WAHIAWA, HI – Dole Plantation, one of O‘ahu's most popular visitor attractions, recently launched two new additions for visitors to enjoy. In July, an expanded version of the existing Pineapple Garden Maze debuted adding 36,800 square feet and 4,710 linear feet to one of the world's largest mazes. The expansion also created two more stamp stations for visitors to find.

In addition, the Plantation Center now offers a "Grown in Hawai'i" lunch menu including Teri Chicken, Kalua Pig and Mahi sandwiches, Teri Burger with cheese and various salads featuring ingredients from the islands.

The plantation blends the traditional elements of Hawai'i's plantation life and the early pineapple industry with the new breed of diversified agriculture currently being grown on the North Shore of O'ahu. It is dedicated to perpetuating the agricultural heritage of Hawai'i and its place in the history and progress of the islands and its people. Visitors learn how James. D. Dole, founder of Dole Food Company, came to Hawai'i in 1899 after graduating from Harvard University with only $1,200. Dole single-handedly began the pineapple industry in Hawai‘i with 60 acres of rich red dirt on the site of today's Dole Plantation.

With enjoyable activities and fascinating educational displays as well as shopping featuring made-in-Hawai'i products and casual dining, visitors can spend a pleasant day at Dole Plantation.

The Pineapple Garden Maze
Opened in 1998, the maze occupies an area of more than two acres or 138,350 square feet with a path length of 3.11 miles. It is made of 14,000 colorful Hawai'i plants including hibiscus, heliconia, croton, panax and pineapple. The center of the maze is in the shape of a huge pineapple, which is made up of croton and has a crown of agapanthus. In 2001, the Guinness Book of World Records recognized the maze as the largest maze in the world.

With the expansion, adventurers can now search for eight secret stations on their way to solving the mystery of the maze. The fastest maze wanderers to find all eight stations, stencil in each station's different symbol on their maze cards, and return to the entrance, win a prize and have their names recorded on a sign at the maze entrance. The fastest times have been clocked at about seven minutes, while the average is about 45 minutes to one hour.

The Pineapple Express Train Tour
The Pineapple Express made its inaugural tour in 2002 and is a 20-minute, two-mile journey around the plantation showcasing the legacy of pineapple and agriculture in Hawai'i. The tour takes guests to several acres of diversified agriculture including lychee, banana, mango, papaya, cacao and coffee. Along the route, passengers are treated to stunning views of the Ko'olau and Wai'anae Mountain ranges. The train, built in conjunction with Ironhorse Development, LLC, can reach a cruising speed of eight miles per hour.

The Plantation Garden Tour
The Plantation Garden Tour debuted in 2003 to provide visitors with the opportunity to look into the past and present of Hawaii's agriculture. The tour takes visitors through eight "mini-gardens": Life on the Plantation, Native Species Garden, Irrigation, North Shore Agriculture, Bromeliad Garden, Ti Leaf Garden, Lei Garden and Hibiscus Garden.

In addition to an up-close look at a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, native Hawaiian plants and tropical flora, tour-goers can experience planting their own pineapple, weather permitting.

Plantation Center Shopping and Dining
Dole Plantation's main center features "Made in Hawai'i" items including a variety of goods from local handicrafts to Dole logo items and pineapple-themed baked goods, snacks, Waialua coffee, Waialua chocolate and the famous DoleWhip®. Antique tables, baskets and traditional wooden bins display items in the manner of Hawaii's plantation stores of yesterday. Special areas housing a variety of foods and refreshments are designed to represent a traditional marketplace, a country store and a series of building facades reminiscent of old Haleiwa Town on Oahu's North Shore.

Visitors can browse among special wall-mounted displays chronicling the history of pineapple or learn how to choose and prepare pineapple from Dole Plantation experts. And, before they leave, visitors can purchase fresh pineapple to take home or to be delivered packed and passed through agricultural inspection at the airport on their departure. Entrance to Dole Plantation is free. There are admission fees for entrance to the maze, the train ride and garden tour.

Dole Plantation, located outside Wahiawa town on the way to the North Shore of O'ahu, is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily at 64-1550 Kamehameha Highway. The plantation offers visitors and kama'aina the complete "Pineapple Experience" with the Pineapple Garden Maze, the Pineapple Express Train, the Plantation Garden Tour, and the famous DoleWhip®. The plantation welcomes more than one million visitors annually. For more information, visit Dole Plantation's Web site at www.doleplantation.com.