Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 12, 1 December 2012 — Exploring Waimea Valley by moonlight [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Exploring Waimea Valley by moonlight

By Sarah Paeheeo Waimea Valley is well known for its sprawling acres of

colorful flora, towering tree and an ever-flowing river that leads to the North Shore property's world-famous waterfall. But a visit to the valley at night awakens a perspective not present durina

daylight hours. Every month Waimea Valley hosts an after-hours guided walking tour that travels the 0.75-mile paved path to the waterfall and back. During these Moon Walks, visitors are far-removed from the tour groups that usually surround the valley during regular operating hours and are treated to views of some of the world's rarest flowers and plants, including species native to the Hawaiian Islands onee believed extinct. Among the blooms found on the Moon Walk are Hawaiian hibiscus, including the two white species H. waimeae, named for Kaua'i's Waimea Canyon, and H. arnottianus. Known as koki'o ke'oke'o, these flowers are the only hibiscus in the world that give off a faint perfume at dawn and dusk. Other highlights of the tour are endemic plants that onee played vital roles in all aspects of ancient Hawaiian life, like the 'ulu (breadfruit), kō (sugar eane), hau and kalo. "(Our taro collection) is really incredible," says botanical specialist David Orr. "We actually have examples of somatic mutations here - previously thought extinct varieties of taro have arisen from accessions that we have here, and

suddenly you have this throwback and you see a variety of taro that hasn't been seen for decades!" Orr believes occurrences such as this help showcase the importance of protecting and

perpetuating the Waimea habitat. "We should direct our efforts at keeping alive these gifts from God," says Orr, pinpointing other rare endemic species found in the valley, like the Abutilon sandwi-

cense, the Gardenia brighamii tree, the Pritchardia kaalae (the rarest of 0'ahu's loulu palms) and the Sesbania tomentosa, part of the 'ōhai (heaeh tree) family propagated from the very last plant growing on Kaōhikaipu Islet. "We have to have places of protection for our really rare endemics," Orr says, "and island endemics are the rarest of them all." In addition to learning about the natural wonders in the valley, Moon Walk participants also get the opportunity to hear the storied past of the Waimea ahupua'a and how, to this day, it is regarded as a sacred gathering plaee. According to cultural programs coordinator Budde Cabael, the great ruler Kamapua'a bestowed Waimea with the title "Valley of the Priests" some time in 1090 and gave the land to the high priest Lono-a-wohi. Later, the land was redistributed to the Pa'ao kahuna class, who would steward the land up through the Mahele land division in the middle of the 19th century. "The importance of Waimea stems from the people cherishing it as an ahupua'a," says Kaila Alva, field educator with cultural programs at Waimea Valley. "It's a culturally rich valley and was important to the monarchy as well

as the chieftains who lived on other Islands." Since 2007 the nonprofit limited liability company Hi'ipaka LLC, a subsidiary of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, has operated Waimea Valley and programs such as the Moon Walk under the mission of nurturing, celebrating and sharing the deep-rooted cultural history and natural resources of this living treasure with future generations the world over. "We hope to instill the seed in our loeal people to eome here and be culturally a part of Waimea," says Alva. "People, when they eome here and they're really here to enjoy (the valley), they feel it, and that makes this plaee that mueh more important," adds Cabael. "And it resonates, because besides just that feeling, you have so many people taking care of Waimea today." ■

Sarah Paeheeo, an 0'ahu-based freelance writer, is aformer assistant regional editorfor MidWeek

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NĀHANANA v EVENTS f

Moon Walk The last Moon Walk of 2012 is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 28. Thetour begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Visitor Center and costs $5 per person. Visit waimeavalley.net for information.

Top, botanical specialist David Orr leads a recent Moon Walk at Waimea Valley. Right, white Moloka'i hibiscus. - Photos: Sarah Paeheeo