We placed a reservation off season. It was just me and my five year old. They still happily offered the tour for just us. Our guide, Toa was great with my kid, which was appreciated because I did the tour primarily for him. Cool history offered and shading he tailored the talks for fit my kid. Was great. Highly recommend. read more

North Shore Explorers - Tours Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

What an amazing experience! We booked for the 9:30 glow paddle and got a call around 5pm asking if we would switch to the 7:30. No big deal, we were happy to switch. We are a family of three, and I guess that's the cut off from other reviews. We showed up to the meeting spot at the time we were told and were met by our guide. Come to find out, the other people booked for the tour had cancelled, so it was just us! We got on our boards and got going. We learned so much! And being it was only our little family, we got to ask so many questions and go at our pace. We paddled around and got to go under water falls. Our guide was so kind and so knowledgeable. After we were done we were super hungry and headed to L&L for some plates. I wish we would have gotten to the PCC just a little earlier so we could have enjoyed the food trucks or other dinner options on site. We will definitely recommend to anyone who comes to visit us! read more

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We booked our paddle board experience with Lunar Legends and had an amazing time. We had Fatu as our tour guide and he was knowledgeable, patient, and entertaining throughout the entire tour. There were 12 of us with some of us having no experience either this type of experience but they were really patient and awesome. We all had a great time and eventually comfortable in the water. Definitely a tour we will book again! read more

Brought our mainland friends for the Lunar Legends night tour, a paddle through the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) river by moonlight. Very unique experience and great for learning how to balance on a Stand-up Paddleboard (SUP)! The river is only about waist high, but they do offer life jackets if you're not a water person. The main thing to remember is that PCC is heckin far from town. If you're staying in Waikiki, budget yourself at least an hour one way. I personally love the Northeast side, so it may be worth checking out Laie and Kahuku earlier in the afternoon so that you don't encounter any unexpected delays. On the way out, our guide mentioned that ubers don't run there late at night, so make sure you plan transportation another way if you don't have a rental. Also - wear clothes that you don't mind getting wet! Maybe pack a change in the car if you have to drive home, just in case. While falling in is unlikely (the boards are stable!), you have to pass through a few waterfalls that have very small windows to avoid soakage. They also provide a basket to leave any belongings that aren't waterproof. The company texted us about an hour before our tour, so we got some Dole whip from the PCC shops before meeting our guide, Fatu, by the "Aloha" arch next to Pounders. We talked story as everyone arrived, and set off to sign waivers in the park. They'll give you a chance to use the bathrooms before getting started! After handing out paddles, we lined up by a small dock and left our slippers under a bench (you're the only ones in the park!). Fatu and a couple assistants helped board SUPs one by one, this is a good time to paddle out and get used to turning and stopping. If you've never paddled before, no rush! There's no waves and just a little momentum will carry you far. I LOVED the underlighting on the SUPs that illuminated the river around you - keep an eye out for fish! There are numerous bridges where your guide will shout "makaukau," to make sure you're ready, and you drop to your knees on the SUP until you're clear. This is a secret training - I was quite comfortable with dropping down and getting up on my board by the end of the night! Every so often, the tour stops at village docks for a Polynesian story of the demi-god Maui, the same one depicted in Disney's Moana. I remember these stories from my time growing up in Hawaii, and paddling through a river of Polynesian villages is such a magical way to retell them. I might be biased since I have the stories in my mind, but Fatu just needed a bit more practice on pacing and enthusiasm with the storytelling to make it really come alive. His memory and personal anecdotes really added to the experience though, and overall he did a great job. If you're lucky enough to have Fatu (we did 730pm btw), he ended our tour with an AMAZING firedancer routine! He lit a fireknife on both ends and did the luau spinning dances that you normally pay buku bucks for. A PCC aunty told us that he's the only guide that does this! The 90 minute tour really just flew by, and I was sad when we got back. It's a fun, relaxing experience that I would recommend to anyone. We definitely want to come back to experience everything that we paddled by during the day! read more

