What to do on Eastern Oahu
The island of Oahu is bigger than you think, and there is so much more to do outside of Honolulu. The Eastern side of the island has quite a few must see places like the Byodo-Inn Temple, Polynesian Cultural Center, and Kualoa Ranch.
Plan to spend a full day on this part of the island. The Polynesian Cultural Center and Kualoa Ranch are both half to full day activities. We visited both places in our previous trips but not the most recent one. These places are listed in terms of distance furthest from Honolulu (Polynesian Cultural Center) all the way back down the coast back towards Honolulu (closest Byodo-Inn Temple).
Polynesian Cultural Center
55-370 Kamehameha Highway
Laie, HI 96762
The Polynesian Cultural Center is one of my favorite places to visit on the island, especially if you have kids. You can purchase a package which includes transportation from your Waikiki hotel directly from the center’s website (which is what we did). There are quite a few different packages you can book and we booked the Super Ambassador Luau Package ($194-242). This package included the center, a tour inside the center, the luau with buffet, and the show. Aurora was two at the time and it was too much to stay all day. We ended up going home after the Luau and changing our show tickets to another day.
To view packages, click here.
To understand the packages you need to know what you’re paying for! You need to buy admission to get into the Polynesian Cultural Center. The center is a 42 acre walk through park which has six replica villages of Polynesian Islands. Inside the “islands” you can see culturally dressed people and interact with them in activities like grass skirt making, fishing, cracking a coconut, and more. These are methods that they used way back when the settlers first came to the Hawaiian islands. There are also mini shows inside each village and the boat parade (my favorite) happens daily. This parade is where you can see all six villages dressed in clothing from their culture and dancing on the boats as they pass by. It’s a must see if you’re visiting the center.
To view the island villages and things to do, click here.
As I mentioned we did the big package, and that included the Ali’i Luau and dinner buffet. So after we walked around the villages inside the center we sat down for an all-you-can-eat dinner buffet luau. I really enjoyed the Cultural Center’s luau. The food was delicious as well which includes authentic Hawaiian cuisine. There are three different buffet options to choose from and you don’t have to book the luau with them if you don’t want to.
For buffet and Ali’i Luau info, click here.
It’s a really long day if you do all three (center, luau, show) in one day, especially with young kids. That’s why we actually went back to the hotel after the Ali’i Luau dinner show. We came back another day to do the night show, Ha: Breath of Life with Travis.
For more info on the show, Ha: Breath of Life, click here.
Arrive early because they have activities to do before the show, shops to browse, and food items you can grab (this is not a dinner show).
Yes, I made us wear tacky matching tourist Hawaiian outfits. This was in 2015 so give me a break!
We enjoyed the show but I would say I enjoyed the luau more. If you had to choose I would suggest the Ali’i Luau and Cultural Center!
Kualoa Ranch
49-560 Kamehameha Highway
Kaneohe, HI 96744
Kualoa Ranch is a huge valley where tons of movies and shows have been filmed. It has mountains and is a gorgeous uninhabited part of the island. There are many different tours you can take at Kualoa Ranch including ATV, Horseback riding, trolly, and bus tours. You can also book with transportation from your Waikiki Hotel included.
To view tours available at Kualoa Ranch, click here.
We did the Hollywood Movie Sights Tour. I have done this tour twice! Movies filmed at Kualoa Ranch include Jumanji, Lost, Jurassic Park, and more! This tour will take you to some of the top movie spots while you drive through the park on an old school bus. This is a 90 minute tour and the bus honestly wasn’t my favorite. Adults are $47.95 and kids are $36.95
To view info on this tour, click here.
I LOVED Lost when it was on TV so this was one of my favorite parts on the tour. You’ll get to see a few props and spots where episodes were filmed.
The entire ranch looks like Jurassic Park, so I can see exactly why they filmed here. The jungle and mountains are incredible. This is the tree where the kids hide in the original 90’s film.
For more info on Kualoa Ranch, click here.
Tropical Farms: Macadamia Nut Farm Outlet
49-227A Kamehameha Highway
Ka’a’awa, HI 96744
We were driving back towards Waikiki and came across this farm, I was hoping to see a Macadamia Nut Farm since I’d never been to one before!
Unfortunately they only do farm tours twice a day and it had already started when we stopped by. If you like nuts then its a worth a stop, they’ve got samples of all the roasted macadamia nut flavors and coffee as well as souvenirs. Our favorite was the honey roasted!
For tour info, click here.
As you drive down the gorgeous coast of Oahu you will stumble upon another valley. This is the Valley of the temples. You can find multiple temples located in here of all denominations set upon a picturesque backdrop of the Hawaiian mountains.
Byodo-Inn Temple
47-200 Kahekili Highway
Kaneohe, HI 96744
The Byodo-Inn Temple is so beautiful, it truly makes you feel like you are in Japan! Its tucked up against the mountains and has a beautiful pond in the front. Entrance into the temple is $5 per adult.
Read my full post on Byodo-In Temple HERE.
The grounds of the Temple are quiet and tranquil. There is a giant gong you can try out to the left of the temple, a gazebo in the back, and a small gift shop on the right.
Finding the fun everywhere life takes us!
Love, Olivia Michelle
