Polynesian Cultural Center

As per Richard's advice, we allotted an entire day to the Polynesian Cultural Center, which as it turns out, wasn't even enough. The place is huge...you could easily spend several days there. Richard and Melody had already visited the center on their previous visit to Oahu, so they spent the day doing the Circle Island Tour instead.

The center has separate "islands" or stations representing 6 Polynesian cultures...Samoa, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Fiji, Hawaii, Tahiti, and Tonga. You go around to each island and watch their cultural presentation and then you can participate in some of the activities they have set up.

This was part of the presentation at the Tahiti island, where the woman was demonstrating how to open a coconut and prepare coconut bread. The bread was baked in an underground oven and the audience was given samples to try.

After the presentation, we stayed at the Tahiti island and learned how to weave a fish using leaves from a coconut tree. Later in the day Tyler got a warrior tattoo on his lower leg at the Fiji island and a woven headband from the Tonga island.

In the afternoon there was a canoe pageant in which each culture displayed a song and dance while floating down a canal on their own canoe. This is the canoe representing Hawaii.

Here is Samoa.

By 6:00, it was time for dinner and we had tickets to attend the Ali'i Luau there at the center. So, yes, we had Luau dinners two nights in a row.

The food at the Luau was very similar to that of the night before, but this one had poke (raw fish), Pipi Kaula (beef jerky), a sweet potato salad made from taro, and taro rolls that were purple in color.

After the dinner, we went to see the night show called HA Breath of Life. I thought it was the best part of all. Everything about it was great...the music, the dancing, the bits of humor, the fire performers, and the cast...I loved it!

I know if Tyler had been awake, he probably would have thought the same thing.