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In this post, I show you how I made a HAWAIIAN FLOWER CROWN –  one of my favorite activities I have ever done on this island.

Man, oh man. Have you ever had a moment where you look in the mirror and think DAMN…where has this been my entire life? And you immediately start to think of all the possible scenarios where having this one thing would have been amazing.

Enter this flower crown.

After living on Oahu for 15+ years, I made my own flower crown for the first time.

It was a Monday afternoon and I got a call from my friend Carla. Through Instagram, she had found a local family that taught you how to make flower crowns on the North Shore via Air BnB Experiences.

​By chance, I had just gotten off the phone with a friend looking to shoot content for his local clothing brand (CLICK HERE). We paired up and that’s how all the amazing photos in this post were made (thanks Brian!).

Quick Details:

• Island: OAHU
• HAWAIIAN FLOWER CROWN: Lei Po’o

IMPORTANT INFO:

• Location: Laie on the NORTH SHORE of Oahu. If you are driving from Waikiki, allow 1.5hr transit time to allow for any traffic.
• ​Hours: 2 hours long (Typically 1-3pm though other times may be requested)
• Parking?: Available
• Reservations?: Recommended. Click HERE to book

How to Get There

What to Expect

We had visions of making gorgeous head crowns and sippin’ mimosas.  Mid-morning, we started our drive to the North Shore. Our destination was the town of Laie. If you’ve never been, Laie is where the POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER is located. We thought we’d stop at a local grocery story to grab some champagne and orange juice for our morning mimosas.

Spoiler: Laie is a dry area. Brian obligingly drove a little farther down to grab us some champagne while we headed into our host Kiana’s home to start making flower crowns.

A bit about Kiana and her mom.  Their business, OAHU LEIS, is a small local business that both creates leis for sale as well as teaches you how to make your own leis. They supply the materials for you. It was small and intimate with just us three girls, Kiana and her mom. They were so incredibly knowledgeable and kind.

They both taught us that the flower crown is often mistakenly called a “haku lei” (Oops! I made that mistake too!) when it’s actually called a lei po’o (pronounced LAY-POH-oh). Kiana and her mom worked for the Polynesian Cultural Center for many years and taught visitors how to make leis. Her mom is originally from Tahiti we learned as we heard them speak French.

At the time of this activity, PCC was closed (though it just re-opened in January 2021) and they were focusing on lei-making on their own. They showed us how to make the flower crown, taught us about the different flowers we used, history of flower crowns and so much more. It was hands down one of the most authentic activities I have ever done.

​They were so adorable, I could talk about them for ages <3 ​

And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, we finished up our leis and Kiana took us to a secluded beach just a few minutes from her house. We did our own impromptu photo shoot. As part of the experience, Kiana takes photos for you on your phone or camera. It was so much fun!

Best for:
• Birthdays
• Bachelorette parties
• Anniversaries
• Graduations
• Pretty much any celebration where you want to feel like a Queen

Originally, I had planned on making this post to showcase the lei making. But, as we talked more with Kiana, I realized I wanted to help support small businesses that have been negatively affected by the lapse in tourism here on Oahu. 
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My friends and I had so much fun making these leis with Kiana and her mom. I’ve included links below if you’d like to do this too. Their Instagram is: @oahuleis.