The next 2 days of our trip was super jam packed FULL and crazy! These were the days I REALLY was excited about. Ever since I was a kid I dreamed of going to the POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER!!! (PCC) . We deliberately scheduled the tickets for one of our final days because we knew we wanted to go out with a bang!
The PCC is a living cultural exhibit and encompasses 6 simulated tropical villages. Performers in each village demonstrate traditional songs, dancing, games, food and more. Hands on participation is a must!! 80% of the PCC employees are students at BYU-Hawaii, and their work pays for their college education. The Islands in PCC are Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, and New Zealand. They have a special Rapa Nui exhibit as well.
We started our day fairly early, and went to breakfast (back again to Sweet E's...yes they were that good), then took the 45 minute trek up to Laie.
We started at the Laie Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The beautiful grounds and visitors center are open to the public, and it was such a peaceful and amazing place! There are missionaries there to answer any questions etc. Built in 1919, this temple is a sacred place for the LDS population , not only in Hawaii, but around the world. It is definitely a reverent atmosphere and the sheer beauty does cause quiet contemplation.
We stopped in at the visitors center for a quick look around and learned the amazing history of this area.
STORYTIME: When I was little I was in the Brownies. One year each troop had to pick an area and at the large "jamboree" type thing, present a cultural display. Our troop was assigned Polynesia. My mom, having lived in Hawaii years ago, taught our troop a song and dance called the Hukilau.(a fishing song) We dressed up in Crepe paper hula skirts, put flowers behind our ears and wore leis and danced the Hukilau in front of all the other brownie troops in the region. To this day almost 40 years later I STILL remember the song and dance. It is a core memory for sure.
How is this relevant?
In the visitors center we watched a little movie about the influence of the church in Laie, and how the people came together for a church building and temple. In 1940, the LDS church building of the congregation in Laie, burned to the ground. At that time the members would be responsible for raising half of the money required to build a new building , which seemed a monumentally impossible task for the small fishing village of Laie. a good 45 minutes from Honolulu, this little city saw few visitors, and the good people of Laie just didnt know where they were going to get the 60,000 to put forth as their half. so in the late 40's, after World War II, the members of the congregation and city came together to help rebuild their church. They had a luau and started spreading the word. Over 1000 people came to the first luau. This became a monthly event that happened and was catered to tourists. Dancers and ukelele players would stand along the roads to let people know something was going on.
They then came up with a great idea. Have the tourists come down to the beach and pay to join in a Hukilau (fishing net pull). The big nets would be swaying in the waters, full of fish, and the tourists would pay ( I think it was 5$) to help pull the nets in! Not only were the saints getting paid they were also having mainlanders do their heavy lifting!! The Children of Laie would sell coconuts or dive for lobsters to help with the efforts.
Then in 1948, popular songwriter Jack Owens visited the event and wanted to get in and help the cause. He wrote the popular Hukilau song and released it. It was a success on the mainland and has been recorded by several notable artists since. There was a dance made up to go along with the song as well....Long story short the saints in Laie were able to raise all the funds and more, so by the time their new building was constructed it was completely paid off. ! Talk about Divine providence.
Now...fast forward to the early 80s and my mother teaching our troop this song and dance. She had no idea where it had come from, just that it was popular all over the island and the luaus etc.
So that was a fun little connection for me.
Next we head over to the PCC and had a reservation for lunch at POUNDERS. This restaurant is on the grounds of PCC and (from their FB page) "Pounders restaurant is a Chef driven made from scratch restaurant on Oahu’s North Shore in the town of Laie. We are located at the entrance to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We feature the very finest in fresh, island-style dining. Our menu features Big Island Beef, local farm fresh produce, and fresh fish purchased daily. We also offer a wide variety of bakery items including: lilikoi and guava rolls, monster brownies, haupia bars, cookies, and a variety of cream pies and fresh cheesecakes all made fresh daily."
The current executive Chef of Pounders is none other than Graham Elliot, and if you are a huge Masterchef nerd like me, then you know that you definitely want to eat here!!
Can I just say I had the chef special, which was a sliced steak with fresh poke. Seriously the best poke I have ever had IN MY LIFE!!! Worth every stinking penny. And that side salad with the passionfruit dressing (DROOL). Dont have time for a meal?? Stop by their bakery and get one of their special GIANT brownies or cookies.
Welcome to the PCC. This statue is the first thing you see through the doors. It talks about Hamana Kailili, the grandfather of the Shaka.
Dont stop right now to take a picture when it first opens, everyone will be crowded around it and you wont get a good photo. Wait until you come back out.
The Luau was very well organized and included music and dancing. You get a pina colada smoothie and flower lei too!!
After the Luau we went over the the outdoor theater where HA was being performed. There was no photography allowed, but it was amazing!! It follows the story of a young man and woman and it follows them throughout their courtship and birth of their son. Their son grows up and it is his journey throughout life as told through the various Polynesian cultures and song and dance. The last 20 minutes is one of the most exciting and breathtaking things I have ever seen.
NEXT DAY:
Back up to Laie. Finn FINALLY got his Spam Musubi . Thats all he talked about the entire trip. It was the ONE THING he wanted. He finally found some at a little place called L&L Hawaiian Barbecue. He was a happy boy. 
We head back over to the PCC. The great thing about the PCC is that the tickets are now good to revisit within 3 days of initial visit! We were able to go back and hit some of the presentations we missed the first go round, and revisit a favorite (New Zealand), play games, take a ride through the lagoon, take a ukelele lesson and more. It was a jam packed day. Finn also finally got to take this photo...because he is Finn.
At the end of the day we head up to North Shore and went to a restaurant on the beach called The Beach House to finish our trip with a fabulous meal and watched a sunset from our table.
We head back to the BnB ,cleaned, and then packed up for an early departure the next morning.
We head back to the BnB ,cleaned, and then packed up for an early departure the next morning.
Again we used Aloha Shuttle for return to the airport.
Aloha means hello, goodbye and love. This aloha was goodbye, but we know we will be saying aloha(hello) again !!
And always aloha (love) for the amazing trip we were able to have.
