Manoa Heritage Center

If you're curious about lovely Mānoa Valley, a docent led tour of the Mānoa Heritage Center is an edutaining (educational and entertaining) way to experience its geology and cultural history. Reservations were easily made online and paid, a month ahead. An email reminder with instructions popped up on my email the day before our party of five joined the tour.We couldn't have picked a more perfect day with the sun baked skies gleaming above the mountains flushed green from recent rains. Our tour around the sustainable gardens included a peek into the former home of the grounds' owners. It will one day be open to view but for now outside is where trees, shrubs and flowering plants sprawl in wild abandon. Our knowledgeable docent was to quick to name them and share tidbits of their meaning. As our docent also weaved stories of the past with Hawaiian archaeological footnotes and cultural references, we basked in the cool Mānoa breezes enchanted with the views and just relaxing in the soothing ambience. It's a 70-minute tour so dress appropriately for meandering across lawns and some rocky terrain, including a peek into the on property heiau.Check it out!

It's a nice little tour! I got to see some plants and a heiau within the site. The tour guide and one of the participants were both very knowledgeable and I learned a lot. Also the hibiscus tea they served afterwards was very refreshing. I enjoyed the tour a lot. It's not busy and it's a nice quick tour if you want something different other than the mainstream tours. It's up in the valley so it rains more often than the south shore area so make sure you bring an umbrella or a rain jacket!

Manoa Heritage Center is such a treasure in Manoa. I found this place when I was researching places to take fourth graders to learn about the Hawaiian ahupua'a. They have a great website that shows you all their different programs. They not only provide services for school children for field trips but they also have tours and classes for adults. The best part of this place is that it's free for students! Money is always an issue when planning field trips because you want to choose a good field trip but also one that doesn't break the bank. Not only was the admission free but the Manoa Heritage Center will also pay for the bus to go there. I was so excited to find out that the whole field trip would be free! We had a big group so we came on two days. We greeted them with our oli and they chanted their oli back to us. Then half the group went on a hike. On the hike, students learned about Hawaiian plants, the heiau built, and the Cooke family house that was built in 1911 (its still in good condition). The docents were very knowledgeable and shared all kinds of factoids with the students. The other half of the group occupied the classroom. They played an ahupua'a game. Each table was a section of the ahupua'a and as a group they had to decide how they would get their resources to survive. It was good for the students to work together and problem solve on how they would get the necessary items. Overall it was a great experience. I'm glad that I was able to find this place. They were easy to work with and the teachers and students enjoyed the field trip. I actually overheard a few students say "this is the best field trip ever."

In the middle of the valley sits a prestigious home of the Cooke family. They established a foundation to use the property as a Hawaiian heritage center that perpetuates history and legacy of the family and valley.Used for education, the center provides an open space for visiting groups and scholars. They also share tours of the property, taking visitors back 150 years of what the valley once was and how it was developed.