Your Guide to a Multi-Day Adventure at the Polynesian Cultural Center
When you buy tickets to the Polynesian Cultural Center, you may notice an offer that is extended. With the purchase of any Islands of Polynesia or full-day package, you can continue to enjoy the villages for up to three consecutive business days after your initial visit.
Some might wonder why anyone would want to spend three whole days at the Center. Others have realized that to make the most of their family visits, three days might just be long enough. After all, the Center is rated as one of the best activities in Hawaiʻi.
Dancers present some of the beauty and grace of Polynesian dance in the Island of Hawaiʻi.
Things to Do
Consider everything there is on offer in the Islands of the Center between 12:40PM and 6:30 PM.
(Most are repeated throughout the day.) Find the ones that interest you most, and consider how you might spend the afternoon learning and having fun with your family.
| Presentations | Activities | Shopping | Food Stops | |
| Huki Canoe Show | (1 per day) | |||
| Journey Theater | 1 | 1 | ||
| Mission Settlement | 2 | 5 | ||
| Tonga | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Tahiti | 3 | 5 | ||
| Hawaii | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
| Fiji | 3 | 5 | ||
| Aotearoa | 2 | 3 | 1 | |
| Samoa | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Canoe Voyages | 1 | |||
| Iosepa Learning Center | 9 | |||
| Total | 18 | 41 | 3 | 6 |
The One-day Option
Guests in the Island of Samoa try their hands at starting fire.
For one-day excursions, we recommend that you start each hour with an island presentation of authentic island lifestyles, then try some activities in that area for 20 – 30 minutes before moving on to the next island. That will get you a good sampling of what all the areas are about. But if you or your family are interested in going more in-depth, or in just trying everything once, it can’t be done in six hours.
Digging Deeper
Carver’s Workshop, where carving artists work as guests interact with them.
Please note that there are exhibits not listed here that you may also want to visit. For instance, the carving exhibit, where finished works are displayed, and the Carver’s Workshop near Tahiti, where carvers are actively working. Those interested in that craft may want to spend more than 20 minutes studying these spots, as well as examining the ornate work on some of the buildings.
Multiple weaving projects combine to adorn this guest.
A worker in the Island of Samoa teaches a young visitor to weave a fish from coconut leaves.
If your kids like weaving coconut leaves in Samoa, it may take a while to get really good at it.
Learning the Arts
Ori Tahiti dance lesson in the Island of Tahiti.
ʻUkulele lesson in the Settlement.
For many people, one ʻukulele or dance lesson may not be enough to satisfy their desire to learn.
Iosepa
Masterful hand carving and traditional mariner’s knots on Iosepa’s rigging.
Visiting Iosepa can be a full day experience in itself, and that’s just touching the surface. You can learn about the double-hulled canoe itself, from construction, to traditional significance, to maintenance. You can also learn to make rope and tie sailing knots. Then there is the vast amount of knowledge involved in wayfinding: navigation by the stars, landmarks, the sky, the currents, and the winds.
Canoe Ride
Immerse yourself in island beauty on a canoe ride.
When it comes to the canoe ride, once may not be enough! It’s easy to get lost in emotion, as senses respond to the tropical beauty. Your family might imagine they are ancient mariners as their spirits grasp the visceral feeling of paddling down the lagoon. Each excursion is 15 minutes. Some may want to stay and repeat the experience a few times before moving past those feeling.
Enjoy Nature
42 acres of tropical beauty.
And you’ll want to allow yourself time to relax a bit, enjoy the beauties of nature, get food and plenty of hydration. You’ll also want to make sure you have enough time to take in everything at your own pace, both for physical comfort and to allow yourself to drink in the spirit of the islands.
Two guests spend some quiet moments playing konane, a Hawaiian version of checkers.
At the Polynesian Cultural Center, the “things to do” catalog encompasses much more than a list of activities to be checked off. Maybe multiple days at the Polynesian Cultural Center is actually a pretty good idea.
NOTES:
Because we are not open every day of the week, the Center interprets, “consecutive business days” as the next two days we are open. For instance, if your first day is on a Tuesday in the regular season, your next consecutive days would be Thursday and Friday. If your first day is on a Friday, your next consecutive days would be Saturday and Monday.
To take advantage of returning to the Center for one or two additional days in the Islands, bring your original ticket and photo ID to the Ticket Office. They will issue a ticket for the current day. Please note that this this extension is for visiting the Islands only. It does not include the Aliʻi Lūʻau, Gateway Buffet, or the HA: Breath of Life night show, having a tour guide or providing transportation. You can buy new passes separately if you want those options.
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