3 million for repairs, and the facility was reopened to the public in January 2005.
"It has taken some time to get back to wobbly feet," said Jill Laughlin, education programs coordinator. The arboretum is conservation land, so the Department of Land and Natural Resources needed to approve an application to resume tours. The application addressed everything from pruning and watering plants to the reopening of the gift shop and tours, Laughlin explained.
It all came just in time for Sato, his daughter Debbie Ward and her children, Abby and Bryan, who were all in town for a family reunion.
"It was good for the kids to get introduced to different plants," added Jessie Sato . "Last year, we went to Coconut Island and Makapuu Point. This was a change of pace."
The family sniffed allspice leaves, tasted strawberry guava and nibbled on joboticaba berries.
"I liked seeing the plants that you incorporate into daily use," Ward said. "Instead of just buying them off the shelves, you get to see where they come from."
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Marion Moody, left, a Lyon Arboretum guide gets ready for a mid-morning tour with a family from Colorado.
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Ten-year-old Bryan was transformed into a budding photographer, getting shots of exotic ginger plants, nutmeg encased in mace and the joboticaba tree that appeared somewhat alien in nature.
"I like all of the different spices -- especially the allspice and nutmeg," he said. He and sister Abby, 7, also enjoyed a trip to a pond where they saw turtles, frogs and fish reside.
Arboretum guide Marion Moody began the tour at a sandalwood tree, sharing a bit of history about the Chinese trade and how sandalwood was harvested to make furniture.
As she pointed out tea plants and a calabash tree draped in vanilla vines, she included some culinary trivia: Green and black tea come from the same plant; "black tea comes from older plants and has more caffeine." And, "vanilla is so expensive because it is pollinated by hand."
"It was so much nicer to go on a tour," said Ward. "We wouldn't have noticed as much of we had come on our own." The only downfall was the mosquitos. Visitors should be sure to bring repellent.
The spice garden was just the tip of the iceberg. The arboretum spans more than 193 acres of rain forest and offers an array of touring options, including a children's garden, Hawaiian ethnobotany garden, fern valleys and gingers. A trail to Aihualama Falls is also accessible from the arboretum. And Inspiration Point, another hiking destination, provides panoramic views of Manoa.
Moody frequents the gardens on a regular basis but never loses interest. "I always see something different each time I'm here."