Our second day in Hawaii was spent at the Polynesian Cultural Center on the North Shore of Oahu. We did this excursion through a tour group so that we would have a ride there and back. We joined the tour group at 10 in the morning and then traveled around the island. Don't we look so excited?
The bus ride to the Polynesian Center was gorgeous! We drove throw rain forests, along the coast, and through some amazing areas all while hearing some of the history and facts about the island. Finally we arrived at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Tiffany and I have always wanted to go here if we ever made it to Hawaii, so here we are.
There were different villages people could go to and see the lifestyle and culture these people lived. The first one we went to was Samoa. This village was the funniest one out of all the villages. The man who did the presentation was like a stand up comedian. As he did each presentation he made jokes and made fun of different life styles. He showed us how to get to the coconut out of the shell. Once the coconut was out he opened it and showed us the water or "milk" inside. He made fire within minutes with the coconut fir. He told the women in the crowd, Samoan women knew what men to pick by the smell of the fire on them. The stronger the smoke smell the better the man. It was amazing once he shredded the coconut meat out he laid it on some coconut fir, picked it up and twisted it and out came the milk. No wonder these men where built the way they were.
The next part of the Samoan culture was their ability to climb palm trees to get coconuts. Once the guy was up there, the presenter asked us if we want to see him jump to the next tree. Some of the audience yelled, "Yes!" and some were yelled, "Don't do it!" So he had us count and by the time we got to three and said jump the guy in the tree said, "Are you crazy?!" We all laughed.
Each island had their own way of living and how they survived. The next island we went to, the Aotearoa Islands, were known for their intimidating dances for war and also for traditional dancing. The Aotearoa Islands are the islands of New Zealand and are also known as the "Land of the Long White Cloud."
There were also places we could wonder and look at some site seeing things. The picture Tiffany is in are statues of the past chief that have died. The islanders of Aotearoa made statues of them and put them on a certain parts of the island facing inland as a symbol that the great chiefs are still watching over the island and the people.
We also went on a canoe ride on the little river. The canoe took us up and down the different areas of the Cultural Center. As we were walking around, we noticed a lady with some cool art work and ink. She asked us if we wanted a tattoo so we got one. Each tattoo had a meaning. Tiffany's tattoo was the symbol of the queen and mine was the symbol of the warrior. We thought they were pretty cool.
About half way through the day they had everyone go to the center of the culture center by the river while they put on a canoe parade of the different islands and the people who lived there. The whole parade was great. I especially liked when the Polynesian dancers were dancing so hard they were rocking the boat and the canoe driver fell off into the water!
The rest of the pictures are of us going to the different islands: Tonga, Tahiti, Fiji, and Hawaii.
In Tonga we learned all about the musical instruments they use and what they are used for. During this show they picked people out of the audience to play their instruments and try and get the crowd into it. Unfortunately during this show it started pouring rain! We were soaked! We ran to the nearby shop for cover and was still able to watch the show. The funny thing about it was that the rain only lasted about 15 minutes but in that 15 minutes that little shop sold out of the plastic rain ponchos they were selling for $5.
At the Tahiti show we learned about the meaning behind all of the ceremonial dress as well as their dancing. Tahitians are actually the ones that use the grass skirts and dance while shaking their hips. I always thought that was the hula but, as we found out at the Hawaiian show, it is not. This show also used people out of the audience to demonstrate their dances and then the audience members voted for who did it the best.
In Fiji, we learned how to sing their songs and what the different rhythms meant. We also learned about the chief's house and how no one was allowed in there without permission and they could only use certain doors to come in. The interesting thing about the chief's house was that only the chief could sleep on the huge bed. His favorite wife could maybe sleep on the floor in the house but the other wives sleep and lived in other houses.
At the final show we learned how to Hula dance and we learned the meaning of the Hula from the Hawaiian Islanders. Hula dancing is not grass skirt wearing or shaking your hips dancing. Hula was all about telling a story with your hands and the words to the songs. This is how they passed stories and legends down through the generations.
Once all the touring was done, we were treated to an island dinner luau made by the islanders. The dinner consisted of a roasted pig they had smoked underground all day (pictured above) and all of the other really good Polynesian foods. We ate taro rolls, and we even tried a Hawaiian delicacy, Poi. Let's just say Poi is an acquired taste... During the dinner they performed an amazing luau and show. We both ate until we were stuffed. Once again the food was awesome.
This little kid is a fire dancer and he did really well for his age. I would not have even imaged myself doing this at his age. If I remember right, fire dancing is one of the most treasured dances and the hardest to do.
The Polynesian Cultural Center is actually owned by the LDS Church and is run by the students of BYU-Hawaii. To help pay for their schooling, the students work at the Polynesian Center through a work study program. Also the proceeds from the Center go toward the students of BYU-Hawaii and this work study program. Because of this, before we went to the big show that night, we had a chance to jump on a bus and tour around BYU-Hawaii and stop for a minute at the Laie Hawaii temple. It was an amazing temple. The landscape was way different than the other temples we have seen. The temple was built in a square shape. This temple was the fifth temple ever built. As we got on the bus the sister missionaries were our guides. They all had matching muumuu dresses on. We went through the visitor center and up to the front of the temple stairs.
When we got back to the Polynesian Center, it was time to find our seats for the amazing night show "Ha: Breath of Life." The light was blue right on us, so we got to have blue faces for this picture. The show was amazing to see. The show was about a husband and a wife that was pregnant, who left an island and sailed out onto the ocean when a storm hit and stranded them on another island. They were found by the people of this island and taken in. The couple had the baby and the whole show was about him growing and becoming a man and ruling the people of the island when his father dies.
We were not allowed to take pictures in the theater so these are some pictures of the show from the Internet
Here we are at the end of our great time at the Polynesian Culture Center, showing the hang loose sign with the Polynesian people. The whole day was great and we both had fun and learned a lot about these people. On the drive home were so exhausted that we had a hard time keeping our eyes open. The tour guide did his best to keep people on the bus awake with his humor and also his knowledge of the island. Once we arrived home we got into our PJ's and went right to bed. What a fun day!
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