Polynesian Cultural Center Island Presentations

This is the third in a series of posts about the Polynesian Cultural Center.  If you missed the first two here are links to Polynesian Cultural Center Activities and Polynesian Cultural Center Canoe Pageant.

Each island village in the Polynesian Cultural Center hosts presentations throughout the afternoon.  There is a printed schedule available which also lists "family presentations" for some of the islands which are supposed to be especially family friendly.  We never made an effort to make it to these shows and I felt like the regular ones were fun for kids too.

We've been to quite a few of the presentations but not all of them.  If you tried to make it to all of the presentations in one afternoon I don't think you'd have time to do many hands-on activities.  We like a mix of activities and presentations.  In a previous post I mentioned that many of the hands-on activities and experiences aren't operating during the presentation times so plan your schedule accordingly.

Each presentation is a fun mix of entertainment and education.  In Samoa we learned about how they get coconuts, cook and make fire.  The emcee does his best at island-style stand up comedy and is pretty funny.

The presentation in Fiji had less humor but we learned about making music with bamboo sticks and even got to give it a try ourselves during the performance.

Of the shows I've seen, Tonga is my favorite.  The emcee there had the whole audience laughing a lot.  It was great to watch my son burst into uncontrollable laughter during the show.

The Polynesian Cultural Center is also famous for its evening luaus and show but due to early bedtimes for our kids we haven't been to those yet.  Something to look forward to when they get older!  (And if you've been, please feel free to share your experience in the comments.)

With this, and a suggestion to take one of the canoe rides through the center at some point during your day, I am going to end my mini series on the Polynesian Cultural Center.  Keep your eyes out for a ticket deal and pay them a visit.  It's a fun place to spend an afternoon!

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  55-370 Kamehameha Hwy, Laie, Hawaii 96762

Hours:  Closed Sundays.  Open Mon - Sat beginning at 11:45am.  Island tours and village presentations begin at 12:05pm.  Island villages close at 5pm except for Tonga and Samoa which close at 5:30pm.  Box office closes at 8pm.  

Cost:  • There are numerous packages available so rather than list them all I'm going to give you a couple links to use.  Click here for kama'aina ticket prices.  Click here for tourist/visitor ticket prices.  • They offer a 20% discount for kama'aina.  I believe you need to call ahead to reserve tickets to receive this price.  • The PCC also offers an annual pass that pays for itself in a few visits.  Even better, this pass goes on sale from time to time so be on the lookout for that promotion. 

Parking:  $8 per vehicle.  Free if you have an annual pass.

Facilities:  Restrooms throughout the center.  Snack bar open from 11:30am to 6pm.  Marketplace with numerous stores and gift shops throughout the center.

Other:  • Some of the shows take place in covered amphitheaters but the canoe pageant, canoe rides, some shows and most of the activities take place outdoors so this isn't the best place to head on a rainy day.  • Since you'll be outside a lot I'd recommend sunscreen and hats.  • They sell snacks there but I usually take a few with me too for convenience.

Polynesian Cultural Center Activities

This is the second in a series of posts about the Polynesian Cultural Center.  If you missed it, here's a link to the first post: Polynesian Cultural Center Canoe Pageant.

The hands-on activities at the Polynesian Cultural Center really make this a great place for kids.  The center is divided into different 'islands' and each island village has several hands-on things to try.  You can play native games, taste traditional food, take a dance lesson or try your hand at traditional village tasks like fishing or fire making.  Here are a few of our favorites:

Learn to throw a spear in Tonga.

Weave a fish out of lauhala.

Challenge your coordination with this game in Aotearoa.

Get inked (with stamps, not needles).

Climb a coconut tree in Samoa.  (There's a height requirement for this one)

During show times most of the employees in a village are busy with the presentation and many of the activities are closed.  Visit the island village when they are not hosting a show and there will be people there to help you try something new.  Fun for kids and adults alike!

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  55-370 Kamehameha Hwy, Laie, Hawaii 96762

Hours:  Closed Sundays.  Open Mon - Sat beginning at 11:45am.  Island tours and village presentations begin at 12:05pm.  Island villages close at 5pm except for Tonga and Samoa which close at 5:30pm.  Box office closes at 8pm.  

Cost:  • There are numerous packages available so rather than list them all I'm going to give you a couple links to use.  Click here for kama'aina ticket prices.  Click here for tourist/visitor ticket prices.  • They offer a 20% discount for kama'aina.  I believe you need to call ahead to reserve tickets to receive this price.  • The PCC also offers an annual pass that pays for itself in a few visits.  Even better, this pass goes on sale from time to time so be on the lookout for that promotion. 

