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K day a kalo plant grew where their son, who was named Haloa- naka , had been buried. Papa and Wakea named the kalo plant Haloa , which means everlasting breath. By eating kalo as poi , you are partaking in the ceremony of life. Unlike other agricul- tural crops, kalo cannot be harvested with a machine. In order to maintain the crop you have to kick off your shoes, get into the lo‘i and use your hands to clear, gather and replant. In Hawai- ian, “Limahuli” means “turning hands”. This is an adequate description of the type work and dedication that goes into the cultivation of this spiritual crop. The education and preservation efforts put forth by the NTBG have propagated beyond the boundaries of the 700 year old rock walls and have spread through out the community of Hā‘ena. Winter describes, “If you pass the stream (Limahuli) and keep driving through the park, you will see on the right side of the road before you get to Kē‘ē beach, a whole bunch of lo‘i in that area that have been restored.” He continues by explain- ing that taro is experiencing resurgence in the community. He points out that, “A lot of the younger generations are opening up lo‘i and actually pounding kalo again for the first time in two generations.” I learned that each different type of kalo comes with its own story and that every time a plant is lost, so is a story. Fueled by historical romanticism, I made my way up the gravel-lined path, through the plantation era, into an archeologi- cal site and back to a native forest. Here I discovered another native plant with an interesting story. This plant is the ‘ūlula plant (Brighamia insignis) also loosely referred to as “cabbage on a stick”. Propagating this plant is what makes it so special and isn’t as easy as one may think. For starters, this plant only grows on the islands of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau off of sea cliffs that measure over 1000 ft. So how is it done? Well…these “crazy field botanists”, as Winter refers to them, risk their life by repel- ling down these 1000-foot sea cliffs so that they can hand-polli- nate (with a paint brush) the ‘ūlula plant. After this is done they bring the plant back to Limahuli where they are cultivated and used as an educational tool for the public. The Limahuli Garden and Preserve is the “public face” for these conservation efforts that are done in hopes that visitors will learn how special these species are and why it’s so important to conserve them. Winter informed me that the mission statement of Limahuli Gardens is one that promotes discovery, conservation and education. After spending a beautiful afternoon there, I’d have to say that they are doing just that. An excerpt from Hawai‘i Traveler magazine. Available in-room at Hawai‘i’s finest hotels and online at www.myhawaiitraveler.com. Kaua‘i’s Limahuli Garden walks visitors through a living mu- seum. On an island where development is rapidly taking the place of agriculture, Limahuli Garden and Preserve shows visi- tors what it really means to go green. A sinuous road leads you to the evergreen terraces of Limahuli Garden and Preserve. This garden is one of five gardens in the National Tropical Botani- cal Gardens group. It is situated on the alluring North Shore of Kaua‘i and sets itself apart by being the only garden in the NTBG group to be both a garden and a preserve. Here visitors witness first hand how Hawaiians practiced environmental stew- ardship before it was posh to drive a Prius. After 1848, Hawaiians lived in a land division system called an ahupua‘a . An ahupua‘a was made up of a triangular piece of land that was divided from the mountains to the ocean and included everything in between. It recognized the im- portance of having access to both streams and the ocean. The theory behind this system was balance as a fundamental ver- ity, Hawaiians believed that whatever actions occurred in the ahupua‘a would affect the community as a whole. Kāwika Winter, Director of Limahuli Garden and Preserve explains, “The major message that we are trying to get across to visitors, both local and tourist alike, is how the ahupua‘a system operates and all of the lessons that we try to bring forth up from that ancient concept, and apply it to a contemporary time and how it could solve some of our sustainability issues on the island.” Limahuli is located within the ahupua‘a of Hā‘ena and like all ahupua‘a it is based on a main water source. In this case, the water used to flourish the 20-acre botanical garden comes from the virtually pristine Limahuli stream. As I entered the Garden I drove past a lush hillside alive with Naupaka and retained by a large black rock wall. Ahead I’m instructed by signs to park and check into the office, which is housed in a traditional style plantation home. Upon check-in I am offered the option of taking either a guided tour ($25) or a self - guided tour ($15). I opt for the latter. I am then handed a 52-page fact filled booklet and begin happily on my way. I’m pleased with my $15 choice because it allowed me to take my time to study things that I found to be interesting. The first be- ing the lo‘i (taro patch) and the intricately engineered system of ‘auwai (canals) that weave through it. Kalo (taro) is believed by Hawaiians to have the greatest life force of all foods. It’s linked closely to the life of the indig- enous people of Hawai‘i. This belief is further explained in the Kumulipo , also known as the creation chant. The chant explains that kalo was the stillborn child of Wakea (sky father) and Papa (earth mother) whom Wakea buried near his home. The next