Bishop Museum

Episode 3: Bishop Museum

Adventures on Oahu: Bishop Museum (VIDEO)

On our third episode of Adventures on Oahu, we visited The Bernice Pauahi Museum located in the Kalihi district of the Island. Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha family. It is designated the Hawai'i State Museum of Natural and Cultural History. We toured around the museum and went into the different exhibits. The different exhibits they have are the Hawaiian Hall, Pacific Hall, Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kahili Room, Scream Machines, Nature's Wonders and Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center. For more information about Bishop Museum, visit their website at .www.bishopmuseum.org. 

Exhibits and brief information

Scream Machines

The Scream Machines exhibit it held from September 27, 2014 to January 11, 2015 on the first floor of the Castle Memorial Building. The Scream Machines explore the science of roller coasters. Through a fun and interactive experience, visitors are able to get a look at how roller coasters work. You are able to sit in a roller coaster seat and ride a simulator to feel as if you were on a real roller coaster. There are 5 different roller coaster views of the world's greatest roller coasters. 

What Bryan thought about the roller coaster simulator

"I didn't think it would move the way it did...Great simulator exhibit."

Hawaiian Hall

The Hawaiian Hall is three stories high and fill with the different realms of Hawai'i. The first floor takes you to the realm of Kai Akea, representing the Hawaiian Gods, legends, beliefs and the world of Hawai'i before contact to anything outside of Hawai'i. The second floor takes you to the realm of Wao Kanaka, where people live and work. The second floor focuses on the importance of the land and nature in daily life. The third floor is realm of Wao Lani, inhabited by the gods, focuses on the ali'i and key moments of Hawaiian history. Here at the Hawaiian Hall are many artifacts held in glass cases to preserve the relics. The lighting is very dim which makes it more sentimental. A large whale, half skeleton and half normal is held on the roof. 

Pacific Hall

In the Pacific Hall, in the same building as the Hawaiian Hall, visitors can explore Moananuiakea, the expanse of Oceania. It is a two story gallery that encounters the family of the Pacific on the first floor, which is filled with cultural treasures such as model canoes, woven mats, contemporary artwork and videos of Pacific scholars. And the origins and migrations of Pacific peoples on the second floor, where there are fields of archaeology, oral traditions and linguistics. 

Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center

The Science Adventure Center is a 16,500 square-foot building that provides exhibits that are immersive and interactive. It comes with a strong emphasis on better understanding Hawai'is environment. Visitors explore areas of science in Hawai'is cutting edge research such as volcanology, oceanography and biodiversity.