Parking:  $8 per vehicle.  Free if you have an annual pass.

Facilities:  Restrooms throughout the center.  Snack bar open from 11:30am to 6pm.  Marketplace with numerous stores and gift shops throughout the center.

Other:  • Some of the shows take place in covered amphitheaters but the canoe pageant, canoe rides, some shows and most of the activities take place outdoors so this isn't the best place to head on a rainy day.  • Since you'll be outside a lot I'd recommend sunscreen and hats.  • They sell snacks there but I usually take a few with me too for convenience.

More info:  Polynesian Cultural Center Canoe Pageant 

Polynesian Cultural Center Canoe Pageant

For years I skipped the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) thinking it was just an expensive tourist trap but I've changed my mind.  Yes, it's a tourist trap and yes, it can be expensive, but it's very well done, entertaining, educational and a great place for a family outing.


There is so much to do I'm not going to try to fit it all in one post.  So here is the beginning of a short series of posts on the PCC.

Every day at 2:30 all eyes turn to the lagoon for the Canoe Pageant.  It's a parade on the water featuring dancers from the various cultures represented at the PCC.  The parade is fast-paced enough for little explorers but slow enough for adults to soak up and enjoy.  There's great music and it's a fun change of pace partway through the afternoon.

A lot of the seats for the parade are in the sun, but if you stake out a spot early you can get one in the shade.  Before the parade starts a canoe will come by with ice cream for sale.  If you're wanting to have dessert while you're there this is a great time to enjoy it.  You can also send part of your group off to get shave ice for everyone and enjoy that while you wait.

The canoe pageant happens in two locations simultaneously, the lagoon in front of Tahiti and the lagoon in front of Samoa, with half the boats starting at one end of the lagoons and half of them starting at the other.  We've watched it in both locations and on the Samoa side it seemed the boats spent a little more time in front of you, but we enjoyed both spots.

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  55-370 Kamehameha Hwy, Laie, Hawaii 96762

Hours:  Closed Sundays.  Open Mon - Sat beginning at 11:45am.  Island tours and village presentations begin at 12:05pm.  Island villages close at 5pm except for Tonga and Samoa which close at 5:30pm.  Box office closes at 8pm.  

Cost:  • There are numerous packages available so rather than list them all I'm going to give you a couple links to use.  Click here for kama'aina ticket prices.  Click here for tourist/visitor ticket prices.  • They offer a 20% discount for kama'aina.  I believe you need to call ahead to reserve tickets to receive this price.  • The PCC also offers an annual pass that pays for itself in a few visits.  Even better, this pass goes on sale from time to time so be on the lookout for that promotion. 

Parking:  $8 per vehicle.  Free if you have an annual pass.

Facilities:  Restrooms throughout the center.  Snack bar open from 11:30am to 6pm.  Marketplace with numerous stores and gift shops throughout the center.

Other:  • Some of the shows take place in covered amphitheaters but the canoe pageant, canoe rides, some shows and most of the activities take place outdoors so this isn't the best place to head on a rainy day.  • Since you'll be outside a lot I'd recommend sunscreen and hats.  • They sell snacks there but I usually take a few with me too for convenience.

Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore

Ah, winter.  Those who say Hawaii doesn't have seasons haven't lived here.  Sure they're mild, but there are seasons none-the-less.  Winter means more rain, cooler temperatures (especially in the mornings and evenings) and big waves on the North Shore.

If you haven't made it up to the North Shore yet this winter you should add it to list of things to do.  It's an entirely different place this time of year than in the summer and watching the big waves never gets old.  

A couple weeks ago we had friends visiting who wanted to see the North Shore.  The surf report said waves were around 15 feet and when we got to Pipeline we discovered there had been a surfing competition there earlier in the day but it had been called off because the waves were too big.  There were still a lot of surfers and bodyboarders in the water and we joined the spectators lining the beach and had fun watching them most of the afternoon.

Pipeline really is a great place to watch bodyboarders and surfers because the main break is fairly close to shore so it's easy to see the action from the beach.

They're not quite as close as they look in this picture but this was taken with the zoom on my little point and shoot camera, not a fancy camera with a big lens.  Definitely easy to see with the unaided eye.

If you just want to see waves, hit most any spot along the North Shore, but if you want to see surfers I'd recommend the Banzai Pipeline.  Have fun and be safe!

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  Banzai Pipeline is located near Ehukai Beach Park which is in Pupukea on the North Shore. 

Directions:  Ehukai Beach Park is located along Kamehameha Hwy. between Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach near Sunset Beach Elementary School.  

