LAIE, Hawaii — Things were not easy for the cast and crew at the Polynesian Cultural Center when it first opened 40 years ago. It was fun, several of the early performers recalled with pleasant smiles, but not easy. It was not unusual to have more people on stage than paying customers in the audience.
One day in particular, 14 months from its dedication in October 1963, things got especially tough, remembered T. David Hannemann, senior vice president retired, now the resident historian. He was told, in confidence, there was not enough money in the bank account to meet the next payroll.
The following day, in a hurriedly called meeting, the six leaders of the six cultural villages within the center were told.
He recalled in a voice choked with emotion that they indicated a willingness to work without pay. "One by one they all stood up and said about the same thing, 'If we cannot make this payroll, the next payroll, the next payroll — we will be here. The Lord built this place and it will not close.' "
It did not close and, in fact, before this year is out the center will have welcomed 30 million visitors through its entrance. And, it will, within the same time span, have directly aided in the education of more than 13,000 students of Polynesian backgrounds.
The center was first envisioned by Elder Matthew Cowley, then of the Quorum of the Twelve, who, back in 1951, said he hoped to see the day when the Maoris of New Zealand, and the Tongans, Tahitians and Samoans would have villages on the island of Hawaii.
In 1955, when then-Church President David O. McKay came to Laie for ground-breaking ceremonies for the new Church College of Hawaii, now Brigham Young University-Hawaii, he said the school was the beginning of a vision of a village he saw 34 years earlier on his first visit to the islands.
He also said, "The town of Laie would become a missionary factor influencing not thousands, not tens of thousands, but millions of people."
At the time, all of the Hawaiian islands were receiving about 100,000 visitors a year.
Since 1977, the center has been Hawaii's No. 1 paid attraction. Between 750,000 and 1 million people visit the center each year, most of them making the hourlong trip through small communities, pineapple fields and tropical landscape from Waikiki, the tourist center on the island.
Some of the early skeptics said it would never succeed, said Von Orgill, president of the center. "Those who visit the center tell us regularly that they experience more of what they expected Hawaii or Polynesia to be than at Waikiki or any other place on the islands. When the center opened, predictions were it would have an early failure. Instead, it's been a marvelous success."
More than 100 labor missionaries volunteered to help build the center's original 39 structures on 12 acres of what had been a taro field, a native root used to make the island's staple food, poi.
Today, the Polynesian Cultural Center features a man-made freshwater lagoon in the center of 42 acres of lush tropical landscaping. At the heart of the center are seven island villages, representing the cultures of Fiji, Hawaii, Maori New Zealand, the Marquesas, Samoa, Tahiti and Tonga. The newest attraction features replicas of the moai sculptures of Easter Island.
Centerpieces of the center are the new Ali'I Luau, featuring traditional Hawaiian foods, complemented by cultural demonstrations and entertainment; the canoe pageant each day in which performers in full island regalia dance to the beat of pounding drums and chants; and the evening show, "Horizons, Where the Sea Meets the Sky," which is the largest, most elaborate island show in the world.
The latest project involved the renovations of the front entrances, from what President Orgill called a 'ticket booth" into a sprawling museum filled with carvings of early artifacts, native boats, and service areas.
He stressed, at this point, that religion may not be the main purpose of the center, but that it is an opportunity for people to gain new respect for the Church.
"We don't force religion on visitors. We live by example. This is a chance for people who may not have a positive impression of the Church to see it from a different perspective. From this vantage point it may change their impression from less positive to more positive, and if it's already positive then to ratchet it up another notch," he continued.
The center, located on a remote tip of a tiny island in the Pacific, is also responsible for drawing more non-LDS visitors to the Hawaii Temple Visitors Center than to any other LDS visitors center in the world, with the exception of Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
At the very foundation of the center, however, are the students. Of the more than 1,200 people working at the center, 70 percent are students at BYU-Hawaii. They come to work at the center as performers, guides and staff — 20 hours a week during school and 40 during summer break. Aside from being paid, they are also given tuition, books and room and board.
Many of the students, pointed out President Orgill, "would otherwise not be able to receive an education. They take this education back with them to their respective islands and use it for the good of their people."
"What makes this center so successful is the students. They come here and are excited, energetic, enthused about having the opportunity to show other people their culture, and these same feelings are passed on to the guests. I can't tell you how many people talk to me about the feeling they receive when they come to the center. Some think it is the spirit of aloha. I believe it is the Spirit of the Lord."
It is this feeling, too, that students ingest and take home with them.
"I want to take what I've learned here, and the feeling that is here, and share it. I want to show people that they can live like we do here. The people are so much more happy here," said Miriama McDonald, a second-year student from New Zealand.
It is a sentiment expressed by many of the students working at the center, and one Brother Hannemann said has existed since the Polynesian Cultural Center opened 40 years ago.
