Keahiakawelo, Lanai

These two islands west of Maui appeal to groups that desire a quiet, relaxing destination. Known as the “Friendly Isle,” Molokai features the world’s highest sea cliffs along its northern coast, as well as diversified agriculture and ranching.

“Molokai is one of the few places where a traditional Hawaiian lifestyle is still present and is seen in farming of land and sea, raising fruits and vegetables, and teaching young people the values of sustainable living,” says Julie-Ann H. Bicoy, director of the Destination Molokai Visitors Bureau. “Farmers understand the value of moon and tides charts, and when to cultivate and harvest—it’s a simple, but not an easy, life.”

Lanai features an environment unlike any other Hawaiian island, with tall, stately Cook pine trees and cooler weather due to its elevation. Lanai is drier than other islands, giving its central area a more rustic feel.

“Lanai holds its culture tightly in the very palm of her hands,” says Charity Texeria, manager of the Lanai Visitors Bureau. “Although our island boasts beautiful luxury offerings, it is filled with undiscovered history that has now become important to preserve. Though there are ‘secrets’ that are meant to be hidden, the efforts to emphasize Hawaiian culture on Lanai for visitor awareness is a top priority.”

Cultural Treasure Troves

Hawaiian tradition can be found virtually everywhere and in everything on Molokai. Strolling through Kaunakakai is a good way to start.

Molokai’s largest town, Kaunakakai feels virtually unchanged since the early 1900s, with no traffic lights and residents who still fish for their dinner. This charming paniolo town is also the island’s main harbor.

One way for groups to experience Hawaiian culture is to go to the talk story, featuring a local resident, at the Saturday Market in Kaunakakai. The market also offers locally grown fruits and vegetables, and artwork.

Alii Fishpond wall, Kaunakakai, Molokai

Alii Fishpond in Kaunakakai is one of the best remaining examples of the ancient Hawaiian fishpond. Once reserved for royalty, the pond measures 27 acres across and is bordered by a mangrove swamp. It is a half-mile from One Alii Park.

On Lanai, the Lanai Culture & Heritage Center offers programs that focus on the island’s natural history, Hawaiian traditions, diverse heritage and cultures, and the ranching and plantation-era histories.

Keahiakawelo, also known as “Garden of the Gods,” is an otherworldly rock garden at the end of rocky Polihua Road. It’s a 45-minute drive from Lanai City and has lunar-type topography filled with boulders and rock towers.

According to Hawaiian legend, the landscape is the result of a contest between two kahuna from Lanai and Molokai. Each priest was challenged to keep a fire burning on his respective island longer than the other. The Lanai kahuna, Kawelo, used all the vegetation in Keahiakawelo to keep his fire burning, which purportedly is why this area is so barren today. A four-wheel drive vehicle is necessary to reach Keahiakawelo.

Kaunolu Village, located on the southern tip of Lanai, is also accessible only via a four-wheel-drive vehicle. One of the island’s most sacred places, it was a favorite fishing spot of King Kamehameha I in the 1790s, and he retreated here after conquering Maui, Molokai and Lanai. The village contains the remains of Halulu Heiau (sacred temple), petroglyphs and “Kahekili’s Leap,” where warriors would demonstrate their bravery by diving off a 60-foot cliff.

Learning the Ways

Ka Honua Momona is a nonprofit organization in Kaunakakai on Molokai that develops indigenous education systems by revitalizing natural and cultural resources, and perpetuates traditional knowledge and stewardship while evolving with modern technology. During monthly community work days, participants can engage in such activities as mangrove and limu removal, de-barking mangrove for hale building, exploring mauka lands and kupuna sharing.

Lei making/Photo Courtesy of Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA)/Dana Edmunds

Also, Hotel Molokai in Kaunakakai offers lessons in coconut weaving, ukulele, hula, lei making and haku lei making. (Haku is a method of braiding foliage such as flowers and ferns on a natural base material such as ti or banana leaves.)

A Journey Through Sacred Land

Ali Luau Court, Polynesian Cultural Center, Laie

In many ways, Honolulu is the New York City of the Hawaiian Islands—a large, vibrant city with a buzzing nightlife scene. Located on Oahu, Honolulu is a major international destination and earns the moniker “The Gathering Place” because of its intriguing mixture of people and cultures.

