Discover the history and diverse experiences awaiting you at Oahu’s Dole Plantation
Dole Plantation, located on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu, has been growing pineapples since 1900, according to the Hawaii Guide. Originally operated as a fruit stand beginning in 1950, Dole Plantation opened to the public as Hawaii’s “Pineapple Experience” in 1989. Today, Dole is one of Oahu’s most popular visitor attractions, welcoming more than 1 million visitors a year, according to its website.
The plantation offers activities like a train tour, garden tour, and pineapple maze. Visitors can also buy food, including the famous frozen Dole whip treat, and souvenirs.
A brief history
In 1899, American industrialist James Drummond Dole, also known as the “Pineapple King,” arrived in Hawaii with $1,000 in his pocket and started developing the pineapple industry in Hawaii. According to the Dole Plantation website, Dole, who had Harvard degrees in business and agriculture, acquired 60 acres of land in Wahiawa, which is 29 miles north of Honolulu.
Dole began by growing pineapples, producing pineapple juice and shipping them back to the mainland USA. “To enable as many people as possible to enjoy delicious fruit, he developed a technique for canning the products because he wanted to make the sunshine and taste of Hawaiian pineapples available to everyone,” says the website.
“Dole today is one of the leading brand names not only for pineapples but also for fresh and processed fruits and vegetables,” said Richard Hawkins, a researcher from California. Hawkins added Dole’s name has survived as an international brand because he lost control of his company in 1932, in what was the American Territory of Hawaii’s largest inter-war business failure.
Fun-filled activities
Dole Plantation has grown into one of Hawaii’s top educational tourist attractions for visitors and kama’aina or residents of all ages, according to Dole’s website. In addition to the famous pineapple experience, the plantation offers fun-filled activities such as the Pineapple Express train tour, Plantation Garden Tour, Pineapple Garden Maze and the Plantation Grille.
The Pineapple Express train tour is a fully narrated 20-minute train ride around the plantation, said Michael Moon, director of operations at the plantation. “There are four vintage-style trains featured: Lady Liberty, Pineapple Express, Aloha Express and Ohana Express, each with unique origins and purposes,” he added.
The Lady Liberty train arrived in 2003 and was designed as a replica of a Mason Bogey 0-4-4T, originally manufactured by Mason Machine Works in Taunton, Massachusetts, according to the website. The Pineapple Express originated in England and was designed by Severn Lamb, said Oahu Private Tours. “The train is powered by a diesel motor and hydraulic pump, very similar to a bulldozer,” the website cited.
The Aloha and Ohana Express trains, on the other hand, were built in China by Hangzhou Trains Equipment Co., Ltd., the website further added.
Additional activities include the Plantation Garden Tour, Pineapple Garden Maze and the Plantation Grille. “As you wander through Dole Plantation’s eight different gardens, you will get an up-close view of the plants that are the source of tropical delights from coffee to exotic fruits to colorful cacao pods, used to make Waialua’s signature single-estate chocolate. Depending on the season, you may also be able to smell the delicate fragrance of lei flowers, including plumeria, pikake, and pua kenikeni,” says the Dole website.
In 2008, Dole Plantation’s giant Pineapple Garden Maze was declared the world’s largest maze, according to deviatingthenorm.com. “The maze stretches over three acres and includes nearly two and one-half miles of paths crafted from 14,000 colorful Hawaiian plants,” the website added.
Visiting the Dole Plantation was one of the items on my bucket list, said Jann Aerielle Perez, a freshman from the Philippines majoring in computer science. “My friends and I hopped on the train that toured us around the plantation, offering stunning views of pineapple fields and interesting insights into Hawaii’s farming history,” she said. She added the relaxing ride and friendly staff made the experience enjoyable.