Whenever her job gets hectic, Tanya Aynessazian, chief executive officer of the Volcano Art Center, heeds the call of the Niaulani Rain Forest just outside her office. Along a loop trail — one-seventh of a mile that meanders at the foot of giant koa and ohia trees — she often finds a place to sit, relax and listen.

"The sounds of the apapane (Hawaiian honeycreeper), the wind blowing through the trees and the rustling of leaves center me," she said. "I’m nourished and cleansed by the forest spirit. Niaulani means ‘brushed by the heavens,’ and that’s how I feel when I emerge — revitalized and with clarity to continue on through the day."

Long ago the Hawaiians did not live, hunt or grow crops in this magnificent, mist-shrouded oasis 4,000 feet above sea level on the slopes of Kilauea Volcano. They believed it was a sacred wao akua, realm of the gods.

Today, the center is the steward of the 5.5-acre Niaulani, one of the last remaining old-growth forests in Hawaii. Founded in 1974, the Volcano Art Center is a nonprofit educational organization that helps perpetuate the artistic and cultural heritage of Hawaii’s people and environment through events and activities revolving around the visual, literary and performing arts. Niaulani has become a muse for painters, sculptors, ceramists, photographers, writers, composers, performers and others dedicated to creative pursuits.

Scientists and teachers also frequent the forest to study its flourishing ecosystem. "Native rain forests on the Big Island are situated near the summit of volcanoes and act as green sponges," said Amanda Spaur, the center’s education coordinator. "They trap, collect and filter water into water tables. Without them, water would move very quickly, in massive amounts, down the flanks of the mountains and into developed areas."

Every Monday morning, rain or shine, center guides lead visitors on a stroll through Niaulani. They point out native plants and explain how the early Hawaiians used them for food, medicine, shelter, clothing, adornments and religious ceremonies.

"Most of the land in Hawaii is dominated by plants that, although beautiful, are not native to Hawaii," Spaur said. "Pictures of introduced ornamentals such as orchids, bromeliads and Himalayan gingers often appear in publicity for Hawaii, which gives visitors the mistaken impression that they originated here. During the walk we talk about the islands’ evolution, environment and native inhabitants, as well as the fragile and unique nature of our rain forests."

According to Spaur, foresters who previously resided in Niaulani protected native plants from harvesting and controlled the spread of invasive species. When the center leased the property from the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources in 1997, it was with the understanding that it would continue those conservation efforts and spearhead campaigns to reintroduce native trees, flowers and shrubs.

During the walk, guides also identify the primary components of the Hawaiian rain forest, including epiphytes, which obtain nutrients from the air and rain and usually grow on other plants for support. The intriguing, artistic formations of established plants captivate shutterbugs. For example, some epiphytes grow high up in the canopy, their long roots entwined around trees’ branches and trunks in a gentle embrace.

Spaur enjoys accompanying visitors in the quiet majesty of Niaulani. "Even though our weekly walks are only an hour, visitors are able to make a profound, intimate connection with the forest," she said. "Niaulani is truly magical. It’s a compelling classroom that reveals so much about the wonders of nature without saying a word."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won multiple Society of American Travel Writers awards.