Honolulu Magazine
Little Plumeria Farms Opens for Guided Tours on O‘ahu’s North Shore
This 20-acre property run by three generations of photographer Clark Little’s family will be open until Oct. 31.
Meghan Thibault / Honolulu Magazine
May 3, 2023
Renowned shorebreak wave photographer Clark Little is picking flowers, gently passing each delicate bloom to me and sharing its story. His enthusiasm for his family-run business, on a 20-acre parcel of agricultural land in Hale‘iwa, is infectious. For 50 years, the place has been lovingly tended to by his father, Jim Little.
Photo: Meghan Thibault
It’s Sunday morning and preparations are underway for the grand opening of Little Plumeria Farms. To mark its 50th anniversary, the property has been open to the public since May 1—for the first time ever—with guided group and private tours running through Oct. 31 while the flowers are in full bloom.
When we arrive at the farm, Clark is busily handling a chainsaw, cutting back tree branches with his son, Dane Little, to clear a path for visitors among the many rows of plumeria trees—hundreds of them, all in various stages of growth. There’s a seeding shed, and tiny plants in pots, and of course, rows of gorgeous plumeria trees planted more than 20 years ago that are in full, vibrant and breathtaking bloom.
He takes a break from cutting branches to welcome us, and offers us a spin around the property in a muddy golf cart, providing a glimpse of the tours that visitors to the farm are getting this summer. He stops often to pluck more flowers for me, and he tells me their names: Goldilocks, Gardenia, Hawaiian Coral, Hawaiian Rose. Each named cultivar has a unique nomenclature that often references its appearance.
Photo: Meghan Thibault
“This is one of my dad’s rarest plumerias, called Doric, named after my mom, and this one is called Metallica, which is one of the craziest cultivars that we have. It’s got purple and silver, and smells a bit like grape.”
I worked for years in the wine business, and this experience is very much like touring a vineyard with the winemaker. Then I remember from Clark’s bio that he was born in Napa.
“This one is called Hawaiian Ribbon, and you can see how it curls…twirls back, and it has that little ribbon effect. This guy is called Ruffles because it’s just so fluffy. This one makes a beautiful lei and the fragrance is really, really good. Can you imagine it as a lei?” he asks.
My hands are soon full, and I take off my hat and carefully place my plumerias inside for safekeeping. We drive ahead a few yards and he stops again to show me a plumeria with a dark fuchsia edge that he notes looks like eyeliner.
