February 2022 – January 2026

Tropical Forest Hawai‘i invited guests to take an exciting, immersive journey through the rich history, nature and culture of Hawaiian archipelago. From the exhibit's dramatic entrance, where a model canoe represents the first Polynesian voyages to Hawai‘i, guests were transported to a world of new discoveries. A Biocultural Conservation Hub gave an up-close look at the research that Hawai‘i's National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is conducting on plants with the potential to end world hunger. The Conservatory's dramatic canopy overlook served as a birding station where guests could look out to view life-sized carvings of native Hawaiian birds in the treetops beyond. Visitors enjoyed a wide variety of native and endemic species, from the Wao Akue (or sacred forests, a realm of the gods) at the top of the exhibit space to the Wao Kanaka (or realm of the people) in the heart of the Conservatory's lush expanse. 

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Photos © Phil Johnson II and Paul g. Wiegman