Re: Other Oahu activities
kathyet said:
Any place in Oahu that you recommend going to what about the Cultural Center if so is it better during the day or at night?
Well, if you've never been to Oahu before then state law requires you to spend a week in Waikiki. (Just kidding.) I recommend you plan your vacation from the
"101 Things To Do" guide. After you've worked through that list, let me know if you have questions!
Luckily we state residents are no longer required to attend annual luau in order to be able to renew our driver's licenses (more kidding). However I'll go months or even years between visiting some places. Last month my nephew the Army Ranger spent four weeks at Schofield Barracks for his USMA summer training. During his liberty hours we did the Arizona Memorial, the USS BOWFIN Submarine Memorial (greatly expanded since my last visit), the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, and five days of surfing (including an evening of 12-footers). Those were all great. We never made it to the Diamond Head hike, the Dillingham Airfield parachute business, the USS MISSOURI Memorial, or diving/snorkeling the North Shore. (Next year!) He also spent a lot of quality time crawling through Waianae mountain mud and managed to get bitten
twice by centipedes, but he said they were yummy.
As for the Polynesian Cultural Center, "it's all good". If you're traveling with kids then you'll open the place in the morning, take a couple hours off for afternoon naps (maybe the kids will sleep too), and go back for the evening luau. If you're lucky enough to be in the Islands for a major cultural event (like the annual
Fire Knife Competition then you're in for a real treat-- if you can get tickets. (The front row seats are really cheap.) Hula and fire knife skills are celebrated here like high-school football is celebrated in Texas. When you visit PCC in the morning you'll see all the demonstrations (and participate in some of them) and when you go later in the day you'll see the bigger events, culminating in the luau. You could easily spend one entire day there and come back for another evening.
PCC employs citizens of all the Pacific Islands, many of whom who pay their UH tuition by sharing their culture. I remember thinking "Nice tats, dude" when I saw one Tongan there a few years back, only to learn that he's young Tongan royalty who'd been ritually tattooed for the position that he'd eventually inherit. They'd do a square foot or two, let him recover for a few weeks, and start in somewhere else-- it took almost a year. If he didn't die during the process then he was considered qualified for the royal duties.
If you're interested in more Hawaiian culture then I'd recommend a day at the Bishop Museum and another day at Waipahu's Plantation Village. I think Wednesday morning is Bishop's day for craft demonstrations but that program swells & subsides with its kupuna volunteers. Check the Village's hours before you go-- it's mostly volunteers. Some of the community cultural centers (like the Filipino or the Japanese or the Okinawan) will also celebrate events throughout the year. They're usually listed in the
"This Week On Oahu" calendar or other guides at the airport & in hotel lobbies.
Personally I think there's enough on Oahu to keep you running for two weeks. However if you're here for longer than a week then some visitors also add a neighbor island.
) to rental condos in Kihei where we stay now, and a couple places in between.