The urban Honolulu area has an estimated 402,500 (41 percent) of Oahu’s 987,019 residents, according to the 2014 U.S. Census Bureau. The total population of the Hawaiian Islands is 1,419,561.

Honolulu and other Oahu cities have a long, rich history and are saturated in traditional Hawaiian customs.

“What’s unique about Oahu is that Hawaiian culture can be found everywhere,” Watanabe says. “For example, visitors are exposed to it even when they are shopping and dining.”

Cultural Treasure Troves

Polynesian Cultural Center—located in Laie, near Brigham Young University–Hawaii on Oahu’s northern shore—preserves the culture, arts and crafts of Polynesia, including native Hawaii. The center is divided into villages—Hawaii, Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti, Samoa and Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand)—that offer educational sessions and hands-on activities, including canoe tours and canoe racing. Group events, including a luau and team-building activities, can be arranged.

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu

Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu is the largest museum in the state and one of the premier natural and cultural history institutions in the Pacific. It contains plenty of cultural collections and offers a variety of public educational programs. One of the primary purposes of the museum is to serve and represent the interests of Native Hawaiians. Groups can request a private docent tour for an additional fee.

Another option is Papae o Heeia (Heeia Fishpond), a kuapa-style fishpond enclosing 88 acres of brackish water in Heeia, north of Kaneohe. Hawaiian fishponds are unique and advanced forms of aquaculture found nowhere else in the world. The six styles of traditional Hawaiian fishponds, especially large, walled ponds, were technologically advanced and efficient, as their purpose was to cultivate pua to maturity. Planners can arrange customized group visits, hosted by facility staff.

Learning the Ways

Honolulu’s Royal Hawaiian Center, with more than 110 shops and restaurants, is one of the state’s largest shopping malls. It’s situated in the heart of Waikiki and sits on Helumoa, sacred land where Hawaiian royalty once resided. The center embraces this heritage by offering complimentary classes Monday through Friday, and live entertainment Tuesday through Saturday. Expert kumu instruct participants in such arts as lei making, quilting, hula and ukulele playing.

Luau, Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina

Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, situated in Ko Olina, is a top option for traditional Hawaiian experiences. In fact, the resort was created specifically to celebrate Hawaiian culture, history and traditions. Throughout the property there are dozens of Hawaiian cultural activities, as well as traditional shows and ceremonies.

Located in Kahuku on Oahu’s north shore, Turtle Bay Resort offers Hawaiian cultural classes and a luau, among other things, but its emphasis on honoring traditional culture doesn’t end there.

“One of Turtle Bay Resort’s biggest cultural contributions is its role as the steward of their land on the North Shore,” Watanabe says. “The management of the 800-plus acre resort is based on Hawaiian culture and values, which is important since it is one of the largest landowners on the island.”

Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa has a cultural specialist on staff and offers interactive classes at its cultural hub, E Makani Eha (where the four winds meet). The property’s Aloha Friday features a Polynesian show, hands-on lei-making demonstrations, hula dancing, Polynesian art tattooing and a fire-knife dancer. Also, the twice-weekly farmers market allows visitors to interact with locals, sample Hawaiian foods and peruse crafts for sale.

---

Residence of Royalty

Ancient Hawaiians considered Kualoa one of the most sacred places on Oahu. It was the residence of kings, a puuhonua and a training ground for royalty, who were instructed in the arts of war, history and social traditions.

Kualoa Ranch (pictured) now sits on the sacred land and offers many group tours and activities, including the Ancient Hawaiian Fishpond & Tropical Garden Tour. Participants can celebrate the beauty and tranquility of Oahu’s most well-preserved ancient Hawaiian fishpond, which is more than 800 years old. Participants learn about early Hawaiian aquaculture practices and how fish were caught in this 153-acre pond. Group events, including team-building activities, can be arranged.

The least commercial of the Hawaiian Islands, Kauai is famous worldwide as “The Garden Isle” due to the tropical rainforest covering much of its surface. But this is only one of the island’s many attractions.

“Kauai is known for its amazing natural beauty and diversity of activities that offer meeting attendees a variety of experiences that will rejuvenate and inspire them,” says Lisa Nakamasu, director of sales for the Kauai Visitors Bureau. “Every island has its iconic scenery, and Kauai has the Napali coastline, Waimea Canyon [nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific] and the only navigable rivers in the state, to name a few.”

