Written by Barbara Durley, Travel & Cruise Consultant at Travitude Travel Group

When my daughter Kirsten and I were in Oahu, we took a day to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center. For my Disney friends, this is like the Epcot of Polynesian countries. Within the center, they have areas that are built to look like Aotearoa, Fiji, Hawaii, Rapa Nui, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, and a few other islands. The Polynesian Culture here is vibrantly represented across these diverse regions.

As you visit each area, there are representatives from that country who will tell to you about their culture through demonstrations and shows. You can also talk to them before and after the show times and learn so much more. You can choose to explore on your own or take the guided tour. We decided to take the guided tour as we wanted to see and experience as many of the islands as we could to truly understand the Polynesian Culture.

Not only did we learn a lot from our guide and the representatives, but we also had a lot of fun with the activities. When we were in Aotearoa, we saw the Whare Tupuna, which is the ancestral meeting house. The Marae is the open area, or courtyard, that is in front. There, they taught a game called Titi-Torea. This was originally a military game that they used to develop hand-eye coordination. The object of the game is to throw sticks at each other and catch them without dropping them. Trust me, that sounds easier than it is.

Next we learned Poi Porotiti or Poi Twirling. Think of putting a tennis ball in a long sock. The Poi is a lightweight ball and it is attached to a cord, and you have one for each hand. You then swing the Poi in unison.

If you are good at it, and we were not, you can imitate sounds, actions and rhythms of nature to tell a story. Poi was also often used in battle with a harder ball at the end. Everyone in our group was happy that they were using softer balls since each of us struck ourselves in the head at least once.

In Fiji we learned about the Lapita potters who brought the tradition of Fijian pottery to the islands about 3500 years ago. They also had a 57-foot traditional twin-hulled Hawaiian sailing canoe that they had built using wood imported from Fiji. It looked just like the one they used in the Moana movie!

In Samoa we learned about the Samoan Tattoos or pe’a. The geometric patterns are based on ancient designs. They often denote rank and status, which is a fascinating aspect of Polynesian Culture. They also showed us how the climb the coconut trees using only a rope!

Once they have the coconuts they use a rock or stick, sometimes the back of a heavy knife to crack the coconut open with one crack! If you have ever tried to crack a coconut you will know that this is hard to do. That is unless you’ve been doing it your whole life and you know the trick!

They even taught us how to make fresh coconut milk by scraping the flesh out of the coconut and squeezing the milk out of it. It was incredible to watch and something I’m going to try to do, thanks to the cultural skills shared at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

In Tahiti they taught us how to do a traditional ote’a or drumming dance. The dancers were incredible, and we all had some fun trying to follow their instructions.

When we headed over to Tonga, they have an amazing royal house. It is called the Fale ‘a Kuini Salote. It represents Queen Salote’s summer house in Tonga. The real house is 4 times bigger than the one they made to scale at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

There are so many islands represented at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Did I mention that they also taught us how to weave a fish out of palm leaves? As we learned, they taught us the importance of basket weaving, which can be a vital part of Polynesian Culture. It was a really neat way to learn.

Once we had visited all of the countries, had a ride in a canoe, learned to throw spears, tried some traditional foods, and so much more.

It is important to note that this Luau does not serve alcohol. The stories and dancing at the Luau were incredible, and there was so much food! We were able to try many traditional Polynesian dishes.

After the Luau, they also had a nighttime show. I highly recommend going to see the fire dancers in HA.

It was a very long day, but we had a lot of fun and learned a lot of things. If you have the opportunity to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center in Oahu, it is definitely worth it.

If you’re interested in booking your upcoming trip to Hawaii, I would love to help!