Explore Hawaii’s roots at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. Located in the hotel below the Hualalai Grille, Ka‘upulehu Cultural Center offers programs and interactive resources with displays that create a living picture of Hawaii’s environment, culture, history, traditions and arts.
Mauka to makai – meaning mountain to ocean – events highlight the traditions of old Hawaii and take you on a trip through history. The journey begins with a map of the islands of Polynesia inlaid into the wooden floor with amazing detail. Original paintings by Hawaiian artist and historian Herb Kawainui Kane show inhabitants of common coastal Hawaiian villages. Tools used for making kapa (bark cloth), building canoes, pounding poi, fishing and weaving are on display. Staff is also available for tours of the facilities and can provide more detail about the culture.
There are also daily classes and exhibits for mauka to makai that enhance the cultural experience of Ka‘upulehu such as the Star navigation, where a cultural specialist explains the art of traveling the ocean with no instruments and using only the natural elements or maybe you want to learn Hawaiian language with a class that helps visitors understand the origins and basic pronunciation of the language.
Get creative in hula lessons and Ukulele lessons that will teach you some of the more known traditions of Hawaii. An Oral history class can help you learn how Hawaiians sustained life using only the fruit and vegetation from this region. Guests under 12 years of age have to be accompanied by an adult while visiting the Cultural Center.
