Polynesian Cultural Center

The centre opened in 1963, run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with an explicit funding purpose: employ students of the adjacent Brigham Young University-Hawaii so they can pay for their education, and a large majority of the staff are students, many from the islands they represent. Six village areas cover Samoa, Aotearoa, Fiji, Hawaii, Tahiti and Tonga, with demonstrations of fire-making, weaving, dance and coconut husking through the day, plus a canoe pageant on the lagoon and an evening show. The presentation is a performance rather than a lived community, which the centre does not disguise, and the arrangement has both defenders and critics among Pacific Islanders.

Background

The center was dedicated on October 12, 1963 and occupies 42 acres in Laie belonging to the neighbouring Brigham Young University-Hawaii; it is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Seventy percent of its roughly 1,300 employees are students at the university, and since opening it has given financial help to more than 12,000 of them. Students may work up to 20 hours a week during term and 40 in the breaks, and as a non-profit the center puts its revenue into daily operations and education. A free shuttle runs to the campus and the visitors' center of the Laie Hawaii Temple.

Source: Wikipedia, "Polynesian Cultural Center"

The main sights

• Six island village areas - Samoa, Aotearoa, Fiji, Hawaii, Tahiti, Tonga.
• Students from those islands - working to fund their studies.
• Demonstrations through the day - fire-making, weaving, dance.
• A canoe pageant and evening show - the set-piece performances.

When to go

Year round; closed Sundays. A full day.

Before you go

It is expensive, and the fuller packages considerably so. It is a staged presentation, not a living village. Closed Sundays for religious observance. The drive from Waikiki takes over an hour each way.

Nearby

The north shore beaches are west; Kualoa is south.

Key facts