The Samoan chief may be the most popular attraction at the 42-acre Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu's North Shore, an hour's drive from Honolulu. But he has lots of competition. There are nightly luaus, at which you can taste mahimahi and pig roasted in an underground oven, and shops galore, selling everything from gold jewelry to conch-shell trumpets. And there are six other villages where representatives from Hawaii, Tahiti, the Marquesas, Tonga, Fiji, and Maori New Zealand demonstrate life in ancient and contemporary times.

The center does a remarkable job of presenting the indigenous cultures of the South Pacific. Islanders in each village show guests how to pound bark into cloth, weave baskets, string leis, and make fire from two sticks. They also share the traditions of carving, canoeing, and dance that link the far-flung archipelagoes.