Do you feel an inordinate enthusiasm for everything Tiki and Pop Polynesian? Have you been accused of collecting too many Tiki mugs? Are you longing for fruity, strong drinks adorned with swizzle sticks and cocktail umbrellas? Did someone catch you buying another aloha shirt or obscure bottle of rum?
You might be a Polynesiac!
Aloha! Ia Ora na! Welcome to Polynesiacs, the site for people who love Tiki.
I’m Tiki Tom-Tom. Polynesiac. Author. Photographer. Artist. Sewist. Educator. Musician, and all around Wanderer. I’ve spent the last few years visiting, writing about, and photographing over 100 home Tiki bars.
Enjoy my short stories about Polynesiacs from all over. Take a look at my photographs of home Tiki bars, exotic gardens, tricked out trailers, and decked out houseboats. I hope it will inspire you to create your own paradise!
We took a collective breath.
Margo’s voice caught. “It gets me emotional. Making lei is spiritual for me.” She…
There’s no need to get seasick.
Polynesiacs paparazzi were in full force. When I stepped toward the stage, camera in…
Choose a passion you love – and create community.
“So you’re a full-time Tiki artist?” I asked. David grinned. “Pretty much. I’ve been a…
If we’re gonna do it, now’s the time.
“Why the hell don’t we just do it?” Duke asked Amy. “Why don’t we…
Life points you in the right direction sometimes.
“It’ll all be okay.” Amid incomprehensible loss, it’s our nature to offer worn-out platitudes…
Alani Kai mixes freaky with tiki.
Janis loves freaky. Tim loves Tiki. Together, they’ve created the Alani Kai, the perfect…
Il a créé le Paradis du Zombi.
Would you create a paradise for zombies? Zach did, but not for the undead…
The Flamingo Lounge will make your head spin.
Aloha shirts don’t make Eric dizzy. You’d think he’d have been classically conditioned with…
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Join author and photographer TIKI TOM-TOM on an immersive road trip as he crosses the continental United States to visit home Tiki bars, sharing tales of the slightly obsessed and always fun Polynesiacs who have been inspired to create their own tropical escapes. Step inside these elaborate environments, lovingly created in private homes, gardens, trailers, and boat houses across the country, from New York to California and Washington to Florida.
POLYNESIACS: TIKI AT HOME isn’t a how-to book. Similar to the ancient voyaging mariners who used star charts, winds, and currents to guide their way, this book offers sixteen Navigation Points to help map your journey, inspire you to harness your unique obsessions, and learn from the wisdom and humor of the Polynesiacs who’ve traveled before you as you plan, build, or enhance your home Tiki space.
Have you ever wanted to keep track of your Tiki adventures?
Get a Polynesiacs Passport!
- It looks and feels like a real passport;
- It begins with quotes from our Tiki founders and a call to adventure;
- It’s individually numbered;
- It’s authorized with a personal signature from Tiki Tom-Tom;
- It can be customized with your photo and information; and
- It includes sixteen stamping pages that reference the NavPoints found in Tiki Tom-Tom’s book, Polynesiacs: Tiki at Home.
Fill the Polynesiacs Passport with stamps, stickers, and/or signatures from your favorite public Tiki bars, private home bars, artists, or events. There is no prescribed list of places, and there’s plenty of room for lots of adventures.