Parking:  There is a parking lot at Ehukai Beach Park.  When this is full find a spot where you can pull completely off the road that isn't marked 'no parking' and park there.

Facilities:  There are restrooms and showers at Ehukai Beach Park.

Other:  When there's a big swell most beaches on the North Shore are closed, and for good reason.  The water is extremely rough and the currents are incredibly strong.  Follow posted warnings and all lifeguard instructions.  Also be on the lookout for unexpected waves that can wash quite a ways up the beach with lots of force.  •  Take binoculars if you have them, but if you don't you'll still be able to see a lot.  •  Big waves on the North Shore can mean lots of traffic on Kamehameha Hwy.  Be prepared to go slow and relax and enjoy the journey.

Tidepool by Sharks Cove

Two trips to Oahu's North Shore in almost as many weeks?  Crazy, I know!  And I have to say I thought I was going to go crazy on the drive up there which seemed to take FOREVER because a certain boy in the back seat talked nonstop the entire time!  But at least the little girl in the backseat got a nap on the way up there, so it was all good.

The plan was to meet up with friends at Sharks Cover where people could snorkel in the cove or hang out in the big tide pool to the left of the cove.  Unfortunately the surf was up a bit higher than predicted so only the bravest grown-ups in the group ventured into Sharks Cove but the rest of us had fun in the tide pool.  The water was really clear and we saw several different kinds of fish, some purple sea urchins and a couple crabs.

At Shark's Cove itself there is only a tiny bit of sand, but on the other side of the tide pool there is a bigger beach and that's where we spent our time when we weren't in the water.  The beach toys we took were put to good use!  We had taken food for supper on the beach and we were there to see a beautiful sunset reflected in the tide pool.  Ah, this is the life!

Do it yourself:

• Location: Sharks Cove and the adjacent tide pools are part of Pupukea Beach Park on Oahu's North Shore.  This spot is located between Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach.

• Parking: Spots are located within the park on the ocean side of the road.

• Facilities:  There are restrooms and showers here but I don't think there are life guards.

• Recommendations:  Wear shoes appropriate for reef-walking.  The rocks are sharp and there are sea urchins too.  I wore thick-soled slippers (kinda like tevas) which worked okay but had the kids wear shoes that provided coverage on the tops of their feet too.  

• The tide pools would be a great place to teach kids to snorkel.  The water is calm and shallow enough in many places that they can stand up if they need/want to.  But even if they don't snorkel they can still see fish and other things in the water as they walk along.

Pizza Bob's in Hale'iwa

There are a number of good places to eat in Hale'iwa and I think Pizza Bob's is one of them.  Their pizza is good and so are their salads.  I think they have pasta too, but it's the salad and pizza that we usually order so that's what sticks out in my mind.

They have a children's menu and high chairs.  They also have crayons for kids to color with but on our last visit there they didn't give us any and the children's menu was laminated so I figured they didn't have anything for the kids.  But then I spied a cup of crayons on a neighboring table and since no one was sitting there we snagged them and let the kids draw on a flier we'd picked up in the entry.  So if they don't give you crayons and you want some, ask your server.

We've always eaten outside which has a nice casual ambiance about it.

Do it yourself:

• Pizza Bob's is at 66-145 Kamehameha Hwy. in Hale'iwa.  

• Lots of free parking in the adjacent lot.

• Seems like it takes awhile for the pizzas to be made so if you're in a hurry you might want to go somewhere else, but if you have time I think they are worth the wait.

• There are often coupons for Pizza Bob's in MidWeek, so clip one and save some money on your meal!

Laniakea Beach, a.k.a. Turtle Beach

After swimming and playing in the sand at Sunset Beach we headed towards Hale'iwa and stopped at Laniakea Beach, commonly called Turtle Beach.  I think this beach is so pretty, especially in the late afternoon.  The lighting is great, the rocks on the beach add interest, the coconut trees make it look so tropical...  We took a few group shots that were the "we've just been at the beach having lots of fun" type pictures and not the type to enlarge and hang on the wall, but maybe someday we'll have a nice family portrait taken here.  It's a beautiful spot!  I also took a few silhouette photos which I always think are fun.

The reason the beach is nicknamed Turtle Beach is because Hawaiian green sea turtles seem to love it here.  This time we just saw a bunch of them in the water, but it is common to also find them up on the beach here just hanging out and relaxing.  Word has gotten out about this spot as you can see from the crowd of turtle watchers below.  

Turtles or not, this beach is definitely worth stopping at!

