Aloha! - Polynesian Cultural Center

Thursday morning we were going to be picked up by the bus at 10:30 am to be taken to the Polynesian Cultural Center, so we had a quiet morning and had breakfast at the buffet there at the Marriott. It was very good. We got on the bus at 10:30, and it took about one hour and 15 minutes to get there. Our guide was Leon, and he offered, for $15 a person, to be our guide once we got to the Center. It sounded like a lot, especially after the high price we had already paid, but it was well worth it, because he knew the schedule of what shows were happening in which "village," and got us there in time to get good seats. Our first impressions were: this place is gorgeous!!!




We started off with a canoe ride, along with lots of other people!



Then we started visiting villages, and seeing demonstrations. Here the girls are doing the Tahitian hula dance.


Here I am with one of the cute Polynesian boys. Most of the young men and young women who work here are students at BYU Hawaii.



More great demonstrations.....




The different villages represent different cultures among the Polynesian people, and they have built huts that are replicas of what would be found in those certain areas.



The shapes and materials used were incredibly interesting.



These are the girls who "taught" the women how to hula. I'm not going to show the picture Tom took--I really used to be able to hula, but I guess with these artificial hips I looked pretty funny!



Next was the parade on boats down the canal. While we were waiting for that to start, we ate salads from the snack bar, and then Tom took pictures of the beautiful palm trees.



The parade started with the "Royalty," and they were followed by dancers from the different villages. It was really beautiful.









After the parade, one of the demonstrations was for the Maori dance where they use those balls on the end of ropes, swinging them around. Tom took the safe route as the photographer!
I was doing OK for awhile,


but I don't think you're suppose to end up with the thing wrapped around your head!



Then we went to our favorite show--or I should say, our favorite person. He was giving the demonstration on the Samoan culture. He was incredible! He was SO FUNNY!



He made fire by rubing 2 sticks together.....



Then he removed the coconut from the outer shell,



and then he broke it in half by hitting it once with a rock in his hand! Whenever he would do something great, he would strike a "he-man" pose and flex his muscles!



After the show, I got to have my picture taken with him (along with lots of other ladies!).



We found out later, he was the number one fire dancer in the evening program.
Part of his afternoon show was to have one of the young men climb the coconut tree!




Finally we got in line for the Luau. This is where we received our beautiful orchid leis.



The closer you are to the front of the line, the better. You get a seat up close to the front, so you can see the entertainment that goes on during dinner, and they start the buffet line with those who were at the front of the line! There was a huge dining area, with the tables beautifully set.




Here's the cooked pig that had been buried--it was delicious!



After the pig was shown, the entertainment began.



After the luau, we walked over to the theater where the night show was held. They don't allow any picture taking, but it was beautiful, and very well done. After it was over, we got back on the bus, and returned to the hotel about 11 pm. What a long day! We were so tired! But it was another great day!

Aloha continued...

After lunch, we continued around the island, looking at beaches. Some were rugged and kind of deserted,



but we finally came to some of the famous North Shore beaches. Although there weren’t any of the HUGE waves that we’ve seen on TV, there were some very nice breakers, and lots of surfers. It was lots of fun to watch!



These were some cute local boys who were leaving....








After watching the surfers for awhile, we found some more rocky beaches again



before we finally headed inland to the Dole Pineapple Plantation.



We took the 20 minute “train” ride to look at the fields of pineapples, had a pineapple smoothie, and bought a few things in the store.





After that, we got caught in evening traffic—it was a mess, even in Honolulu! We were pretty tired by the time we got back to the hotel, and hungry, so we started walking down the street in front of our hotel.


We walked about a block to a place called “Cheeseburger in Paradise” for dinner. I had a salad, and Tom had a cheeseburger.


Walking down the street, there are stores like this.



Another block or two down the street, on the beach side, there was a platform where a free program was in progress. We sat there and watched some hula dancers while a really good group sang Hawaiian music. It was really fun to watch.




When we got back to the hotel, we went to the 3^rd floor, where they have a café and bar, which has a stage. We sat there and listened to a performer for awhile, and I even requested that he sing Iz’s version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which he did. After that we headed upstairs.


Wednesday morning we got up, had McDonald’s breakfast on our balcony, and then headed out to find Pearl Harbor. When you get there, they give you a ticket, which tells you when your group can enter the theater, and then go to the Memorial. We had to wait 1 ¼ hours for our turn, during which time we went through the museum and store. The museum was very interesting with many incredible pictures and stories. On account written by a survivor of the attack told of how he and 2 buddies headed up the stairs when they heard the bombing, only to be knocked back by a wall of water. He never saw his buddies after that—they didn’t know how to swim. How could you enlist to be a sailor if you didn’t know how to swim?

There were three men there who were actual survivors of Pearl Harbor.



You can see the Memorial out in the harbor, and just a little way to the left is the USS Missouri where they signed the peace treaty with the Japanese. To the far left was a ship that just happened to be in the harbor




Anyway, when it was our turn, we went into the theater and saw an excellent documentary about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Then we took a short boat ride out to the Memorial,



which has been built over the sunken remains of the Arizona, where many of the 1,177 men who died are still buried.




The names of all those who died on the Arizona cover the wall at one end of the Memorial. It was a very solemn experience.

We spotted a sting ray swimming close to the Memorial, and there was a group of divers there who we were told were filming a documentary.

After that, I twisted Tom’s arm to drive up the coast to Makaha beach. It was pouring rain for awhile, but it moved on after about 20 minutes. My favorite Hawaiian singer, Iz Kamakawiwo’ole, sings a song titled “Take Me Home Country Road,” and the song starts out: “Almost heaven, West Makaha, high-ridge mountains, crystal-clear blue water,” and I really wanted to see it. Unfortunately, that side of the island is very poor, and there were many squatters and shacks on the beaches, so it wasn’t a very pleasant drive, but we did make it to Makaha, and I got my picture, and it was a beautiful little beach.

When we got back to the hotel, we got on our swim suits, and headed out to Waikiki Beach. Tom even rented a boogie-board, which he played with for a while, and then turned it over to me. I don’t think I’ve ever tried a boogie-board before, and it was much harder than I thought it would be to lie on. After awhile I decided to catch a wave and get out. As soon as I turned the board around, I knew I was too late, and the wave crashed over me. It was so funny! I finally made it back to shore, ready to just sit there in the chairs we rented and enjoy watching other people, when it started raining! It really shouldn’t have mattered, because we were wet anyway, but we had our cameras in our bag, so we decided to walk back to the hotel.




By then it started pouring—liquid sunshine! So we showered, and went to find some place to eat. We really didn’t want to walk around any more in the rain, so decided to eat there in the hotel at an Italian place. It was excellent! Tom had spaghetti and meatballs, and I had a thinly sliced steak on a bed of arugula, a kind of lettuce. It was delicious. And if that wasn’t enough, afterwards we went to Cold Stone and shared a waffle cone full of chocolate ice cream. There was a beautiful sunset, and someone had done a sand sculpture on the beach.




The end of another very full, very tiring, and very wonderful day!