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My family and I enjoyed the 'Lunar Legends' experience in January of 2023. We were part of a small group of 8 that made our way through the Polynesian Cultural Center through lighted paddle boards and kayaks. Our amazing guide, Baska, stopped at different areas to share legends and stories that helped us understand the history of Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, NZ, and Fiji. We have 2 kiddos in high school, one in junior high, and one in grade school. Finding something that everyone enjoys as a family can be tricky, but this was one of the highlights of our Hawaiian vacation. Although it helps to be good with a stand-up paddle board and kayaks, they guides are great about teaching you how to use them and the lagoon is only 3 feet deep. Luckily, none of us fell overboard, but this isn't an experience where you need to worry about your safety. Overall it was interesting, we learned a lot, we relaxed on a beautiful serene lagoon on a starlit night, and we will be telling our friends about this when they plan their Hawaiian vacations. read more

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Very unprosfessional company. My friends and I purchased Groupon and booked the tour. We were told that if not enough people books, it will be cancelled. So we made several attempts to confrim. No one called or when we spoke, they told us someone will call back (no one did). We also recieved an email the night before to remind us about the tour. Couple hours before the tour, someone called amd said they are cancelling due to not enough full paying customers. So basically, they said to reschedule, contact Groupon for refund, or PAY FULL AMOUNT. We are calling Groupon for refund. But since it's been a couple of weeks, its a hustle to get a refund. I understand that they need certain amount of money to make it worth a tour but we could've planned different activities. Definitely do not recoomend this company. read more

We had a wonderful time doing the Lunar Legends tour! Our guide Fatu was so knowledgeable, charismatic, and talented (Also it was my first time paddle boarding and he was so funny and encouraging about it). We would stop and as he told us stories of each island and it felt like we were all sitting around a campfire. One of my favorite things to do in Oahu! read more

Solid 5 stars here for light up paddle tour. Service 5 Ambiance 5 Tour guides 5 Bathrooms 5 Kid friendly 5 Aloha spirit all the way! What a memorable tour, like nothing you've done or ever will do, unless you do it again. Scored a Groupon for this but is easily worth the full price! Don't be afraid of falling off the paddle board either, that thing is a mini ship. It easily held me and my 8 year old daughter while I laid on my tummy and let her do all the paddling (not cuz I'm a slave driver but because she begged me to! Made her feel like a big girl ) Saw PCC thru the light of tiki torches, heard awesome stories and learned about Polynesian culture. Highly recommended! read more

North Shore Explorers - Hubby and daughter 2 - Tours Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

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I didn't buy my ticket for the Lunar Legends paddle boarding and called to ask if I could join my family and if there was enough room. Easily enough I was able to add myself and my boyfriend. They even honored the groupon price when I mentioned about it but didn't physically buy my tickets through groupon yet. With great phone customer service and being so helpful I was really surprised and grateful with their efforts to accommodate me! The tour itself was great. Coach TOA was a great tour guide! He taught us about the different cultures and how the lessons of the cultures teach us and apply to us in every day life, how to paddle board, the origins of the "Shaka" and country music. It was a great experience! Definitely recommend while in Oahu and in the PCC! read more

North Shore Explorers - Prior to my family of 10 picking out our paddle boards! - Tours Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

Our family LOVED this tour!!! Who wouldn't want to paddle at night on lighted boards?!?! It was so peaceful and quiet being the only ones in the PCC at that time. The guide told great stories about Polynesian culture along the way and even had us take the time to lay back on our boards to look at the stars and relax. We got a great deal through groupon so be sure to look!!! read more

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This was such a fun and relaxing experience, and perfect for the whole family! And our tour guide Fatu was awesome!

