The fully immersive Polynesian Cultural Center can best be described as part education, part museum,  part Disney Theme Park and part Broadway.   Wear your walking shoes, this full day of activity spans a full 42 acres!

Founded in 1865, this area was originally desolate and uninhabitable. Prior to the building of this amazing location, the lovely town of Laie hosted weekly hukilaus, a community fish fry meant to entertain, instruct and support the community to raise money for the constuction.  Through tender loving care and tenacity the area, also known as ‘The Gathering Place’,  grew into a beautiful center of spirituality, education and ethnic harmony. The Polynesian Cultural Center first opened its doors in 1963 as a way for students at the adjacent Church College of Hawaii (now Brigham Young University-Hawaii) to earn money for their education, while preserving and portraying the cultures, arts and crafts of the people of Polynesia.   We’ve come a long way since 1963.

Entrance

Upon entering the park you may assigned a guide or left to explore the park on your own.  Everything is dependent upon the type of ticket you have purchased and the inclusions they have.

Villages

The park is divided into various Polynesian villages: Aoteareo (New Zealand), Figi, Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti, and Tonga.  Personally we chose this adventure specifically to get an overview of the various areas we would be seeing during the course of our 45 day Pacific Adventure.

Each village contains replicas of statues and buildings indicative of the actual location.    Each village also offers cultural activities such as dances, foods, games, stories, music and more.  The costumed “villagers” are mostly    students from the nearby Brigham Young University. With another nod to the authenticity,  these students often come from the islands they are representing.  Demonstrations take place at each village throughout the afternoon and visitors are invited to get hands on and participate in many of them.

Living Museum

Tucked away among the villages of the Polynesian Cultural Center is a halau (a place of learning) which holds an almost 60 foot long double-hulled canoe made of Fijian dakua wood.  Twice a day there is a presentation about how the Iosepa is used by BYU – Hawaii as a sailing classroom, where students learn about now the ancient Polynesians navigated across the Pacific Ocean.  When the Iosepa is not being used during the spring and summer months it is stored at the Center.  Visitors to the exhibit will also learn about how a celestial navigation compass is used, how the canoe is prepared and the activities the “crew” will perform during an ocean voyage.  This is just a single example of the many museum pieces scattered among the grounds.

Lagoon

Just as they are in real life, the villages positioned along a waterway.   A long river connects them and eventually leads to a lagoon.  Along the waterway is where you can paddle your own outrigger canoe, take a gentle float trip around the entire park or spend time in the afternoon watching the Parade of Long Canoes as it floats by with representative dancers and musicians from each village.

All tickets allow you to partake in each of the villages.  For an additional fee you may add one of two dining options.

Buffet

The Buffet at both lunch and dinner time.  Many traditional foods are served.  This is held in the

Evening Luau

A Traditional Luau is, complete with the lifting of the roasted pig from the imu (in ground oven), a buffet style feast and more entertainment including a royal procession, dancers and musicians.  The luau is held in the .

Following the meal all guests will make their way to the

Evening Show

Ha-The Breath of Life is a spectacular Broadway style story with over 100 performers.  There is no photography allowed at this venue, which leaves us limited only to the photos available online.  Trust me when I say this is a show you won’t want to miss.  In fact, many of the performers have been awarded the top awards for their dance skills.

This tour has earned the distinction of the  “Peoples Choice Award” and draws over 1 million visitors a year.