Kilohana Plantation & 'South Pacific'

Kilohana Plantation, reputed to be one of the finest examples of plantation era architecture in Hawaii, was our first destination on Wednesday. Located just a short distance west of Lihue, the old plantation house is set in spacious grounds, with several enormous trees standing guard closeby, just as they must have done for many a long year.... In a shady courtyard behind the house, tables and chairs are set out invitingly on the shaded verandah, where cool breezes waft through. At our table, looking out across the manicured lawns and exotic shrubbery, we enjoyed a tasty lunch of salad greens and veggies, produced right there at the plantation.

Shortly after lunch, 'All aboard!' sounded - and even a rooster responded to the call. We were soon on our way, aboard an authentic narrow-gauge train, wending our way through the 105-acre plantation, among 50+ varieties of fruit tree orchards and fields, where animals of various kinds grazed. Geronimo, the almost blind horse, was enjoying a well-earned retiremnt at the ripe old age of 33, and a number of donkeys were similarly happy to while away the days dong nothing too much! And then there were the wild pigs! What a grunting, squealing, jostling and tussling mob of far from handsome boars, as they fought over the morsels of hot dog buns tossed to them....

The morsels we enjoyed at the buffet dinner later that evening were decidedly more varied and tasty, I am thankful to say! By that time Sue and I were dressed in our Hawaiian best, ready for a night out - dinner, followed by some live theatre, a local production of the fifties musical, 'South Pacific'. The movie was made on Kauai, so particularly appropriate for us to reacquaint ourselves with the story - now we must watch the movie again to see how many places we recognize!