This is a truly unique experience, a behind the scenes, after hours tour at the Polynesian Cultural Center. The Lunar Legends tour takes its guests on the river through the Polynesian Islands, sharing the cultural legends through the oral tradition of story telling. Our guide was knowledgeable and patient as our group had limited SUP experience. But everyone walked away having had fun along with a memorable, reflective moment under the stars. Guests have the option of a kayak but I recommend the SUP especially since you can sit or kneel as well as Stand Up. Only recommendation: provide guests with direction on where to find the check in store. This is still very new and we had difficulty finding the store front in the new PCC Marketplace. read more

Paddle boarding at it's finest. It's a fun nighttime expedition to do with your family or a group of friends. You are taken on a adventure by your experienced guide who tells you interesting, informative and often humorous tales of Polynesian islands and their lore. Would recommend highly! Will definitely do this again on my next trip! read more

We absolutely loved Lunar Legends! It's such a great activity for anyone - families, couples, anyone who wants to learn a little more about the rich Polynesian culture and have some nighttime fun! You get to walk around the PCC at night while no one is around, great for folks who don't necessarily like crowds, and then start your paddle board adventure throughout the lagoon. Colorful lit up paddle boards, fun winding routes throughout the PCC, historical tidbits of info, whats not to like? To top it all off, our guide Jeremy was amazing and truly one of the best parts of the experience. He was incredibly knowledgable and put such a warm, thoughtful spin on the stories he told of these people and their land. I cannot recommend this and him enough! read more

My husband and I had an amazing experience here. We were expecting a "normal" kayak ride at night and instead we experienced an amazing journey across the Polynesian Cultures, as the guide was narrating wonderful legends and tales from each island! He was so great in sharing stories! When he found out that we were in HI for our honeymoon he sang us a beautiful wedding song from one of the islands which made us so happy. It was just the two of us, the two guides under the stars, the whole experience was so magic. We got a deal via Groupon, but full price would be totally worth it! read more

My brother and I had been to PCC during the daytime, but this experience was completely different and still so much fun. We had all chosen the paddleboards, and even our friends who had never done it before felt completely comfortable balancing on them. Our very funny guide, Cousin Jeremy, did an amazing job guiding us through the villages and recounting the mythology behind each island. He shared with us personal anecdotes and stories of the Hollywood productions (Moana and Hobbs & Shaw) that have come to PCC for cultural advising, which was really cool, and offered some really inspirational advice. They found out my brother and I are Samoan, and everyone was super friendly and welcoming as we chatted about our trips to the island, even though my knowledge of the language is embarrassingly nonexistent! The moonlit waters and fiery torches that surrounded us were so nice to look at, and being able to gaze peacefully under the stars made this experience that much more worth it. Would completely recommend doing this. read more

North Shore Explorers - Tours Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

Would recommend spending your money on a different tour. Wasn't bad but definitely wasn't anything special. You ride lighted paddle boards or kayaks through a small lagoon and stop here and there so the guide can tell you a story. The exhibits around the lagoon are not lit so there's nothing to see along the way. Was expecting much more from the other reviews I read about it but I was not impressed. read more

As a native Californian with family roots in Oahu, I surprised many of my local relatives when I mentioned after hours kayaking at the Polynesian Cultural Center. My local cousins who accompanied me on our kayaking adventure were pleasantly surprised at how much fun we had. Our tour guide, Toa and his two co-workers, made our tour so enjoyable. I would highly recommend this tour to locals and visitors. No kayaking experience is necessary since the tour guide will give you tips on how to maneuver around a practice obstacle course prior to starting the tour. The only issue was finding the North Shores Explorers location. The Google maps directions were way off, but the PCC security staff were very helpful in directing us to the shop. Other than that, I would definitely do this tour again the next time I'm in Hawaii. read more

We had an amazing time. Our tour guides were Josiah, Nick and Dallas. This was our first time to the Polynesian Cultural Center and paddle boarding. It was the best of both worlds. Josiah did an awesome job sharing legends and stories from each island. We purchased this tour through groupon. But, I would Gladly go back and pay full price. The experience was absolutely something worth putting on your bucket list . Before the tour begins , you get fitted for water shoes. My husbands were a little Stinky. But, it's a water tour. I'm sure there is no avoiding it. They did provide Lysol, major plus. Since this was our first time . Josiah walked us through the pcc, explaining the different activities and events. Our tour began at 7:30pm . So it was peaceful paddling through the lagoons, the moon and stars served as light. As first time paddle Boarders, the guides were patient and extremely helpful. My husband which is Samoan. Learned a few things about his culture too. Thank you Josiah, Dallas and nick for an awesome experience. read more

Great Tour. Our tour guide Woody was knowledgeable, engaging and made the tour fun. Overall it was a great experience.

