Polynesian Cultural Center in Maui - what a wonderful place.

The website for the Polynesian Cultural Center (click here) bosts, "Travel through time and space as you experience thousands of years worth of culture from six different island nations."  I often find that written marketing expressions are pretentious and disingenuous, but that is not the case here.  Indeed, if anything, the claims could be orders of magnitude above what is written and it would still undervalue what is to be experienced.

I can safely say that I am not fond of crowds, commercialism, or the cacophony often associated with public venues.  I found the center, all 42 acres of it, visually delightful and full of fun, heartwarming hosts and pleased guests.  It was busy, but not overly so, and loud, but with a theme and purpose that embellished my experience there.  And it was wonderfully educational.

We had five hours to tour the regions representing the island cultures; it clearly was not enough time if you wanted to embrace what each venue had.  I was especially amazed at the size and primitive technology that the Polynesian people used to travel such long distances while sailing from known to unknown locations.  The catamaran boat I saw (see image below) was nothing short of a work of art made to overcome the hostility of the open sea.  It was breathtaking.

Notice the person on the right.  This gives a sense of scale to the catamaran.

Although my main purpose there was to photograph people, wildlife, and scenery, I did take time to enjoy some of the demonstrations and displays presented.  There were plenty of eating venues available for hungry customers, tastes of traditionally prepared foods, and many sights and sounds to mollify the most skeptical critic.  I wholeheartedly give my encouragement to visit the center.  You won't be disappointed.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com