Polynesian Cultural Center
A living museum in Laie on Oahu's north shore, opened in 1963, where villages present the island cultures of Polynesia, from Samoa and Tonga to Tahiti, Aotearoa and Hawaii. It is run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints next to BYU-Hawaii.
- Where
- Laie, Hawaii, United States
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 21.6391, -157.9203
Get the Polynesian Cultural Center stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Polynesian Cultural Center. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Hawaii volume with your photos and a note.
Near Polynesian Cultural Center
Pearl Harbor National Memorial 30 km
A memorial on Oahu to the attack of 7 December 1941 that brought the United States into the Second World War. The white USS Arizona Memorial spans the sunken battleship and is reached by boat from the visitor centre, where the history of the Pacific war is told.
Waikīkī 41 km
Honolulu's beachfront neighbourhood on the south shore of Oahu, a long curve of sand lined with hotels and backed by the crater of Diamond Head. Its gentle waves are where Duke Kahanamoku made surfing famous, and beginners still learn on them today.
Diamond Head 44 km
A volcanic tuff cone on the edge of Waikīkī, known in Hawaiian as Lēʻahi, likely for a ridgeline shaped like the dorsal fin of a tuna. British sailors in the 19th century named it for the calcite crystals on the beach nearby, which they took for diamonds, and a trail climbs to the rim.
Hanauma Bay 47 km
A curved bay on the southeast coast of Oahu, formed inside the ring of an old volcanic crater that the sea has broken into. Its sheltered water and coral reef make it one of the best known places to snorkel in Hawaii.
Iraivan Temple 159 km
A white granite temple to Shiva beside the Wailua River on Kauaʻi, begun in 1990 as the first all stone temple of its kind in the western hemisphere. Its main icon is a six faced Sivalinga of clear quartz crystal, and it is kept by Kauaʻi's Hindu Monastery.
Hāna Highway 194 km
A winding road of about 100 km along east Maui from Kahului to Hāna, with around 620 curves and 59 bridges, 46 of them only one lane wide. It runs almost all the way through tropical rainforest, and the drive takes far longer than its distance suggests.
Haleakalā National Park 210 km
A park on Maui named after the dormant volcano whose great summit crater forms its heart. People drive up before dawn to watch the sun rise over the clouds from the rim, and most of its 13,000 hectares is wilderness.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park 383 km
A park on the Big Island taking in two active volcanoes: Kīlauea, one of the most active in the world, and Mauna Loa, the largest shield volcano on Earth. Trails cross lava fields and rainforest, and the land is sacred in Hawaiian tradition as the home of Pele.
More hidden gems in Hawaii
Questions
Where is Polynesian Cultural Center?
Polynesian Cultural Center is in Laie, Hawaii, United States. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Pearl Harbor National Memorial (30 km), Waikīkī (41 km), Diamond Head (44 km).
How do I get the Polynesian Cultural Center stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Polynesian Cultural Center and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Hawaii volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Polynesian Cultural Center before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Hawaii volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.