Natural History

Tree Heliotrope
(Messerchmidia argentea)

The tree heliotrope, also known as the beach heliotrope, is commonly found along tropical sandy beaches in many regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It was introduced along the seashore environments of Hawaii around the mid-1860's as an exotic and has become a favorite of shoreline landscapers for its help with sand erosion. It's a tough plant, apparently so tolerant of the salt water that it grows and thrives close to the water's edge. It can be also be found as an ornamental in yards of beach houses, in public plantings in areas that are exposed to the sea spray, and is a fairly common naturalized coastal plant. As an introduced species, the plant is benign and is not considered particularly invasive.

Tree heliotrope rarely grows to heights of more than twenty feet and usually has a rounded umbrella-shaped canopy of long, thick, pale-green leaves clustered at the branch tips. The large leaves are covered with silky, whitish hairs. Small white flowers appear in spikes at or near the end of the branches. They have five parts, are tubular and clustered on exotic-looking coiled spikes.

In its native India, the leaves of the tree heliotrope are eaten for their flavor which is said to resemble parsley. While not an endemic plant, it has been growing in Polynesia long enough for people to find some uses for it. In some areas of Polynesia the strong, lightweight gray wood is used to make tool handles and canoe bailers. In the mythology of the Polynesians living in the Tuamotu atolls of the South Pacific, the tree heliotrope is said to be among the first living things to be created in the world.

 

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Arts & Culture

Officially Historic

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects 'deemed worthy of preservation." The passing of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966 established the Register and delineated the process for adding properties to it.

The Register has been administered by the National Park Service for most of its history. Register listings are mostly symbolic and there's no real guarantee of protection for the property, but there may be some tax incentives for getting a property on the list (especially if you're planning on restoring the place).

The goal of the program is to help property owners and community groups coordinate, identify and protect historic sites in the United States. Over the years, a surprisingly diverse group of Maui County historic districts and sites have been nominated and accepted onto the Register.

The year the Register was started, the Lahaina Historic District made it onto the list. The first capital of Hawaii covers more than 16,000 acres with about sixty historic sites including the 1835 Baldwin Home and the 1912 Wo Hing Society Hall. The other Maui County site to make it on the list that year was the "Hokukano-U'alapue Complex" with an area of 1,465 acres that includes six heiau and two fishponds on Molokai.

In 1974, the Kipahulu Historic District, ten miles southwest of Hana and part of the Haleakala National Park, as well as the Crater Historic District made it onto the list. The Crater Historic District encompasses the National Park Service structures within the 170,000 acres of Haleakala National Park. These include the utility structures, employee housing, administration facilities and the visitor service facilities within the park, most of which were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's. (The House of the Sun Visitor Center is one of the few buildings not built with CCC labor. It was designed by Park Service architect Merel Sager.)

Also in 1974, the Kalaupapa leprosy settlement on Molokai was added to the list as the "Kalaupapa National Historic Park." Then, in 1981, the island of Kahoolawe was added as "the Kahoolawe Archeological District." In 1985, Honokalani Village was nominated and added to the list. (It is also known as the Waianapanapa Archaeological Complex.)

In 1986, the Wailuku Civic Center Historic District was added. This district features the Bailey House, completed in 1850; Kaahumanu Church, built in 1876; I'ao Theater built in 1927 and restored in 1996. The government buildings in the District include the Wailuku Courthouse (1907), the County office building that was built in 1927, the Wailuku Library (1928) and the Territorial Building (1931). The buildings cluster around Main and High Streets in Wailuku.

Then, in 2001, the most unusual district of all was added to the list: The Hana Belt Road Historic District, also known as the "Hana Highway Historic District." The 1,530-acre district extends from Hoalua Stream bridge near Huelo to Koukouai Stream bridge in Kipahulu. There are 67 bridges and culvert structures in the area and all of them are protected by their inclusion on the list.

Most of these nominations were the result of efforts by various community groups dedicated to historical preservation of one sort or another. The ones connected with the national parks, on the other hand, tend to be added to the list as a matter of course.

Besides these larger sites and districts, there are individual places (including a couple of private homes) that have made it onto the list as well.

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Hawaiiana

UPCOUNTRY

We hope you enjoyed our South Maui information. Join us now to learn about Upcountry Maui.

Hāli’imaile:
Maile (A native twining shrub) strewn vines

Makawao:
Forest beginning

Ka’ili’ili:
The pebble

Pukalani:
Heavenly Gate

(A report states that Pukalani was originally named Pu’ukalani, meaning “hill of the heavens”)

Kula:
Plain, open country, field, or pasture

Haleakalā:
House used by the sun

(There is a great legend of Haleakala that involves the demigod Māui. The story goes that long ago, the Sun travelled so quickly through the sky that Māui's mother Hina could not get her tapa (cloth) to dry. Seeing how the Sun's behavior made his mother's life difficult, Māui lassoed the Sun from Haleakala's summit and persuaded it to slow its journey through the sky.)

Pūlehu:
Broiled

Waiakoa:
Water used by warrior

Kēōkea:
The white sand

Ka’ono’ulu:
The desire for breadfruit

‘Ulupalakua:
Breadfruit ripening on the backs of carriers

Kahikinui:
Great Tahiti

Kanaio:
The false sandalwood tree

Kanaio consists of several small rocky beaches and it’s the ‘ahupua’a of Honua’ula.

Honua’ula:
Red land

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Braddah-Nics Lexicon

STANDARD: You're always welcome here.
BRADDAH-NICS: No forget come back, eh?

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD: Why do you think I need a car?
BRADDAH-NICS: What for need ka'a?

* * * * * * * *

STANDARD: He seems....effeminate, don't you think?
BRADDAH-NICS: The buggah kinda Tilly, yeah? 

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Local Grinds

Pineapple Cheesecake

Ingredients: 

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple
• 1 (7 ounce) can cool whip
• 2 eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Already made graham cracker pie crust
   

Procedure:

Take cream cheese out and let soften. Drain the pineapple chunks until they are completely dry. If they are too moist, cheesecake will not bake properly. If they are still a little wet after draining, lay the pieces on a paper towel to absorb excess moisture.

Once cream cheese is soft, beat together with the eggs, sugar, and 5 – 6 drops of vanilla extract. Fold in the pineapple. Once all is mixed well, pour over the graham cracker crust.

Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for 70 minutes. To check progress, poke with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 1 – 1½ hours. Refrigerate over night.

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