I have been here in Maui for the past 3 weeks visiting my Mom. While we have been together, we have been exploring the island, and taking in all of the beauty around. This is my Mom. She is also my best friend and confidant. She is an absolute blessing in my life!
Today we drove to the Maui Tropical Plantation here on the island. I have driven by this plantation several times and yet, I had no idea that it was so large and beautiful.
When you walk into the souvenir shop, you will find fresh fruits and vegetables that are grown there on the plantation grounds. As you exit the other side of the building, you come to a beautiful landscaped area with a small man made lake. Below is the lake and public access area. You will see a green box in the left lower corner of the picture. That is a feed box stocked with duck food for the public to throw to the ducks.
As you venture out further into the plantation, you will find yourself surrounded by a plethora of beautiful and fragrant flowers. Everywhere you look, there is another unique blossom, plant, or tree. The photo below is a bundle of flowers that have opened on a tree. These trees are so bazaar how they blossom before they grow in their new leaves. Often you will see a clump of flowers sticking out of the end of a baron branch.
Other flowers grow on the trees and bushes, (shrubs), and are in a variety of amazing colors.
I had never seen a lot of these types of flowers before. They are so different than the flowers that we grow in Washington.
Everywhere you look, there is a new and unique type of flower!
The colors are magnificent! If I lived here full time I would have a yard covered in flowers!
When you walk further into the back of the plantation, there are several rows of trees. There are mangos, bananas, avocados, and macadamia nut trees. In the photo below, the mango trees are loaded with mangos.
Off to the right of the photo below is the banana tree orchard. The bananas here are a bit smaller than the bananas that we buy in the store. They are a bit sweeter in taste. The mountains behind the plantation is where the IAO (pronounced e o) Valley is located. This is where the Hawaiian Battle of Kepaniwai took place.
The sugarcane shown below is the main crop here on Maui. There has been a lot of controversy here on the island between central Maui and east Maui over the growth of the sugarcane. 
This large tool is what they use to harvest the sugarcane after the crop has been burned to remove the grassy like leaves.
There are so many things to see and do here. I enjoy learning about the culture and history of the Hawaiian natives. I am off again to go and explore with Mom. We will be visiting the sight of the battle that I mentioned above. Hope you all have a great week and I will see you soon on the Rain!!
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