December 13, Thursday

December 13, Thursday

My excursion today is to the Polynesian Cultural Village, at the north-eastern tip of Oahu in a town called La’ie.  Pick up isn’t until 10:15 so there is no rush to get ready this morning.  The guide on the bus regaled us with funny stories and taught us the proper pronunciation of many Hawaiian words.  It’s not “you-ke-le-ley”, but ou-ke-le-le”.  W’s are V’s, so it’s  ”ha-vai-i”  It was a 1 hour 15 minute drive to our destination  and another 15 minutes waiting for our individual entrance tickets.  Mine included the entrance to the park, the luau and the evening show. 

The Centre consists of various villages that try to recreate the traditions and lifestyles of seven Polynesian cultures.

 I started off with the canoe ride, which took me from one end of the park to the other on the manmade water way that divides the park.

 Beautiful landscaping everywhere

 I visited the Tahiti Village

 Tonga Village Paper bark or “Tapa cloth: they pound the stripped bark from the mulberry tree into lengths of cloth. Natural brown dyes are made from scraping the bark of the koka tree, the candlenut tree and the mangrove; the darker outlining dye is acquired from boiling the same dye with hibiscus flowers.”

 And check out the architectural structure of the buildings!

The community building where the chief meets the visitors

 I really lucked-out because a show was just about to start as I got ready to walk away.  He was really funny and got the crowd to participate in a drumming demonstration.

 If you want, you can even rent your own outrigger canoe and paddle down the stream.

 Easter Island or its original name of Rapanui. This is probably the closest I’ll get to seeing the real thing.

Just as I was going to go and visit the Maori site, they announced that it was time to go see the canoe parade

 Each one of the islands was represented, and I can't really remember which group was which

 According to the sign on the canoe, this one is Tonga.  Love those signs!

 This one was Tahiti

 These were the Maoris (the ladies had tatooed lips and chin).

 And these were the Fijians (I remember the grass skirts)

And last but not least came the Hawaiians and the "royal canoe"

 In the Samoa section there was a really funny comedian showing us how to break open coconuts, but there was also a coconut tree climbing demonstration.  Can you see the guy climbing the tree?   No?

 Can you see him now with the zoom on?

I went on to visit the Maori Village and the Fiji Village, but was surprised that there wasn't a Hawaiian Village. I found out it is undergoing some repairs.   Hawai’i Captain Cook arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1771. The Islands were later named the Sandwich Islands after the Earl of Sandwich (I remembered that from history lessons!). The Marquesas section was also closed, as was the Hukilau Theater where movies are normally shown.

On my walk back through the park I caught a few more of the performances at some of the villages. Did you know that the Hula dance was first performed in Tahiti, and that it is believed that the first people who arrived on the Hawaiian Islands were Tahitians? I DID NOT KNOW THAT. Can those Tahitian girls move their hips!   

 I had about an hour before dinner, so I opted to take the tram ride over to the Laie Temple.
The two young ladies who accompanied me on my visit told me all about their work in the community, the link with Brigham Young University and of course the teachings of the Mormons. Now, I’m not an overly religious person. Although I believe in the existence of a“God” or power, and I believe that Jesus Christ was a prophet, I don’t believe in organized religions with churches and all their trappings. (Sorry if I am offending anyone!) I don’t hide my beliefs and when asked I will confirm the above. The young ladies weren’t offended by my beliefs (or lack-thereof) and answered all my questions about their religion. They did give me some brochures and accompanied me back to the Park after my visit to their information centre. “The Centre began in 1948 when members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints started a hukilau as a fundraising event (dancing). Students from Brigham Young Univeristy-Wawaii learned Polynesian dances from the community, who pitched in to teach the students each culture’s distinctive dance moves. In 1962, most of the buildings on site were constructed on the 16 acre park, by volunteers.”

Time to get back to the park for the Luau

 The Ali’i Luau was a sit down buffet dinner in one of the three luau meal areas. Each area can easily sit over 500 people, and our table was one of the last to get up to get to the buffet. I sat with a couple from Houston, Texas and a soldier who had just been transferred to serve 3 years at one of the army bases in Hawaii. We commiserated with his sorry fate..... NOT. 

There was a bit of entertainment while we ate

My meal at the luau
The buffet consisted of a variety of salad dishes, baked sweet potatoes (they are dark purple, the same as beets), roasted shredded pork, baked chicken, baked fish, rice, poi, etc  There was a separate dessert buffet table with an assortment of pies, cakes, coconut milk pudding, bread & fruit pudding, etc.   No alcoholic beverages were served, since the centre is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (The Mormons).  I opted for a mango drink served in a cored pineapple.   Quite a mixture of flavours.  I was glad I got to try some of the poi, although I did not enjoy either the taste or the texture.

We had about an hour between the luau and the evening “Ha: Breath of Life” performance at 7:30.  It was dark by then and the pathways were only lighted with Xmas lights.

Beautiful reflections on the water

 

I made my way to the Pacific Theater, passing the “Gateway Restaurant” where a regular fare buffet had also been served.  This park is HUGE and can accommodate thousands each day.  Some of the staff who work here also attend the Brigham Young University, next door.

I had a great seat, in the second row of the right section, with a clear view of the stage.  The story line starts with a young couple arriving on an island and being received by the locals; she is heavily pregnant and soon gives birth to a son, “Mana”.  The next segment the story continues, but from a different island nation.  And so on, with the young boy growing up, the grandfather being killed in battle, the young man getting married, and having his own son.  Each part of his life portrayed on a different island, with different costumes and dances.  The same performers appeared; and even only half way through the performances were lathered in sweat.  How they remember all those dance steps I don’t know, but throughout each performance, for 1 ½ hours, they smiled.  And not just a fake smile; you could tell from their eyes that they were enjoying themselves. 

It was a long day, but I loved it.  If I did not get to see the South Pacific Islands in person, I at least got to sample a bit of what each island would have provided. 
The bus ride back to the city was very quiet as most people started nodding off.   By the time I got back to the hotel in Waikiki, I was ready to curl up and go to sleep.