The Pineapple Garden Maze at Dole Plantation has reclaimed the Guinness World Record for the largest maze made of hedges, now that it's been expanded.

The maze, which opened in 1988, was once the champ, but lost the title in 2001. A new and bigger maze—adding 36,800 square feet—now covers more than two acres, or 137,194 square feet. It debuted last year.

It's been professionally surveyed, with measurements witnessed and documented to satisfy Guinness, Dole officials say.

The Guinness Web site (www.guinnessworldrecords.com) still lists the Peace Maze in Northern Ireland as the world's largest hedge maze, but a spokeswoman for the organization confirmed that the Dole Maze has eclipsed that record. (By the way, the largest maze ever, of any type, was the Dakota Kid Sunflower Maze, at 333,500 square feet, created in September 1997.)

If this should interest you in a visit to the maze, October is a good time—Dole is donating 5 percent of certain purchases at Dole Plantation to local schools. Admission to the maze, the Pineapple Express Train and Plantation Garden Tour, as well as sales of food items from the plantation store all qualify.

To generate donations for Helemano, Iliahi, Kaala, Mililani Waena, Wahiawa, Waialua and Wheeler elementary schools or Kamaaina Kids programs at Mililani Tech Park and Wahiawa Baptist Preschool, collect receipts at the plantation and submit them to school offices by Nov. 15. Receipts must be from kamaaina or military purchases only; tourist receipts do not qualify, nor do receipts from independent vendors. Discounts of 15 percent on certain purchases will apply to kamaaina and military families during this period as well.

Dole Plantation, at 64-1550 Kamehameha Highway outside Wahiawa, is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Call 621-8408 or visit www.doleplantation.com.

Average time to get through the maze is 45 minutes to an hour, although some have done it in as little at seven minutes.