Hawaii: Part II – The Polynesian Cultural Center


One of the most memorable days of our vacation was the day of our visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie. It’s the #1 paid attraction in Hawaii and I can understand why. It’s a must if you are planning a visit to Oahu. The Polynesian Cultural Center or PCC is a living museum or a cultural theme park that showcases seven island nations of the South Pacific.
Our visit was an all-day experience. We left mid-morning for a fun filled day. The PCC is about an hour drive from Waikiki and it’s a beautiful scenic route along Kamehameha Hwy.

There are many packages to choose for your experience. We chose the Ambassador Package which included admission to the center and all of its experiences plus their nightly Luau. We were all greeted with a lei as we entered the park- which the kids loved. The first thing our daughter spotted was a canoe ride. As you can imagine, that’s the first thing we did. It’s a little guided tour down the middle of the center and everyone got a kick out of it. Once we finished with our boat ride we started our visit of the 7 villages. The Polynesian Cultural Center features the people and islands of Hawaii, Samoa, Aotearoa (Maori New Zealand), Fiji, the Marquesas, Tahiti, and Tonga. We made our way through most of the villages. They have overall presentations which we all loved. They usually included their native dances which were just fabulous to watch. Our daughter and son were mesmerized. Each village has family activities which your kids can take part of. We tried a couple . Our daughter Lauren, who is two, loved participating in the basket and craft building in the Tongan village. We also stopped to take in the Long Canoe Pageant . Don’t miss this, it only takes place once at 2:30pm. The show has beautiful dances performed on the canoes from each of the seven island nations. We continued touring the different villages and chatting with the students from BYU Hawaii that staff the center. Once we finished touring, we lined up for our luau. We were met with a fresh flower lei and traditional Luau. The food was fantastic – it was a buffet and they had a children’s section with jello and chicken fingers which was a hit with both of our kids.

We then headed to the last part of our day at the PCC- The Horizons show. I can’t rave enough about what an amazing show this was. It featured each of the island nation’s native dances and even some fire-dancing. I could rave on and on about our day. It was a day that will be engraved in our mind. Just writing about it makes me want to jump on a plane to relive this day, even though it was a long day. You will not be disappointed!!

Polynesian Cultural Center
www.Polynesia.com
Monday-Saturday 11am-8pm
Closed Sunday
55-370 Kamehameha Hwy, Laie

This entry was posted in Hawaii.

Hawaii: Part 1 – The Dole Plantation


One of our first outings while on vacation in Oahu last month was a visit to the Dole Pineapple Plantation in Wahiawa. We packed the two kiddos in our rental truck (it was the same price as a compact but with more room!) and headed north for our little adventure. It’s a beautiful and scenic 40 minute drive from Waikiki on Kamehameha hwy. My two year old had a great time enjoying the beautiful rainbows we saw along the way.


It’s a great place to visit, especially if you have little ones. The first thing we did once we arrived was head to the Pineapple Express. It’s a 20 minute train ride that takes you on a narrated tour of the plantation. The kiddos were in love and so was I. It was a fun little train ride and the views were amazing. We learned all about pineapples and how they are grown. The tour was a lot of fun and it’s a must do if you visit the plantation.

Once we managed to pull the kids away from the train we moved on to the plantation’s free garden tour. It’s a self guided tour of the gardens which showcase the different types of crops that are grown in the North Shore of Oahu. We had a great time on the tours but really when you visit the Dole Pineapple Plantation what you really want to do is eat some yummy pineapple. We stopped at their snack shop and had a tasty Dole whip, some fresh cut pineapple and a pineapple float. We were in pineapple heaven!!! We had such a great time and if you are heading to Oahu with your little ones make sure that you make this one of your pit stops. You won’t regret it!!!

World Famous Pinapple Split

Dole Plantation-64-1550 Kamehameha Highway, Wahiawa, HI 96786
Visitors Center/Plantation Garden Tour – 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily
Pineapple Express 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily

Visiting Dole Plantation is free.

Pineapple Express Train Adults – $7.75,
Children – $5.75
Plantation Garden Tour Adults – $4.00,
Children – $3.25

Oh, almost forgot- children under 4 are FREE!!!!

Hawaii

We are preparing for a trip to Hawaii next month with both our 8 month old son and 2 year old daughter. This will include a flight to and from the island. We will be sure to report to you the things we learned and tips that we picked up along the way. Stay tuned.

This entry was posted in Hawaii.