Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MM
Maui Nui Botanical Gardens
For anyone with an interest in Polynesian flora or sustainable irrigation and farming
techniques, the
Maui Nui Botanical Gardens
(150 Kanaloa Ave., 808/249-2798,
www.mnbg.org
, 8am-4pm Mon.-Sat., free) is an absolute must-stop. From the moment
you walk in the entranceway, native trees and their informational placards are displayed
in a shaded walkway, and small signs warn you to watch out for falling
ulu,
or breadfruit,
which populate the treetops above. As you meander along the self-guided walking tour,
various signs discuss the differences between endemic, indigenous, and introduced plant
species. A central theme of the garden is the way in which traditional irrigation techniques
maximize the ability to farm in a semiarid climate. Freshwater was considered to be among
the most precious of resources to Polynesian farmers, and more than 70 species of dryland
kalo,
or taro, are successfully growing in what is otherwise a dry coastal dunes system.
Although not as expansive as the botanical gardens in Kula, the way in which the gardens
espouse the Polynesian view that humans are but stewards of the land offers reason enough
to visit.
MM
Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum
There's no place on the island where you can gain a better understanding of Maui's planta-
tion heritage than at the
Alexander and Baldwin Sugar Museum
(3957 Hansen Rd., 808/
871-8058,
www.sugarmuseum.com
,
9:30am-4pm daily, $10), a small, worn-down build-
ing in the Central Maui near-ghost town of Pu'unene. This town which was once the beat-
ing heart of Maui's sugar industry has been reduced to a faint pulse: A post office, a book-
store, the museum, and the stinky sugar mill are all that remain.
Exhibits discuss everything from how the sugar plant moved across Polynesia in tradi-
tional voyaging canoes to historical profiles of the island's first sugar barons. In addition
to educating visitors about the growth of the sugar industry, what makes the museum a
must-see attraction is the window it provides into the daily lives of the plantation workers
who came from around the globe and endured long days in the fields. The cultural exhib-
its within the museum include everything from the hand-sewn Japanese clothing used to
protect workers from centipedes to Portuguese bread ovens used by immigrants from the
Azores to make their famous staple. There's even an exhibit relating to Filipino cockfight-
ing.
