Vacation Nearly Done

The Big Island, also named Hawaii, has many botanical gardens and they all boast of being the most beautiful or having the most numerous specimens. Some even claim the largest number of acres under horticultural care but there is one that is unique. The World Botanical Gardens are fairly new and could use a few more staff members to keep the more invasive plants in line but the mesmerizing beauty of the triple falls know as Uma Uma make up for what the cultivated beds may lack. Theses delicate veils of white gently cascade over time worn lava and gather into shallow pools before continuing the journey oceanward. Carl and I observed the lighting change as the sun played hide and seek with the inevitable cloud cover that gathers over the interior of the island each day. This play of light changes the mood of the pools along with the surrounding cliff side vegetation. There are several carp in the more distant pools and from our perch, high above the valley floor, we could see just one meander along the surface of the lowest of these basins. How he ( or she ) got there is uncertain. It is possible that when the water was high, this Oriental symbol of fortune was washed away from his brethren. Without intervention, this unfortunate one is destined to spend the remainder of its’ days alone. If you get a chance to visit the World Botanical Gardens, you should know there is an admission fee for the self guided tour and viewing of these beautiful falls. I can’t say if it’s worth the price of admission but I can tell you that after meandering through the rest of the gardens we went back to photograph the falls a second time. Enough said!