Not the glamorous tourist Hawaii; no dramatic coastline here, no glitzy hotels, no surf. This building, the Waipahu Cultural Heritage Center on Oahu, is part of Hawaii’s Plantation Village, a living history museum that tells the story of Hawaii’s sugar plantations, and the workers from different countries and continents who did the hard work there.
Because the museum covers the period from about 1850 to 1950, it includes artifacts and dwellings used by Chinese, Portuguese, Puerto Rican, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino workers as well as Hawaiians. The site includes more than 25 buildings, and docents lead tours Monday through Saturday. We were lucky enough when we visited in 2006 to be escorted by an elderly man who had worked on the plantation in his childhood through his 20s.
The village is located in the town of Waipahu, north of Pearl Harbor and well off the beaten path—but definitely a highlight of our visit to Oahu. Driving directions are on the website, along with directions for regular transit bus from Honolulu.
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