Did the Lunar Legends Tour. Glow in the dark paddle boards! Joe was our guide. We ended up with a private because we were the only ones booked at that time. So relaxing and fun. Joe knows his history. Learned so much! If you come to Turtle Bay, you must do this! If you read this, thanks Joe!!! read more

North Shore Explorers - Tours Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

Being from the islands, there isn't much out there that we can't do for free. Paddleboarding is one of those things we can do for free...but my husband and some of my co-workers decided that we would give it a try at something different. Different because it's at night and we don't have to worry about what else is in the water with us (sharks, jellyfish, etc). We had a blast. You get to pick what color light you wanted and they set everyone up on a board. Then, you go through the park, stopping at each culture and the guide will tell you a story about each one. Some stories were familiar but others were not. Our tour guide was awesome. We probably extended our tour by about 30 minutes with our shenanigans but he remained ever so patient. While going to the next location, we made so much noise, pushed each other around, splashed water, and just had a grand ole time! None of us came out of the tour dry! We would highly recommend this tour for anyone; local or tourist. read more

Overall, a fun time and I am glad that we did it. A few tips: 1) it's at the PCC so that's like 1hour 10 minutes of sometimes windy roads from Waikiki 2) if you have young kids, they only let them go on the earlier tour at 7:30pm cuz otherwise it will be late by the time you are done 3) the water is only like 3 feet deep so no one is going to drown (but if you r under 10 years old, they make you wear a life vest 4) you will get WET...mainly on your shorts/swim trunks but there are 4 little waterfalls...you can go down the middle and get drenched...or you can try the edges and just get slightly wet. But the oars drip water all the time as you paddle the kayak...so you will get wet. Just be resigned to getting wet. But overall, a fun time. Just be ready for the wet. They will also match the Groupon price if you call them directly. The Groupon is also only good for the late tour at 9pm....so no kiddos. Bring cash or have Venmo to tip them at the end....they've earned it. read more

Dear Adventure Company, BUMMER DUDE! Booked what looked Like a promising adventure with an evening LED paddle board session for $120 for both me and my man ($60 a pop) for the last day of our vacation. We originally wanted to take the 9:30pm time out, but were told that they may not be holding that time, and we should go with the 7:30pm to make sure we get to paddle. Reasonable enough. Let's do it! We plan the entire last day of our trip around this excursion, and all is going according to plan until 5pm, when we receive a call telling us the class is cancelled unless we pony up another $60 for a third seat? What?! We booked with you guys on Saturday and you're going to wait until TWO hours before our class, two days after, to bail on us? Like 120 minutes, seriously? Nowhere on your site does it say classes require a three people minimum. If you're going to have a 24 hour cancellation policy for your customers to bail out for *your* convenance, the least you can do is provide the same courtesy to your customers. Woefully , Bummed out adventure dude and dudette read more

Had reservations for this tour booked for over 2 months. The day of the event we received a call 90 minutes prior to the start of the tour saying they were canceling the tour with no explanation as to why. Needless to say since this was on the north shore and we were staying in Waikiki we were already half way there and had planned our entire day around this tour. I would NOT book with this company! read more

Group of 11, tour was great, we learned alot that night..Toa was awesome, it was really fun learning how to stand up paddle board. Only downfall was i wishe there was a microphone or megaphone or some sort of speaker so we can hear because i had such a difficult time trying to hear what Toa was saying and it was really dark, i thought there would be some lights because i couldnt see nor know what i was looking at.. Especially the statue ior the luau i couldnt see a thing.. But i did enjoy it.. read more

