Besides all the water themed activities in Hawaii, what else could a visitor to Oahu, Honolulu do?
In 2007, we checked out the Polynesian Cultural Center when we wanted an alternative to all the scuba diving, swimming and snorkeling we’ve been doing in Oahu.
We tend to prefer to seek out more adventurous activities when we visit a place and try to steer clear of what we consider are regular tourist attractions. However, PCC seems different and a worthy place to check out, so we did!.
It’s not anything like Disneyland but does remind us of the same concept as the folk villages in China.
We could walk you through our entire day’s account of the place but we think it’d be more fun for you to experience it yourself.
So, here, in short are just some of the high level impressions and notes from our day at PCC:
- You’ll see and learn a lot about the people, songs, dance, costumes, architecture and culture of Polynesian islands, namely Aoteraroa (Maori New Zealand), Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti, Fiji, Tonga and Marquesas (French Polynesia) through the re-created villages scattered throughout the 42-acre lagoon park.
- Everyone who works at the PCC are from the various regions of Polynesia.
- Some workers are students of BYU (Bringham Young University) which is located nearby PCC (BYU is also the owner of the 42-acre land on which PCC sits). Their part time job here sure beats any of our part time job while in college!
- Although a large commercial venture, some of the proceeds from PCC are routed towards various scholarship programs at BYU.
- From the moment we arrived to the end of our day at PCC, we were greeted with friendly smiles and eager hosts
- Plan to arrive by 2pm, to give you enough time to visit all the different areas of the theme park prior to the 7:30pm evening show and buffet.
- We paid for the $22 roundtrip transportation pickup at one of the 9 “stations” around town (there’s an option for $30 pickup from your hotel).
- You’ll get a chance to learn to make leis, get a fake polynesian inspired tattoo, throw spears, tiki carving, spear making, singing, dancing, various cultural shows and lots more hands on experiences while visiting the “villages” around the park.
- Besides visiting each “village” at the theme park, a must see is the canoe pageant. Get there early to get good seats right by the river!
- Another reason to arrive by 2pm is because the canoe pageant starts at around 2:30pm!
- The best part of our day was the evening show called “Ha: The Breath of Life”. It tells the story of Mana and his extraordinary journey through singing, dancing, drumming, special effects and FIRE!
- There are various admission packages. At the very least, we’d suggest the Ali’i Luau Dining package (which is what we got). If we were to go again, we’d definitely go with one of the Ambassador packages instead to get better seating at the evening show.
- We were seated a little far from the stage with our Ali’i Luau Dining package, so we weren’t able to get good pictures.
- For closeup pictures, we recommend the packages with prime seating!
- The PCC is located at 55-270 Kamehameha Hwy, Laie, HI 96762
- Their website is located at http://www.polynesia.com
- Your experience will vary depending on the entrance packages you purchase. We’d recommend one of the Ambassador packages to get the best seating for the evening show.
- For a quick glimpse into the various villages, click here.
- Arrive by 2pm to be there for the half hour cultural parade down the river aka Canoe Pageant (show starts at 2:30pm).
- The PCC is closed on sundays!
- Families in particular would enjoy the PCC in our opinion, especially families with kids.
- The evening show was spectacular and it includes a buffet luau dinner. We thought the food at the buffet was just so-so as we’ve had better luau food elsewhere.
Have you visited the PCC before? Would this be an experience you’d try while in Oahu?
19 Comments
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I have never been to Honolulu but would love to go there someday. The place is amazing with lovely beeches and people.
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I visited the Polynesian Cultural Center once long ago when I was very young and I remember having a great time – a nice glimpse into a few cultural aspects of the Pacific islands. Too bad the luau dinner wasn’t so great.
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