Chief Ali'i

Chief Ali’i Tour is not a very well advertised attraction. There are no brochures, no website, no ads in magazines or even guides. It has a good reputation especially among international tourists, only due to word-of-mouth. They say the tour is an authentic local experience and that it worth trying. Indeed, as soon as we got there – at the Macadamia Farm Outlet, up on Ka’a’awa, Oahu – we were nicely and warmly greeted in a truly Polynesian way, by young local men in malos that talk with a specific accent, and who invited us to a nice, free cup of Kona coffee, before the beginning of the tour.

This is a tour about the ancient Hawaiian culture, about the local agriculture, and about the modern preoccupations of the people that live and work there.

The white group (no joke!) embarked on a mini bus that use to be the star of “Jurassic Park” movie set and the driver turned up to be both the tour guide and the ‘chief’ of the “local village”. The bus ride started through the farms’ fields where he explained all fruits and vegetables that are traditionally planted in Hawai’i, answered all questions, and served some of the crops (macadamia nuts, star fruits, tangerines, guava, etc.). Next stop was at the “local village”. First, Chief Ali’i showed how locals used to make fire by using only two pieces of (same!) wood. Than, he demonstrated the multiple and total use of a coconut: the shredded body of the nut is used in alimentation, the juice and milk are drinkable, the husk helps starting fire, the nut can be decorated, and if the milk is left in the sun for a few days it transforms into coconut body oil. At the end, he performed a fire dance, and offered flowers (yellow hibiscus – the state flower of Hawai’i) to the ladies in the audience.

Next, the group was taken on a canoe on an ancient man made fishing pond where the tourists have the opportunity to see the Ko’olau mountains, the artificial island and the fields used as filming sets in different movies: “50 First Dates”, “Gilligan’s Island”, “Jurassic Park”, “E.R.”, “Lost”…

The tour ended with a last ride on the farm, some more fruit tasting, other stories, and Mahalo! (Thank you!). Everything was very intriguing because Chief Ali’i is able to give much agricultural and historical information, which seem accurate enough for an American tour. For tourists that come for the first time to the islands is a must – they get the chance to have an accelerate history/culture live class right on the spot at a reasonable price ($15/person).

Address:
49-227B Kamehameha Hwy.
Ka’a’awa, HI 96744
Phone: 808-781-2474

Hours of Operation:
Wed-Mon, 10:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Tour begins every hour.
Tue, One tour only begins at 10:45 a.m.