Emma Kalanikaumaka`amano Kaleleon`lani Na`ea Rooke of Hawaii (January 2, 1836 – April 25, 1885) was queen of Hawaii as the wife of King Kamehameha IV from 1856 to his death in 1863.
After the deaths of her son and husband Queen Emma came to Kauai to grieve. During her sojourn on Kauai beginning in December 1870 she resided at Mauna Kilohana, which was located within the 4,200-acre ahupuaa of Lawai. The humble cottage, was originally situated atop the bluff on the Koloa side of Lawai Valley, overlooking Lawai Bay. Emma planted hau, ti, banana, sugarcane, taro, and pia at Mauna Kilohana, as well as spider lilies, ferns, haole lehua, rose apple, kamani, mango, bamboo, hala, and the magenta bougainvillea that drape the pali to this day. She would often walk along the breathtaking bluff, as well as down into the Allerton Garden.
In the early 1900s, with sugarcane about to be planted at Mauna Kilohana, Alexander McBryde cut the house into sections, had it carefully lowered over the pali onto the valley floor, where it became known as Queen Emma’s Cottage. The cottage is now preserved as a part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. For tours of the beautiful Allerton Gardens visit; https://ntbg.org/gardens/allerton/
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