Hawaii – Day 2

Day 2

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Starts out on Waikiki Beach, journaling and getting hydrated before running off to the Polynesian Cultural Center.  From too far down the beach to capture on film, we saw a pair of surfers, one on top of the other doing tricks as the waves carried them toward shore…amazing.

The drive to the Polynesian Cultural Center itself was gorgeous.  I took pics as we drove, and we stopped at a scenic spot to get great photos of Mokoli’i Island and other gorgeous sites.  We also stopped to shop (mummus for mom & grandma from me, a robe for me from Pete, and a coral necklace for Su) and grab an early lunch.  Su got the loco moco she’d been craving (a beef patty over steamed rice with an egg and gravy on top of that).  I went for the chicken curry, which came to me looking a lot like school lunch from when I was a kid, but tasted wonderfully.

At the Cultural Center, we started at Samoa, where the warrior who did the cultural presentation was informative and amusing.  We learned how to make fire, how to open a coconut on a sharpened stake and get the milk (scraping out the meet, wringing it out and filtering it through the shell fiber) and a little of the language.  We also got to watch two strong young men (two because we enjoyed this presentation so much that we came back for more) climb a coconut tree.  In the Hawaii presentation we learned a little hula and the correct ways to pronounce Honolulu and ukulele, among other things.  In Aotearoa we learned about their greetings and their dance.  Ty later tried the poi balls…with limited success <g>.  In Tonga we marveled at their beautiful textiles and construction, including an amazing two-hulled canoe, which is what was used for travel between islands (and the way that people came to settle the various Hawaiian islands).  Impressive, the thought of crossing an ocean in such a craft.  Pete, the knot guy, was, of course, focused on the lashings.

We stayed for Ha, the Breath of Life, their big show at the end, which was absolutely beautiful.  I loved best where the big, strapping warriors danced and fought, but Pete’s mileage on that would likely vary.  I’m fairly certain the fire dancers were Ty’s favorites.