My wife and I just completed the "Lunar Legends" tour run by these fine folks. I have to say, it was awesome kayaking through the lagoons on a beautiful night all while learning the legends of the Polynesian people and some of their history. Our guide was very engaging, and extremely friendly and knowledgeable. All in all a very good time for an extremely reasonable price. Check it out! read more

Just did this tour last week when on vacation. Sydney was our guide and she was wonderful and a great story teller. We did the paddle boards. I've never done it before and I have terrible balance. I just sat and paddled. They were even nice enough to give me a kayak paddle instead of a paddle board paddle which works better if you're sitting. The stories were interesting and the canal was cool. Docking a star because I was under the impression that we would be able to see more. You stop at each village for the story, but nothing is lit up so you can't really see much. I still felt like it was worth my money, but that part was the only thing disappointing. read more

Terrible service and takes advantage of customers. We arrived at 4:30pm for our 7pm Lunar Lagoons tour so we could ensure we would get there on time and have some time to look around before. There was a terrible storm, the weather forecast predicted thunderstorms, and the power went out in the area. Given the circumstances, we called the agency and asked for a refund, and the representative said they would give it, but because of the power outage their system was down and they wouldn't be able to. They directed us to another number, who was unaffiliated with them and unable to do anything. We tried calling the agency back several times over the course of the next couple hours, but they didn't pick up, and looked for a representative booth around the Polynesian Culture Center, but were unable to find one. With the storm so bad, we felt it was unsafe to go out and sought shelter. Hours later at 8pm a tour guide finally returned our call to tell us they didn't issue refunds even with the unsafe weather, and the owner was unwilling to even talk with us. It was ridiculous and terrible service. Especially given the very expensive cost of tickets. I'd recommend saving your money and not buying from a company who has such terrible customer service and that takes advantage of customers. If anything at all happens, it appears there's no way to contact them or hold them accountable. Rain is one thing, but predicted thunderstorms and power outages is another. read more

Me and my family found a deal on groupon for a 90 minute tour for 2 people, best purchase we have ever made. Our tour guide was amazing and told us stories about different artifacts around PCC, that were very interesting. read more

My husband and I did the Lunar Legends kayak tour at the PCC through North Shore Explorers. It was our last night in Oahu and we are so glad we did this tour. It occurs after the rest of the center is closed and the kayaks are lit with beautiful colors under the water, creating a mystical tour. The tour guide was outstanding--with first-hand knowledge of the Polynesian Culture. We were fortunate enough to be the only two people on the tour the night we went--and I was shocked because it was so outstanding. More people should sign up! From the cultural aspect, to the kayaking, to just being in the open-air looking up at the beautiful Hawaiian sky, this was an outstanding experience. read more

My boyfriend and I did the lunar legend tour, both with stand up paddle boards. We were really impressed with how friendly and knowledgable the staff was. It was great to learn more about the culture and do it in a fun and challenging way (stand up paddle boards are a little tricky to control.) We would highly recommend this to anyone staying on Oahu. Great job, north shore explorers! read more

We booked this tour last minute, looking to fill a gap in our itinerary, and I am so glad we did! My husband found it on groupon, but they allowed us to book using the groupon price without actually having to go through them. We opted for 4 kayaks. Our tour guides were Josiah and Shaneel, both who were students at BYU and both from Fiji. How awesome to have actual locals teaching you about their birthplace! From start to finish, it was nothing short of a great experience. From the talk in the beginning about how we are "Ohana" to the notion that everything we would learn about on that nights adventure were lessons we could apply to our own life was awesome. We were all assisted into our kayaks and were on our way. This was such a peaceful way to experience what is otherwise a very crowded place during the day. There are tiki torches along the path, and the North Star guiding your way. My 14 YO son and his friend got the biggest kick out of being able to man their own kayak and lead the way. You stop along the water at certain points to learn about legends of each island, with personal stories from our guide and the ability to ask questions, even as silly as "Does Fiji water really come from Fiji?". It was peaceful, informative and fun! I think this will be one of the best things I do on this trip! I highly recommend it. read more