Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens facts for kids
The Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens are a beautiful place to visit in Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi island. These gardens are not for profit, meaning they are run by volunteers and donations. They cover about 1.5 acres of land. You can find them at the Kona Educational Foundation Center. The gardens are open every day, and it's free to enter, but donations are welcome!
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About the Gardens
The gardens are named after Sadie Seymour (1907–1975). She started a group called the "outdoor circle" to help make the Kona community more beautiful. Her son, Scott Seymour, who was a landscape architect, designed these gardens. He made them on a special wedge-shaped piece of land.
The Sadie Seymour Botanical Gardens show off many different plants that grow in Hawaiʻi. These plants are organized into 11 levels, or "tiers," based on where they originally came from in the world.
Plants from Around the World
The first level of the gardens features plants that are native to Hawaiʻi. This means they grew here naturally for a long time.
Other levels have plants from different parts of the world, including:
- Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia: Here you can see plants like cuphea, eucalyptus, and ixora.
- Indo-Asia: This section has plants such as lemon grass, cinnamon, turmeric, and clove trees.
- Africa: Look for the impressive Bismarckia nobilis tree here.
- Central America: You might find the interesting calabash plant in this area.
Kealakowaʻa Heiau: An Ancient Temple
The garden grounds also hold an important historical site called a Heiau. A Heiau is an ancient Hawaiian temple or sacred place. This one is called Kealakowaʻa Heiau. In the Hawaiian language, its name means "temple on the way for dragging canoes."
History of the Heiau
This special site was built a long time ago, during the time of King ʻUmi a Liloa. It was used for important ceremonies related to building and blessing canoes. People could see it from the Kona Educational Foundation Center.
The Kealakowaʻa Heiau has several parts:
- A ceremonial platform, which was a raised area for rituals.
- An astrological temple, used for studying the stars.
- The foundations of a priest's house.
- The foundations of a meeting house.
The Ancient Canoe Trail
This sacred Heiau is located along an old trail called Holua Loa, which means "long slide." This trail went from the Koa forests high up on Hualālai mountain down to the royal area at Holualoa Bay.
When a tree was chosen in the forest to become a canoe, it was first roughly shaped. Then, the large log was dragged down this trail to the Heiau. Here, special blessing ceremonies would take place. After the blessings, the canoe log would be sent down a slide to the water. There, it would be finished and launched into the ocean.
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