Aloha to Kualoa Ranch - The Movie Tour

So much to do, so little time in Hawaii!  But we found the time to visit the Kualoa Ranch on Oahu's windward shores.    From its website at this link,

Ancient Hawaiians considered Kualoa one of the most sacred places on the island of Oʻahu. It was the residence of kings, a place of refuge and sanctuary – a puʻuhonua – and a training ground for royalty who were instructed at Kualoa in the arts of war, history and social traditions.

In 1850, King Kamehameha III sold approximately 622 acres of land in Kualoa to Dr. Gerritt P. Judd. Dr. Judd had previously been a missionary doctor who arrived in Hawaiʻi in 1828 and who served as personal advisor to King Kamehameha III.

Later, additional acreage in the Hakipuʻu and Kaʻaʻawa valleys were purchased by Dr. Judd’s son Charles Hasting Judd from the Queen Kalama’s land holdings. This purchase increased the size of the estate to the 4,000 acres it is today and is now under the Morgan Family name, who are Dr. Judd’’s descendants.

I previous blogged about the "Jungle Tour" at this link.   We decided to take the "Movie Tour" with my mother.

We set off in a bus with no windows - all the
better to take pictures of the gorgeous scenery!

My camera cannot do justice to the landscape.

  

The tour climbed up to a WWII battery
overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

  

The scenery is just breathtaking.

The government claimed the land during WWII
and built Battery  Cooper.  After the war, the land
reverted to the owners and they inherited a bunker!  

Battery Cooper is now home to movie props,
including this "sub" from LOST.

This is a replica of Moai - the statues on Easter Island.
National Geographic used it to film a TV segment.

Can you believe Jurassic Park is now
20 years old?!?

David hides behind the log from the movie.

The Kissing Primates -
left is an ape and right is a baboon.

   

Watch out - here's comes Godzilla with
Matthew Broderick.

The footprints were deeper in the movie but the
cows fell into them.  So the ranch "raised" the
indentation for safe grazing.

  

This is the road where Adam Sandler met
Drew Barrymore every morning.
The ranch also owns the film location
for the Hukilau Restaurant.

The cows are not interested in movie stars.

Replica "Ancient Hawaiian" village.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson fights giant termites
in the 2012 release, Journey to the Mysterious Island
(sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth).

Our tour gave us an elevated view of  Mokoli'i,
nicknamed Chinaman's Hat.

We survived the rain that came through
the "open" windows!

I am giving away a 2012 Hawaiian calendar to one randomly selected commenter. This giveaway is open to all readers. Comments open through Tuesday, January 10, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Wednesday, January 11, when I'll resume my regular once-a-week posts.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

I took this photo while waiting for the tour -
beauty is everywhere in Hawaii.