Object Details
- General
- Located on approximately .75 acres in Honolulu, Hale 'Opua located ten minutes from downtown Honolulu on the volcanic slopes of the Ko'olau mountains at an elevation of 600 feet. Hale 'Opua means "house in the clouds" in Hawaiian.
- There are five garden rooms that surround a one story home built in 1917. The current owners have lived in the home for over forty year and the creation, appreciation and care for the gardens by the owners demonstrate the importance of the Hawaiian concept of 'aloha aina' which means love and respect for the land. The entry garden is called Maka hū a'e. The maidenfair fern wall provides transition to the next garden, the Mili pa'a. Mili pa'a includes fruit trees on the upper path and a pond. The backyard is called Kilo Manu has views of the ocean and the valley of Pauoa. The circular path leads down to the next garden, called Kea la pili, and it includes rock pathways intended for climbing. The last garden is called Ulu hai lei a.
- Hale 'Opua was originally a banana plantation. The ironwoods on the west side of the property were a windbreak for the bananas and the front cottage was used as a stable. The Pacific Heights railroad turnaround was in front of the house.
- Garden features include benches, ferns, fruit trees, garden walks, orchids, lawns, planting walls, retaining walls, ponds, rock gardens, rockwork, stepping stones, tropical plants, vistas, stone walkways, and water gardens.
- Persons associated with the garden include: Samuel Northrup Castle Sr. and Anna Castle (former owners, 1917); Alice Hastings Cooke (former owner, 1953); Peter Hwei-Yang His and Priscilla Lai Fong His (former owners, 1969); Tom Way Wong and Linda Yap Wong (1972); Cole Slater (landscape architect).
- Former owner
- Cooke, Alice Hastings
- Castle, Samuel Northrup
- Provenance
- The Garden Club of Honolulu
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- Hale 'Opua (Honolulu, Hawaii)
- United States of America -- Hawaii -- Honolulu -- Honolulu
- Topic
- Gardens -- Hawaii -- Honolulu
- Former owner
- Cooke, Alice Hastings
- Castle, Samuel Northrup
- Provenance
- The Garden Club of Honolulu
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Gardens / Hawaii
- Sponsor
- A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
- Custodial History
- The Garden Club of Honolulu facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File HI056
- Type
- Archival materials
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
- Collection Rights
- Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Scope and Contents
- The folder includes worksheets and extensive plant lists for each garden.
- Collection Restrictions
- Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Record ID
- ebl-1643208220039-1643210179144-1
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