Created by Mormons more than half a century ago, the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Oahu, is Hawaii’s most popular paid activity. It includes an authentic Hawaiian luau, the world’s largest nighttime show, and recreated villages from seven different Polynesian cultures.

Since its opening in 1963, more than 33 million visitors have been introduced to the Polynesian people, their arts and customs, and nearly 15,000 Brigham Young University-Hawaii students have helped fund their educational goals while working as friendly guides, artists and other Polynesian cultural representatives. Center employees serving people from all over the world.

The Hawaii Polynesian Cultural Center, located about an hour’s drive from Waikiki, features seven native Polynesian villages that give visitors the rare opportunity to participate in the daily adventures of Hawaiian and South Pacific cultures.

Many South Pacific nations are represented at the Polynesian Cultural Center, where recreated villages, exhibits and hands-on activities highlight 8 of them: Samoa, Aotearoa (New Zealand Maori), Fiji, Hawaii, Marquesas, Tahiti, Tonga and Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

o Meet, learn and interact with the people of Hawaii, Samoa, New Zealand Maori (Aotearoa), Fiji, Tahiti, the Marquesas and Tonga.

o Watch Hawaii’s only canoe contest

o Experience an authentic Hawaiian luau, a dinner feast and show fit for an ali’i (royal chief).

o Enjoy the world famous night show “Horizons: Where the Sea Meets the Sky”

o Participate in family activities throughout Polynesia.

Nonprofit Polynesian Cultural Center Foundation

Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (popularly called Mormons) had been working among Polynesians in Tahiti and surrounding South Pacific islands as early as 1844. The missionaries arrived in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) in 1850. To By 1865, the LDS Church had purchased the 6,000-acre plantation that encompasses the entire town of Laie on Oahu.

The Polynesian Cultural Center is a 42-acre facility on the north shore of Oahu. Founded in 1963, the nonprofit Center was created so Pacific Island students from nearby Brigham Young University in Hawaii could make their way through college by sharing their island heritage with visitors. The university students come from an area that covers approximately 12 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean. Although largely a commercial enterprise, PCC profits are applied to various scholarship programs administered by BYU-Hawaii.

Many of BYU-Hawaii’s scholarship students work up to 20 hours per week during school terms and full time during breaks in order to graduate debt-free. The money that visitors pay for admission, as well as proceeds from the sale of food and gifts, supports the scholarship programs, which have educated thousands of Polynesian students since their inception. Visitors are invited to take bus tours of the university to “see where your money goes” and to see the Laie Hawaii Temple visitor center.

Travel around Polynesia in a single day

At the heart of the PCC experience are the island villages, which offer visitors a unique opportunity to learn about and participate in the customs of each island.

Visitors are encouraged to take part in a number of authentic activities, representing everything from island games and crafts to food preparation and warfare training skills. An authentic Hawaiian luau, all-you-can-eat buffets, canoe parade, IMAX(TM) theater, shopping and the world’s largest nighttime show are all part of the experience.

With its large lagoon, waterfalls, lush tropical flora and “erupting” volcano, the Polynesian Cultural Center captures all the romance and excitement of the South Pacific islands. A visit here represents the opportunity to travel across Polynesia in a single day and participate in the celebration of centuries of Polynesian culture, without the need for a passport.

Several towns offer more adventurous activities than the normal cultural performances that are scheduled throughout the day. These new activities now available include Spear Throwing, Fire Walking, Wood Carving and Tiki, Fire Pit Cooking, Tree Climbing, Fire Lighting, Fire Knife Dancing, Tattoos, Haka Dance, Maori War Canoe, Coconut Shelling .

Hawaii has become known worldwide as a special place of charm, entertainment, and education. The charm of old Polynesia lingers on as Pacific Islanders demonstrate their traditional arts and crafts and perform their lively song and dance at the Polynesian Cultural Center from noon to 10 pm, 7 days a week.