The Polynesian Cultural Center broke ground Saturday on a major expansion of its Hawaiʻi Village, a project covering more than 4.5 acres and expected to reshape how visitors experience Native Hawaiian culture by the time it wraps up in 2028. Organizers say the new Hawaiʻi Kauhale Project will push past 10 percent of the center's entire footprint once finished, making it one of the largest additions in the Laie attraction's history.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place Oct. 3, according to khon2.com, marking the formal start of what the center is calling the Hawaiʻi Kauhale Project. As Hawaii News Now reports, the Polynesian Cultural Center broke ground on the effort to expand its Hawaiʻi Village experience in Laie, with the completed north end of the village eventually set to represent the Hawaiian Islands themselves.
Building Around the Kauhale Model
At the heart of the expansion is the kauhale, a traditional Hawaiian family dwelling made up of multiple hale, or houses, each built for a distinct purpose, per the same report from Hawaii News Now. Historically, a kauhale represented a place where families lived, worked, shared responsibilities and cared for the ʻāina, or land, together, and organizers want that communal model to anchor the new exhibits.
The project itself is designed to deepen visitors' understanding of traditional Hawaiian ways of life and the relationship between people and the land, according to khon2.com. Planners describe the expansion as rooted in Laie's history as a puʻuhonua, or place of refuge, and say it will highlight the aloha of pre-contact Hawaiʻi along with the uka-to-kai connection that guided traditional sustainability and mālama practices, per the Hawaii News Now report.
New Exhibits on Agriculture, Voyaging and Surfing
Once complete, the expanded Hawaiʻi Village will feature exhibits focused on traditional agriculture, aquaculture, voyaging, surfing and other cultural practices, the center's report to khon2.com notes. The renovations and expansion will be done in phases so operations continue as normal, according to Hawaii News Now, meaning guests shouldn't expect the center to close during construction.
Part of the motivation behind the project is correcting misconceptions about Hawaiian culture shaped by movies or television, per the same Hawaii News Now report. Keanu Pohina Manoa said the expansion will better and more accurately portray elements of Hawaiian culture, according to that reporting.
A CEO's Pitch for the Future
PCC President and CEO Jarrod Hester framed the expansion as a long-term investment. “This is an opportunity to thoughtfully invest in the future of our Hawaiʻi Village and create new ways for our guests, students and community to engage with Hawaiʻi,” Hester said, according to khon2.com.
The Polynesian Cultural Center has drawn crowds to Laie since it first opened in 1963, and more than 37 million people have visited the town since, according to pcc50.com. With the Hawaiʻi Kauhale Project now underway and targeted for completion by 2028, the center is betting that a deeper focus on traditional family life and land stewardship will shape how the next generation of visitors understands the islands.
