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The landscaping plan Joyce Doty and her late husband, Ed, had devised was simple: Add color to the front yard of their new retirement home in Kilauea, Kauai, with a variety of plants.
But one thing led to another, and before long they were literally planting the seeds for what has blossomed over the past four decades into Na ‘Aina Kai (Lands by the Sea) Botanical Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Meandering over 240 acres, Na ‘Aina Kai is a spectacular Eden of pools, fountains, waterfalls, more than 230 bronze sculptures and thousands of plants, shrubs and trees. Whimsical features include mazes, a log cabin, a kid-size train, a covered wagon, a Navajo hogan, a Japanese-style teahouse and a treehouse a la Swiss Family Robinson.
Word got out, and people asked to see what they had accomplished. The couple began giving occasional tours to community groups in 1991, intending for the gardens to open to the public as a whole after they passed away. But, realizing they enjoyed the outings as much as their guests, they decided not to wait.
In 1999, they created a nonprofit foundation to which they donated all of the gardens and the sculptures they had been acquiring. Na ‘Aina Kai officially opened the following year.
Ed passed away in 2008, but Doty, now 91, remains actively involved with the gardens’ ongoing metamorphosis. Representing more than 80 artists from the United States and United Kingdom, the two-thirds to full life-size sculptures are key design elements. Doty selected them all.
Explaining her decision-making process, she said, “First, of course, I have to like a piece. If I can envision exactly where it will go in the gardens, then and only then will I buy it. Every sculpture is thoughtfully placed, so that it’s not competing for attention with another sculpture. It is able to tell its own special story in its own special spot.”
The area called the Ahupua‘a re-creates a traditional land division from the mountains to the sea. It includes thatched hale (houses), fish swimming in the “ocean” and 14 sculptures depicting daily life in a Hawaiian village of long ago. Among them are Lawai‘a, a fisherman; Meawa‘a, a canoe maker; pig hunters Pono and Alapaki; Ohina, a woman gathering ferns; and Kuamo‘o, who is planting taro.
They’re surrounded by native plants that were valued for their practicality as well as beauty. For example, in olden days, akia fibers were woven into cordage; aalii wood was used for tools, timber and weapons; and iliee bark, leaves and roots were pounded into a poultice to reduce swelling.
The wonders continue to unfold.
“Ed and I wanted Na ‘Aina Kai to continuously evolve,” Doty said. “Thinking of ways to transform a space is always a delightful challenge. What would make it beautiful? What would make it interest- ing? Whatever area of the gardens that’s currently being designed or redeveloped is my favorite.”
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IF YOU GO: NA ‘AINA KAI BOTANICAL GARDENS & SCULPTURE PARK
>> Where: 4101 Wailapa Road, Kilauea, Kauai
>> When: Visits are by guided tour only.
>> Tours: Five are available Tuesdays-Fridays year-round with start times of 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. They range in duration from 90 minutes to 3 hours, and groups are limited to between six and 10 participants. In addition, a five-hour trek can be arranged by request for four to nine guests. It starts at 9 a.m., includes lunch and a stop at Kaluakai Beach. The two-hour Bird Tour begins at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesdays from December through April. Among the species that might be seen are the Laysan albatross, Hawaiian moorhen, great frigate bird, red-footed booby, kolea (Pacific golden plover) and nene (Hawaiian goose), Hawaii’s state bird. Advance reservations are required for all tours.
>> Cost: $35 to $85 per person except for the Family Tour, which is $20 for kids 12 months through 12 years. Kamaaina receive a 25% discount.
>> Info: 808-828-0525, email reservations@naainakai.org or go to naainakai.org.
>> Notes: Tours run rain or shine (ponchos and umbrellas are provided if it’s raining). Wear comfortable walking shoes.
SPECIAL EVENTS
On Hoaloha (Friends) Day, you can enjoy the 12-acre Formal Gardens on your own. Docents are on hand to answer questions and share Na ‘Aina Kai’s history.
Beautifying this garden are a lagoon, waterfall, hedge maze and about 50 bronze sculptures, including the very first one purchased for Na ‘Aina Kai’s collection — “Valentine” by George Lundeen, which was a gift from Joyce Doty to her husband. Slack key guitarist Paul Togioka will play from 9 to 10:30 a.m., and Hui ‘O Holomua will perform hula between 10:30 and 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and noon.
Hoaloha Day always falls on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday; this year, that is Jan. 20. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the last visitors allowed to enter at noon. Admission is $10 per person; kids 4 and under are free.
Held on a Saturday every month except October and December, Keiki Day takes place in the Under the Rainbow Children’s Garden. Little ones can climb to a treehouse, hop on a kid-size train, romp beneath a “Jack in the Beanstalk”-themed fountain and explore a jungle with bridges, tunnels and slides.
The next Keiki Day will be Feb. 29. Hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the last entries permitted at noon. Bring snacks. Reservations are recommended. Cost is $10 per person; children under 1 year old are free.
On Oct. 17, a Halloween party is planned from 4 to 7 p.m. in lieu of Keiki Day. There will be games, prizes, face-painting and a giant bubble station.
Although activities are geared for kids 10 and under, everyone is invited to attend in costume. Admission is $10 per person in advance and $12 at the door. There’s no charge for kids 12 months and younger.
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.
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