Do it yourself on Oahu:

• Located off of the Kamehameha Hwy (Hwy 83) between Hale'iwa and Waimea Bay.  I recognize it by the fact that the beach comes right up to the highway with no trees between the beach and the road and parking is across the street in a big dirt pull-out type area.

• When we've seen turtles on the beach here they have always been on the far right end of the beach as you're facing the ocean.

• Hawaiian green sea turtles are a threatened species protected by law, and touching or harassing them is illegal.  Give them their space and save yourself possible fines and even jail time.

• There are often volunteers at this beach keeping a watchful eye on the turtles.  They are a great source of information, so if you have turtle questions, ask them!

Sunset Beach

I've joked that I go to the Mainland more than I go to the North Shore and the truth is, it's probably not as much of a joke as you might think.  Afterall, the North Shore is SO far away!  You know, far, as in 40 whole miles away from my house!  It seems that people who live here either get island fever and feel claustrophobic or they adjust so much that their frame of reference changes and going anywhere outside of a 10 mile radius takes advance planning.  I'm definitely in the second category.  But we really like the North Shore and this weekend we used off-island visitors as motivation to make the trek north.  

We drove up the Windward coast through Ka'a'awa (love the name of that town!), past the Polynesian Cultural Center and on up past Turtle Bay Resort.  Such a beautiful drive!  We picked Sunset Beach as our destination and when we got there we found a spot on the beach, dumped our stuff under our umbrella and headed for the water.

It always amazes me what a different place the North Shore is, depending on the season.  In the winter the waves are huge and swimming is definitely at your own risk.  In the summer the waves are much calmer and the North Shore becomes a place for swimming and snorkeling.


As its name suggests, this beach is a great place to sit and watch the sun set over the water.  On this particular visit though, we left before sunset so we could get the kids home and to bed at a decent time.  Because, you know, we were so far away that if we stayed 'til sunset imagine how incredibly late it would be by the time we made it all the way back home.  Oh, that and we had a couple more stops we wanted to make, but I'll save those for other posts.

For now, I'll leave you with another picture of Sunset Beach.  Definitely worth the "long" drive!

Do it yourself on Oahu:

• Sunset Beach is located off of the Kamehameha Hwy. on the North Shore between Waimea Bay and Turtle Bay Resort.  

• There is parking right along the road at the top of the beach, as well as additional parking across the street at Sunset Beach Park.  

• There are no restrooms or showers on the beach, but I think there may be some across the street in the park.  I should have paid better attention.

• If you are planning to venture very far from shore, check with the lifeguards about the strong rip current that occurs at this beach.

Eddie Aikau Big-Wave Contest

We got to watch part of "the Eddie" in person yesterday! We didn't really plan it but things fell in place and there we were.

This surf contest only happens when the open ocean swells on the north shore reach a minimum of 20 feet. This means that when the waves break in Waimea Bay, where the competition is held, they have at least a 30-40 foot face. These conditions don't happen every year. In fact, the competition has only been held 8 times in the last 25 years.

On Sunday the papers said there was going to be extra big surf Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday. There was speculation the Eddie Aikau Contest would be held Monday, but our schedules were lighter on Tuesday so we decided we'd go see the waves Tuesday afternoon.

On our way to the North Shore we called the surf report and heard the surf was indeed big and that the Eddie (which had been scratched Monday) was on! We figured traffic would be terrible, but we had a full tank of gas, lunch to eat on the way and a bunch of toys and entertainment for the kids so off we went.

There were cars parked miles away from Waimea Bay. We didn't want to walk that far so we kept driving, figuring we'd just see the waves in passing. We crept along with the traffic, being passed by tons of bicycles, skateboarders and even some of the faster pedestrians. We crept closer toward the bay, around the bay and not too far beyond it we actually found a parking spot! We walked back to the bay which was rimmed with people. The atmosphere was great and there was excitement in the air.

The vantage point from the side of the road would have been the best, but not the best place to hang out with a four year old and a 19 month old, so we kept walking. We ended up on the beach, directly in front of where the waves were breaking and right behind where the surfers entered the water when their heat started. (That's just the shore break in this picture, the big waves were further out.)
The waves looked big, but when a surfer would drop down on a wave it really put them in perspective and you realized just HOW BIG the waves were. We got to see some amazing rides. It was also fun to watch the jet skis navigating the ocean. They would fly straight up in the air just going out over the smaller waves closer to shore. We saw a couple broken surf boards but thankfully no one was injured yesterday.

And what did the kids think of the competition? They weren't terribly impressed, but they had fun playing in the sand.

My little camera could never do justice to the waves and the surfing. If you want to see more, there are amazing pictures here (they take a little while to load but are worth the wait) and a pretty good youtube video here.