History of Kiahuna Plantation Resort & Moir Gardens

The resort property was originally the estate of Hector Moir and Alexandra "Sandie" Knudsen. A wedding gift from Alexandra's father, Eric Knudsen, the newlyweds moved into their beautiful lava stone manor upon their marriage in 1930. Built with lava rocks taken from the area, the Moirs named their home and gardens "Pa'u a Laka," or "skirt of Laka," after the Hawaiian goddess of hula and the early Hawaiian name for the area.

Hector Moir was the manager of nearby Koloa Sugar Plantation, Hawaii's first sugar plantation. Because of his position, the Moir home soon became the site of some of the most elaborate social gatherings on the island. There were cocktail parties, formal sit-down dinners and festive costume galas, sometimes with as many as 150 guests in attendance.

The Moir home continues to be a hub of activity even today, as it now serves as the main lobby of the Outrigger Kiahuna Plantation, and the home of the resort's own Plantation Garden's Restaurant.

The Plantation Gardens Restaurant

While her husband was tending the sugar plantation, Sandie Moir developed the Moir Gardens initially as a hobby in the 1930s.  By 1948 the private gardens were reportedly identified as "one of the ten best cactus and succulent gardens in the world." The garden was first opened to the public in 1954 and includes rare cactus and succulents, bromeliads, orchids, mature drought tolerant trees, and water lily ponds. Moir Gardens still exists today and are located on the Kiahuna grounds adjacent to the Plantation Garden's Restaurant and is open to the public every day without charge.

Moir Gardens