Tropical Plantation

Only a few more days left on our vacation to Hawaii. Yesterday, we took a tour of a tropical plantation. It was the most educational experience of the trip so far. The tropical plantation is at the base of the mountains in the central valley of Maui. The area just up the mountain from planation receives more than 400 inches of rain every year.

I imagined Hawaii to be filled with sun everyday, but I have learned that it depends where you are on the islands. We have often seen sun and we have often seen clouds. The tropical plantation is one of those places where you will often see the clouds.

Taking the tour we first came to the sugar cane. This was a staple crop of Hawaii, but not so much anymore. Many other things are now being grown in Hawaii beyond the sugar cane. The most interesting thing I found out about the sugar cane was how it is harvested. The first step to harvesting is to burn the field to get rid of everything that is not needed. To burn the field, the plantation will simply turn the irrigation off for about three weeks, and it will be all set to strike the match.

Ti (not the tea we drink) came next. Ti leaves are used for Hula skirts. It is also used as aluminum foil to wrap fish and other food. The tea leaves are very strong and have many uses.

I had no idea how pineapples grew. I had always assumed they grew on a pineapple tree. Wrong! They grow from a plant. They will take up to two years to grow. Below is a picture of some pineapples growing.

I learned about Jackfruit. This is the fruit that is used to make Juicyfruit Gum. It supposedly smells awful when cut open. It is also the largest growing fruit in the world.

Didn’t know anything about Bananas either. I learned after the Banana tree produces its fruit it will die. The plantation workers will then cut it down and a new tree will grow up in it’s place.

We learned about Coffee, Papaya, Guava, Macadamia Nuts, and Hawaiian flowers. So much to see here. Hope you enjoyed just a small taste.