July 24, 2019
Besides being a fan of the movie, Pearl Harbor, I am also a huge fan of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movie series. So when on Oahu, I just had to visit Kualoa Ranch to see the beautiful and iconic valley where parts of the movies were filmed! Kualoa Ranch is located on the northeastern side of the island and learned that it is the set to many more films and shows besides the Jurassic franchise.
At the Ranch, they offer many different activities and packages, ranging from ATV riding, zip-lining, to horseback riding tours. I opted for the basic and popular Hollywood Movie Site Tour. It was a 90-minute long tour on a green-painted school bus that brought us all over the property.
How to Get There
Shuttle: Kualoa Ranch offers a round-trip shuttle service from Waikiki hotel destinations for a $15 fee per person. This fee is only $10 if you book an activity package. Reservations are required.
Car: Take the H1 to Route 63/Likelike Highway from Honolulu/Waikiki, up to Route 83 and follow north. The Ranch will be on your left and has plenty of free parking. Likelike Highway takes longer than Pali Highway (Route #61), however when I was there, the Pali Highway was still closed from landslides that damaged the tunnels.
Bus: Public transportation is also available to reach Kualoa Ranch, but the journey takes much longer.
Beautiful Spot Across The Road
While making my way to Kualoa Ranch, I noticed a beautiful park and beach across the street from my destination. This place is known as Kualoa Point/Kualoa Regional Park. There are ample parking spots and beautiful views of the water and offshore islands. From this beautiful spot, you can see Mokoli’l, or Chinaman’s Hat Island, as well as Turtle Mountain. They are aptly named Chinaman’s Hat island because it looks like a Chinese hat, and Turtle Mountain looks like…you guessed it… a turtle!
Collecting Your Tickets
Once I arrived at the Kualoa Ranch, I had to pass through the gift shop and food court to reach the ticketing window. At the ticketing window they will ask you for your reservation and then give you the corresponding ticket to your tour. The laminated ticket is needed to board the bus. I was directed to arrive at the appropriate outbuilding 15 minutes before my 1:15 pm tour. We then had to form a long line and check-in again for the tour. At check-in, they inform you which bus you are on. For my tour, they had a total of three buses, one for English speakers, one for Chinese, and one for Japanese speakers.
Let’s Get This Show On The Road!
Before we boarded the appropriate buses, the ranch had a photographer take a photo a photo of you. I politely declined as I was by myself and did not plan on purchasing any photos.
The driver of our bus was named Tiara, like the crown, and she was hilarious! She was incredibly bubbly and was the best part of the tour. My favorite joke she told was at the beginning of the tour. We were all very hot sitting on the bus, so she said: “Let’s get this bus moving and start that Hawaiian AC!” Hawaiian AC=wind through the windows. Corny, but I thought it was hilarious.
Sugar Mill
At the beginning of the tour, we passed by a ruined building on the property. This used to be a sugar mill owned by Charles Judd and was the first sugar mill on the island. However, it did not remain open long as the sugar production and sugar industry declined.
Kualoa Ranch during WWII
We then passed by some underground bunkers. During WWII, this land was home to a long airstrip and military outpost. Tiara said most of the bunkers are off-limits and no longer safe.
However, there is one that remains that can be explored. It is the Battery Cooper Bunker, which is massive and is used regularly in movies and TV shows. Most notably, it is in one of the beginning scenes of Pearl Harbor, where a motorcycle is seen driving up to the bunker. Also, many episodes of Hawaii 5-O were filmed here.
When the bunker is not used for filming, it is a walk through museum, showcasing its history during WWII as well as an homage to all the movies and shows filmed on the Kualoa Ranch property.
Keeping with Tradition
Next, we drove through an open area in the valley that demonstrated how Hawaiians used to live back in the day. In this same area, they have the Kualoa Ranch farm, which grows organic fruits, vegetables, plants, and flowers. They even have a pigsty and have over 500 cows on their property! Kualoa Ranch is first and foremost a nature reserve, secondly is a prime film location on Oahu.
This area is situated right under the Gorilla Kiss rocks. They are called the Gorilla’s Kiss because well …the two naturally formed rocks look like two gorillas kissing. Can you see it?
“What have they got in there, King Kong?” – Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park
Why yes, yes, they do! After the journey through their farming area, we entered into the infamous Jurassic Valley. Here is considered the unofficial “backlot” of Hawaii. Entering into the valley, I was instantly transported to Isla Nublar.
This valley was used to film the infamous scene where Dr. Grant, Tim, and Lex run from the flock of gallimimus and hide behind a giant log. In the 2018 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom film, Chris Pratt’s character can be seen hiding behind the same log when running from the volcanic explosion and stampeding dinosaurs. And guess what? The log is still there!
The tour guide, Tiara, had a little fun with us by taking our photo in front of the Jurassic Park Sign and the famous log…all while hiding from a T-rex. Or at least a 6-inch, plastic replica of a T-rex!
Ian Malcolm’s line from Jurassic Park perfectly segues into other movies that have also been filmed at Kualoa Ranch. King Kong: Skull Island was also filmed here, as well as Godzilla. The Godzilla footprints that Matthew Broderick’s character stands in are still there. However, they have been filled in some, as the free-roaming cows on the nature reserve kept falling into them and getting stuck.
Other Famous Scenes Filmed Here
Over 75 movies and TV shows have been filmed at Kualoa Ranch over the years. Some of my favorites include: 50 First Dates, Jumanji, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Hawaii 5-O, and LOST. The famous scene and episode where Hurley from LOST creates a golf course what filmed right here at Kualoa.
A Hefty Price Tag
While roaming through the valley, Tiara explained that for TV shows or movies to film scenes at Kualoa Ranch, they can either rent out a section or the entire ranch. If the production only wants a section of the property to film, then the ranch still operates its tours for visitors. If the production needs the entire ranch, then the production company has to pay for each ticket on every tour they offer for every day that they need the ranch. With tours ranging from $50 to over $200 per person, and with groups including 6 to 50 people running every half hour to an hour…that price tag is pretty hefty!
A story the guides like to tell about a celebrity encounter while on tour is when Dwayne Johnson was filming Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle a couple of years ago. They had a bus full of kindergartners on a day tour of the ranch who passed by the film set where Dwayne Johnson was filming. The kids recognized him because of Moana, so they started singing “You’re Welcome” as loud as they could to get “Maui’s” attention. And they did! He stopped filming and ran to the bus to help them finish his song. It made their day! I love stories like that!
The End
After our drive through the valley, we made our way back towards the visitor’s center. On the way, we stopped by an area where they have wild hogs on the property. When Tiara yelled out to them, they all came scurrying down to the rock wall.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Kualoa Ranch and seeing where parts of Jurassic Park and World were filmed. What really made the tour was the tour guide, Tiara, and traveling through the valley. The price was a bit steep for what it was, but it was still fun and something I would recommend if you have a free day on Oahu.
