Waimea Valley is a division of land stretching from the mountains to the sea. Land was divided this way in Hawai‘i for many reasons, the most important of which was to ensure each community had the resources they needed to survive. Resources are found at various elevations and places, by dividing land in this way, each community had access to forest land, fresh water from the mauka region, various ecological for planting different crops, and a path to the ocean for fishing and travel.​
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Today, the exceptional botanical collections at Waimea Valley feature dozens of distinct gardens representing flora from different parts of the world. Examples include the Ogasawara Islands, Central and South America, Fiji, Guam, and the Mascarene Islands. Stroll through the Hawaiian collection and enjoy an assortment of plants found only in Hawai'i, many of which are rare and endangered. Many were brought here as seed or cutting from the places where they evolved.




