On December 18, 2007, katrinas from Redondo Beach, CA wrote:
Stunningly beautiful parking lot terraces and entrance gardens entice you to take the long road to the entrance house. Make your reservations early(www.ntbg.org), even days in advance as the number of tickets is limited to the seats on the tram. Be ready to pay ($40/$20) the big ticket price for these 2 gardens as they are worth every penny. There are NO facilities once you are in the garden, so bring your own food or utilize the vending machines as there are no quick restaurants nearby.
Allerton is only accessibly by guided tour, which is great for most as the lecture is very informative and the tour covers 1 mile walk of the grounds. The beds around the house/barn are incredible but the 2½ hour tour does not linger in any one spot for long. On the tour there are formal gardens, tropical beds and fountain garden rooms along the stream canal. Ficus macrophylla giant Moreton Bay Fig buttressed roots as seen in Jurassic Park are viewed. Perfume fragrant blooming trees, heliconias and ginger beds are visited. Palmetum contains Corypha, Raphia (30’ leaves) and Areca catechu (Betel Nut) other palms in the garden include Licuala near the Mermaid Fountain and Ptychosperma macarthuri. Various anthuriums flank the cascading waterfall and different colored cassias and plumerias dot the hillsides. Several types of vines cover the cliffs such as Bougainvillea and Thunbergia. At the end of the descent downhill to the queen’s beach and cottage is a tram to take you back to the main entrance.
McBryde is accessed by a tram; however, the tour is self guided. Be prepared for afternoon showers and walking to the tram station on time for you ride back to the main entrance. The two gardens are next to each other, but access to Allerton and the main entrance/parking lot is not allowed on foot.
Largest collection of native Hawaiian plants in existence, including palms, flowering trees, heliconias, and orchids in a conservation program. Old and New World Tropical plant, some are extinct in their native regions. Ethnobotanical plants are gathered in a small garden near the lower tram station. Some of the rare and useful plants represented are: Brighamia insignis, Munroidendron racemosum, Cordyline fruticosa, Saccharum officinarum, Broussonetia papyrifera, Pritchardia limahuliensis, Coffea spp, Cinchoa spp, Morinda citrifolia, Zingiberales, Erythrina sandwicensis.
Rated great and not excellent due to the restrictions of a guided tour and few facilities available.
