God's Extravagance

Our Saturday tour was kind of an old folks' outing.  First we went to Mauka Meadows, above Kona.

Here is a view of Kona from the slopes of Hualalai, an extinct volcano above the town where we live.  

We strolled down a slope resplendent with blooms.  To the right are different coloured Impatiens, bigger blooms than any I've seen before.  This African native alternated in colourful shades of reds, pinks, and oranges. It was easy to walk along the paved path for those with walking difficulties. 

This Jade Vine was the most interesting shade of turquoise, a colour not often seen in flowers.  Clusters hung from an arbour like some kind of bizarre grapes.  The flowers are commonly strung into leis. 

The vivid orange flower in the foreground is the Bird of Paradise, a close relative of the banana plant.  It's cultivated in other parts of the world, but grows well in Hawaii, and almost seems associated with the Islands.  A great addition to tropical bouquets.

I love this flower, the Anthurium. Popular in cut flower bouquets, it lasts a long time in water.  I remember a friend in Slovakia, who'd given one of us a flower bouquet, proudly telling us that she'd chosen this flower because it would last three weeks.  "It's plastic!"  exclaimed one of the school children at the time.  He didn't believe it was real.  Actually, the "flower" is the yellow part, and the red part is a specialized leaf, looking, indeed, so waxy and shiny as to appear artificial.  It was fun to see it actually growing along the path.  There were white ones, too; not quite as spectacular to my mind.

I think this is a kind of Protea.  Its native habitat is South Africa. It's actually a cluster of tiny individual flowers.  Very showy.

My brother, Ed, grew an Angel's Trumpet like this in his garden in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.  He most likely would've called it Brugmansia Candida, because he likes to call plants by their Latin names.  Its Hawaiian name is Nanahonua ( I'm not taking the time right now to find a keyboard with the various accents, that characterise Hawaiian vowels.)  That name means "gazing downward", an appropriate name tying together its shape with its English name.  Origin: South America.

The Bougainvillea is a tall, spready bush in various flamboyant colours.  We see splashes of it on Kuakini Highway at the entrance to the University of the Nations in bold magenta, salmon coloured, electric pink shades and even white.  It survives on little water, and thrives on the dry side of the Big Island.  We've seen it in other sunny places, too, such as Arizona.  Country of origin: Brazil. 

At the bottom of the asphalt pathway stood a small pavilion where the Japanese owners of the gardens and coffee plantation offered people small cups of their coffee.  They were hoping we would buy some, but didn't pressure us. Terry is waving from the crowd.

 In front of the Pavilion was an infinity pool

Phyllis is trying a different perspective to see the water appear to stop at the horizon.  The picture of me lying at poolside is not quite so elegant, so I'm not posting it.

On the way home I threw caution to the winds and ordered an iced  matcha latte. I don't usually buy any kind of drinks, but felt in an extravagant mood as befitting the extravagant display of flowers God had provided this day  This drink has kept me awake at night in the past, but I did enjoy it !  I wonder what kind of flower this is, thick and waxy, arranged so densely in its dish.  Is it Pua Kenikeni?
Part two of our tour to be continued.