Kahanu Gardens, Maui

If the legends of a land can be told through its plant life, the Kahanu Garden on the rugged Hana Coast is a veritable encyclopedia of Pacific Island culture. This is considered the top thing to do in Maui for botanical garden buffs interested in rare tropical island flora. But it also contains the heiau of Piilani, the largest religious temple in all of Polynesia. The Kahanu Garden’s collection focuses on plants important to the sustenance of the cultures of Polynesians, Micronesians and Melanesians: niu (coconut), kalo (taro), and ulu (breadfruit) among others. The gardens meander through pandanus-shaded paths, and along terraces and rock walls all created in the 14th century, cut from forests once revered as hallowed ground and now registered as a National Historic Landmark.

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