The Manoa Heritage Center is:

A. A 1911 home on the National Register of Historic Places;

B. The site of Kuka'o'o Heiau;

C. An extensively landscaped native Hawaiian garden;

D. All of the above.

When you realize that the answer is D, you appreciate the reasons why the Manoa Heritage Center, its garden and heiau opened to the public last month, is unrivaled in the state of Hawai'i for its combination of exquisite treasures.

First is the magnificent residence that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Charles Montague "Monty" Cooke, the grandfather of present owner Sam Cooke, hired pioneering architects Walter L. Emory and Marshall H. Webb (the team also designed the Hawai'i Theatre and The Honolulu Advertiser building) to build the Tudor Revival-style house.

A crucial early decision regarding the exact site for the home would reveal the character and foresight of Monty Cooke. The architects had wanted to construct the house on top of Kuka'o'o Heiau because of the expansive views of Manoa Valley and, at that point in history, the shores of Waikiki. Monty Cooke demanded that the plans be altered, allowing the heiau to remain in place. The residence anchors its present location, utilizing stone that was quarried on site. The Cookes named the house Kuali'i, after a famous hero chief of O'ahu.

Although not currently open to the public, owners Sam and Mary Cooke have plans to convert the residence into a historic home museum.

The next highlight of the center is the heiau. At one point, the Cooke family sold the land under the heiau, and under new ownership, unhindered tropical encroachment took its toll. Trees and foliage engulfed the heiau. Sam and Mary Cooke came to the rescue. The couple repurchased the property and commenced restoration of the heiau in 1993. They retained Billy Fields, an expert in uhau humu pohaku (Hawaiian dry-stacked rock masonry). Billy had honed his skills studying historical heiau, burial sites and fishponds.

In 1997, the Cookes conveyed ownership of Kuka'o'o heiau to two private, nonprofit entities that they initiated, the Kuali'i Foundation and the Manoa Heritage Center. With a pledge of cultural stewardship and public interaction, Kuka'o'o Heiau is the only remaining preserved heiau in the ahupua'a of Waikiki. Monumental mana for urban Honolulu.

The final highlight is the glorious garden — a stunning example of landscaping the Hawaiian 'aina with Hawaiian plants. I was allowed the privilege of roaming this exquisite terrain in solitude, accompanied only by the mele of the Manoa mist, dancing its hula among rare floral residents.

My fantasy environment is a world totally landscaped in the manner of the Manoa Heritage Center. Endemic, indigenous and Polynesian canoe plants, some on the endangered-species list and others that are threatened or at risk, are harmoniously clustered. The plants were vibrant and healthy, providing a design pattern that inspired the imagination and showcased the unsurpassed beauty and aesthetics of native-plant landscaping.

Please support the Manoa Heritage Center by visiting this native Hawaiian plant paradise and the historic Kuka'o'o Heiau.