Geologically the oldest of the Hawaiian Islands, Kauai boasts some exciting ways to experience traditional Hawaiian culture.

Cultural Treasure Troves

Kauai Museum in Lihue is filled with fascinating Hawaiian artifacts and offers attendees opportunities to become involved in enjoyable daily Hawaiian cultural activities. The museum offers free guided tours; reservations are required for large groups.

Alekoko Menehune Fishpond, a few minutes’ drive from Lihue, was built nearly 1,000 years ago and is on the National Register of Historic Places. These types of ponds were built to catch fish, and Alekoko Menehune Fishpond is one of the best examples of this type of ancient Hawaiian aquaculture.

According to legend, the pond was built in one night by Menehune—mysterious and sometimes mischievous little people who lived in the forest and accomplished legendary engineering feats. They purportedly accomplished this amazing task by lining up from the village of Makaweli (now known as Kaumakani) for 25 miles, passing stones hand to hand to build the pond.

An altar dedicated to Laka, the goddess of hula, stands on a platform at a temple, Ka Ulu o Laka Heiau, above the boulders of Kee Beach on Kauai’s north shore. The altar often is draped with flower lei and ti-leaf offerings. This may seem like a primal relic from the days of idols, but it’s still a very popular attraction. Often male and female dancers from Hawaii’s hula halau (see glossary on p. 16 for translation of italicized terms) climb the cliff, bearing gifts of flowers.

Learning the Ways

Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, located in Koloa, features local crafters daily in the atrium courtyard, as well as lessons on palm frond weaving, lei making, ukulele playing and hula. Also, Aunty Janet Kahalekomo educates guests on laau lapaau and salt making.

Guests at The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas are invited to a lei-making lesson and then are able to experience a Hawaiian lei ceremony. It begins with an introduction, a lei exchange and honi, and ends with a Kauai mele that has been passed down for several generations.

---

Luau

Luaus are popular throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and The Garden Isle offers some of the very best. The Family Garden Luau at Smith’s Tropical Paradise in Kapaa (pictured) features outstanding mele. The luau—which is offered on different weekdays, depending on the season—celebrates Hawaiian traditions, as well as the songs and dances from other cultures.

Kilohana’s Luau Kalamaku, offered at KiloHana Plantation in Lihue on Tuesdays and Fridays, features nifa avi, hula, traditional Hawaiian food and a show that tells about the epic, amazing voyage between Hawaii and Tahiti along one of Polynesia’s longest sea roads. Private luaus can be arranged for groups.

Crater with trails, Haleakala National Park, Maui

Meeting groups are seeking traditional Hawaiian experiences

Hawaii continues to be a major destination for meeting groups throughout the world, but in the past few years, attendees and other visitors have been seeking more traditional Hawaiian experiences.

“They still expect sun, surf and sand from Hawaii, but want something deeper than that—an experience that is unique to the destination and a feeling that they retain long after the trip is finished,” says Marie Watanabe, director of sales for the Oahu Visitors Bureau. “The Hawaiian culture is what differentiates us from any other destination in the world, but also connects us to the people of the world.”

The desire for more authentic and traditional Hawaiian experiences should not be seen merely as fashionable or a feel-good trend. Rather, for many visitors it is rooted in a desire to learn lessons that can be applied in their daily lives. This coincides with a deliberate effort by Hawaiians to more actively live in a manner in tune with the wisdom of their ancestors.

In the 1970s, residents started becoming more invested in Hawaiian cultural practices, and in the 1980s, Hawaiian language immersion schools cropped up. The students who are the products of these schools now are active members of communities who are promoting and practicing Hawaiian culture in their personal and professional lives.

“Businesses are returning to appreciate and incorporate more culture in response to the desires of travelers,” Watanabe says. “But more importantly, they acknowledge their responsibility to the community, including employees, and the people of Hawaii to perpetuate the story of Hawaii and sustain what makes it a truly special place.

“Incorporating Hawaiian culture is a win-win for all stakeholders in the travel industry, including guests, management, employees and the community.”

All the major Hawaiian Islands have accelerated efforts to provide meeting groups and other visitors with deeper and additional ways to experience traditional Hawaiian culture. Smart Meetings decided to focus on some of the top opportunities for groups, ranging from attending cultural events to learning Hawaiian crafts and helping to restore native habitats.