Our Day at the Polynesian Cultural Center

 The Polynesian Cultural Center was a place we visited 27 years ago when in Hawaii to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. I did not have a lot of memories from the visit other than a buffet, a show, climbing a palm tree, and lots of walking. Guess what? It hasn't changed!

We passed this food truck on the way to meet the tour bus. OFD remembered this was on her foodie bucket list, so we stopped.

And enjoyed a delicious warm, glazed original donut from the Holey Grail. YUM!

The hour plus bus ride to the other side of the island and the campus of BYU hugged a mountain side and views of the ocean. OFD has some great photos I will have to get from the bus ride.

China Man's Hat Island

The market place is the location for food and shopping before entering the cultural center's six villages.

We chose to have lunch at Pounders and started our meal with more of the Hawaiian dinner rolls. This flavor was taro. (We have also had guava [pink] rolls.)

Hawaiian Mango Pizza

with prosciutto and honey

Kahuku Shrimp Pizza with pesto, lemon & mozzarella

bathroom signs to add to my collection

Then it was off to explore each of the six villages: Hawaii, Samoa, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Fiji, Tahiti, and Tonga.

many trees with coconuts

we tasted coconut bread in the Tahiti village

here's the recipe, but I probably won't make it

although it was tasty

pandanus leaf weaving in the Samoa Village

we created fish

bananas growing in the village

waterfalls along the walk ways

we tasted poi while in the Hawaiian Village

it looked the color of the taro dinner rolls from Pounders

tasted bland, had the texture of cream of wheat cereal

(Kari says the texture was like paste)

climbing the 40' coconut trees in bare feet

in the Samoan Village

the well-muscled found man on the right 

made it to the top first

do you see him?

not only climb with bare feet, 

but hang on with one arm!

statues similar to those on Easter Island

twirling fire sticks in Samoa

demonstrations by fine muscled young men

52 year-old Cap twirling fire with his feet

and he climbed the 40' coconut tree!

The buffet food was nothing to brag about or to photograph. There was a very good salad bar with lots of fresh South Pacific fruit for choosing. There were fish, chicken, pork and beef options fixed as they would be  in the village countries, so foreign to our palates. The pineapple soft serve ice cream was a hit.

The evening ended with an outstanding performance called the Ha:Breath of Life at the Pacific Theater. The performers in the key roles might change nightly. the cast and crew of about 100 are mostly students at BYU-Hawaii who come primarily from the cultures they represent. (as they do in each of the village activities and presentations) The evening production we saw in 1995 was Horizons: Where the Sea Meets the Sky. (no photos were to be taken during the performance)

*about 400 different costumes are worn nightly

*all costumes are designed and fabricated at the PCC

*since 2009, HA: Breath of Life has been seen by over 8 million people

The Polynesian Culture Center first opened in October 1963. Over 35 million visitors have come to La'ie Hawaii to enjoy an introduction to the people of Polynesia. Visitors have made it possible over the years for 30,000 college students from Hawaii, the Pacific, Asia and other countries world-wide to gain an education at the adjacent Brigham Young University-Hawaii campus.