The tour we chose was the Jewels of Hawaii --a walk through the wild Allerton and McBryde Gardens owned by the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) institution. Founded in 1964, their mandate was to protect tropical gardens, do scientific research, and educate people about the diversity of Hawaii's tropical gardens.
Robert Allerton was the son of a wealthy banker but had no head for finances. After studying art in Europe, he returned to the States, bought some land in Illinois and began 'The Farms'. He traveled extensively and having a knack for garden design, began buying sculptures from all over the world to decorate his gardens.
In 1922, he met John Gregg, an young architect and they began living together. Allerton adopted him as his son in 1959. Kauai offered them a chance to live freely as a couple so Allerton bought land owned by the royal family. Queen Emma had already begun work on preserving the native plants of the region. Allerton and Gregg continued this adding their personal stamp to the grounds.
Our tour began first with a stop at The Spouting Horn where waves shoot through a narrow opening in the lava rocks along the shore. It was our first time seeing a wild Kauai chicken. The Poylnesians brought chickens from their ancestral lands and these bred with European chickens. The eggs are tasty if you can find them but don't try eating their meat!
The next stop in the tour was a pond created in the basement of one of the outbuildings. Our guide, Paul, then walked us through the various rooms in the garden. Allerton's house was small and he loved to entertain so he created open areas in which to dine and dance. He loved the sound of running water so there are many fountains scattered along the jungle paths. His statues are everywhere.
Paul told of us of all the movies filmed in the garden including Pirates of the Caribbean and Jurassic Park. Apparently Michael Crichton loved Kauai and the Allerton gardens so it was fitting the film used this locale as a backdrop for the movie. Paul had several scenes on his phone and acted out a few of them, including finding a dinosaur egg!
We then drove to the McBryde garden. Duncan McBryde first leased the land from Queen Emma then bought the property in 1886 for his sugar plantation. The NTBG bought the land in 1970 and began collecting endangered species of plants and propagated them in crude greenhouses. As their research continued, the institute expanded into a world class facility. They are also doing research on bread fruit as it is the only plant with all the nutrients people need to survive. In 1992, a devastating hurricane hit Kauai and many plant species were lost. Those working in the NTBG saved as many as they could and continue to search the island for replacement plants.
After a delightful picnic in a gazebo, we walked along the Lawai river until we reached a lovely jungle waterfall. Paul was a bass player and had met and played with many famous musicians. However, you don't make much money as a musician so he had a variety of day jobs. Obviously he was a tour guid but he had also been a wedding photographer so he was very happy to take our picture and often set up the shot for the best result. He loved my bright orange-pink shirt. I had chosen it
so I wouldn't get lost in the greenery of the jungle.
My photos of the Garden Isle are here.
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