Polynesian Cultural Center -- The island nations of Polynesia

Polynesia, which means "many islands," covers a roughly triangular-shaped geographical area of the Pacific Ocean, with Hawaii at the northern apex, Aotearoa or New Zealand in the southwest, and Rapa Nui or Easter Island in the southeast. The Polynesian Triangle encompasses approximately 16 million square miles of ocean and includes thousands of islands, all of which were successfully explored and many colonized over 1,000 years ago. There are over 30 different groups of Polynesian people living within or near the Polynesian Triangle.

The Polynesian Cultural Center features the people and islands of Hawaii, Samoa, Aotearoa (Maori New Zealand), Fiji, the Marquesas, Tahiti, and Tonga; as well as a Rapa Nui exhibit and an 1850s-era Christian mission complex, all in a beautiful 42-acre setting that has been Hawaii's top paid-admission visitor attraction since 1977.  In addition, the Polynesian Cultural Center also provides information on several other Polynesian island groups, including the Cook Islands, Niue, the Tuamotu archipelago, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna.

The Center opens at noon daily and we got there at 1 p.m.  Only Doris knew how big this place is with all the locations and events to cover.  It could be nicknamed “Epcot in Hawaii”. The weather was cloudy with a light rain and mist --  We didn’t realize that Hawaii was wet in the summer!   

So we had four hours to explore the center before the Luau began.  We all headed to different countries and tried to do all we could.  Each country has activities or shows and it would take a full day to visit all of them in full.  At 2:30 each day they have a boat parade of all the countries.  By the time the Luau began we were tired!  Doris stood in line for the Luau early, and we ended up getting a table right next to the stage.  The tradition at Luau’s is to entertain with Hawaiian music and dances, and this one was exceptional.  The Center doesn’t let you rest -- after the Luau we headed to a large outdoor theater for a show that featured music and dances by each of the countries.  It was about 10:30 p.m. when we left and were ready to start our two hour drive back to Honolulu.  But, Jerry’s car wouldn’t start.  The battery was dead.  So by the time we got Security to give the car a jump it was 11 p.m..  A long day once again, and a fun one!