Written by Charlie Johnson
What if I told you that Jurassic Park was real? Would you believe me? You’d probably believe me less if I told you that Dwayne Johnson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, and Adam Sandler spent weeks living there. Godzilla trampled through on his way to mainland USA, but possibly most famous of all is the fact that Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 also crash landed here while flying from Sydney to Los Angeles. How can all of this be possible? Everything I have just listed happened at a ranch on the Hawaiian island of Oahu called Kualoa.
Kualoa Ranch is exactly what it claims to be. It is first and foremost a cattle ranch and on its mountainous 4,000 acres are approximately 600 cattle, 120 horses, and 200 sheep. The ranch itself is located on the windward side of Oahu and it is about a thirty-minute car ride from Honolulu city. It comprises of three mountain valleys—Ka’a’awa, Kualoa, and Hakipu’u—as well as an ancient fish pond on the beach and the island of Mokoli’i, which is commonly referred to as Chinaman’s Hat.
So why do so many productions get made here? The number one reason is that the land is all privately owned. When Spielberg was touring around the world searching for a place to film Jurassic Park, his production team stumbled across this natural wonder. Tall, dramatic mountains, lush valleys, majestic waterfalls, and dense jungles provided the perfect backdrop for a tropical island full of dinosaurs, and because all these terrains could be found on the same property, it really saved on paperwork. Instead of seeking permission from a heap of different landowners, state councils, environmental agencies and so on, the production team for the film just had to deal with the direct owners of the ranch. This coupling of dramatic scenery and lack of red tape made Kualoa the perfect site for anyone in need of a tropical setting.
So how many productions have been made there? Over 70 Hollywood films is the official answer, but any more local productions and heaps of television episodes have also been shot in this location. While Jurassic Park put Kualoa on the map, blockbusters such as Kong Skull Island, both new Jurassic World films, Tears of the Sun, Pearl Harbour, Godzilla, and 50 First Dates have all taken place on the ranch. As each production team comes and goes the only condition of them using the property is that they return it to the original state. For example, in Pearl Harbour, the production team ended up digging all kinds of moats and trenches through one of the valleys and turned it into a big mud slurry. When they left, they had to fill in all the holes and replant any trees and plants they destroyed in the process. On the other hand, some big set pieces are left behind for the benefit of tourists. Props like the downed chopper from Kong Skull Island and one of Godzilla’s footprints can be found. But their jewel in the crown is the log from Jurassic Park that the Gallimimus’ stampeded over. For fans of television, many episodes of LOST and the modern series of Hawaii Five-0 were filmed there, as well as a soon to air reboot of Magnum P.I.
What makes Kualoa Ranch so awesome isn’t that its been used by Hollywood more times than the Wilhelm Scream soundbite. It’s the fact that all of this is open to the public. You can go to the ranch yourself and experience all of these things. The tour guides are knowledgeable in both pop culture and historical references. If you’re after something more adventurous you have the option of going on an intense off-road trip or zipline through the canopy. Trail riding on horseback and a boat cruise on the foreshore are also available. So while it might not have real dinosaurs, Kualoa Ranch will most definitely have enough adventure and learning to last for years.
