Exhibits

Become a member and support such educational adventures! Koke’e Museum’s interpretive exhibits give visitors an overview of the natural and cultural history of Waimea Canyon and Koke’e State Parks. Included is a unique Weather Room that looks at Hawaiian views of weather, as well as an exhibit on Hurricane Iniki which hit Kauai in 1992. Ask to view any number of videos in this room.

Though the real plant exhibits in these parks is OUTSIDE, there is one, rather old, treasure in Koke’e Museum. Look for two 3-paneled wooden screens, assembled for the opening of Kokee Museum in 1953. These screens display the remounted pages of the 1885 volume, Indigenous Flowers of the Hawaiian Islands, by Mrs. Francis Sinclair. All 44-color plates of Mrs. Sinclair’s original watercolors are featured. While no book collector or library would ever disassemble such a volume today, the now 60-year old panels are a lovely way for many to appreciate this early work on Hawaiian plants.

A Treasury of Trees, Resources of a Traditional Lifestyle is an exhibit on forest trees and their traditional uses. Kids love touching the bark of standing trees and holding blocks of different woods in this room.

Take a look at the introduced game animals on Kauai, from a ferocious wild boar to a well-racked stag, goats, game birds, and even trout.

An old Victorian cupboard houses a selection of both land and sea shells from Kaua`i and Ni`ihau. An immense whale vertebrae and the shell of a large sea turtle are also on display.