Tour the Taro

Drive 10 miles past Hana to the paved road's end, and there you'll find the town of Kipahulu. Here at Kapahu Living Farm, a model of self-sustaining native Hawaiian community circa 1778-1848, community members come together to plant and tend taro patches on centuries-old terraces. Then they pound the tuberous taro root into poi, a staple in the Hawaiian diet, which is shared at family celebrations throughout the year. The farm also harvests other culturally significant "canoe plants" - first brought to Hawaii on ancient voyaging canoes - such as heirloom varieties of banana, breadfruit, sugar cane and mountain apple. The community is then invited to partake in this harvest. Because Kapahu emphasizes education, they will reconstruct a 36-foot boat to teach youth about fishing and marine-resource stewardship for their next project. Visitors to the farm can tour the ancient patches, learn traditional taro-cultivation methods and, in season, pound taro into poi. kipahulu.org - KSR

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