Aloha! Trekkie Dad's week in Hawaii

[WheresMickey]

Nice pictures! Look like fun!

[PretzelSouls]

Lovely pictures! Hawaii sure is a beautiful place!

[PrincessY]

Thanks for giving me a virtual vacation!

[Trekkie Dad]

Saturday came, and our son had the day off. He had never been to the north shore, so we had him get tickets for the Polynesian Cultural Center. Since it doesn't open until noon, we decided to stop at the Dole Plantation again, this time on our own schedule in our son's car.

DW and I had our unused Pineapple Train tickets, and DS got one for himself. It was cool and misty but I got used to it.









Of course, our son had to buy the group shot of us by the train.

This time we stopped at a couple of different places that the bus couldn't or wouldn't go. The first was the Waimea Valley Audubon Center. We didn't have time to into the paid area (There's a hike that goes up to a waterfall.), but DW did take a couple pictures there.



"proud as a peacock" pikake in Hawaiian

The second was Pu‘u o Mahuka, an important heiau (Hawaiian temple), also near Waimea bay.

Not much of it remains, but the view of the bay is spectacular. When the Hawaiians overthrew the kapu and discarded their religion, they tore most of their temples down. Not surprising, since many were sacrificed there.

Finally, it was time for lunch, but this time it was at one of the highly recommended Kahuku shrimp trucks. Our choice was Fumi's.

The shrimp was outstanding. We each had a plate with different seasonings. DS had hot and spicy, DW had spicy garlic, and I had fresh ginger. It was probably the best meal we had on the entire island.

Then it was on the the Polynesian Cultural Center. We were there for about eight hours, and there are quite a few pictures. That will be my next installment.

[Roo719]

I've gone to the Cultural Center--surprisingly santisized versions of the stories I had read prior to arrival on the island. And, of course, they asked for my address every two seconds it seemed like when we were there...so they still do that?

Looks like you had a great time!

Peace,
Roo

[dsnylndmom]

What gorgeous pictures! Thank you so much for sharing

[Trekkie Dad]

Originally Posted by Roo719

I've gone to the Cultural Center--surprisingly santisized versions of the stories I had read prior to arrival on the island. And, of course, they asked for my address every two seconds it seemed like when we were there...so they still do that?

Looks like you had a great time!

Peace,
Roo

They never asked for our address, but they plugged BYU and the LDS church a few times. (We also didn't use our tickets for the tram tour of the town, temple, and college.) Their luau is supposed to be first-rate, even though it is "dry." Still, we had a good time at the PCC. There is every attempt to give a culturally accurate presentation, even if some of the presenters don't appear to be Polynesian themselves. I give them props for that.

We got to the center about 1:00, had our picture taken,

and took a canoe ride to the other end of the archipelago. On the way, our guide gave us a brief introduction to each of the "islands" we passed and had us shout out the appropriate greeting, which was returned by someone ashore. Most of them had various demonstrations going on at different times, but everything came to a standstill when it was time for the canoe pageant. We found a place to watch, while DW snapped pictures.


The pageant opening, representing Hawaiian royalty


Aotearoa (New Zealand)


Samoa


Fiji


Hawaii


Tonga


and Tahiti.

After the pageant, we toured some more and DW snapped a picture of a small display representing Rapa Nui (Easter Island).



Then we went to the Imax show. About 5:00 things started winding down in the villages, and we went to our buffet dinner and then hung out in the shopping district until the 7:30 show. I sure hope the food at their luau is better than the buffet, because the buffet is nothing special. We had better food at the snack bar a couple days earlier, and nothing could compare with the Kahuku shrimp we had for lunch.

We were seated in the very last row for the Horizons show. (Better seats require a premium ticket.) Even from up there, it's a spectacular production. You'll have to take our word for it, as we only have this one picture.

The backdrop is at least twice the height of the picture, with small stages, water, lights, and pyrotechnics.

They make no secret that the PCC is a big moneymaker for the college, providing both scholarships and employment for students attending there. And the premium tickets with backstage passes, tour guides, and front row seating are very expensive. If I were to do it again, I'd skip the buffet and drive up the coast to Kahuku for dinner.

Next up: Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona, and a personal tour of an Arleigh Burke class destroyer.

[Trekkie Dad]

No first-time trip to Oahu would be complete without a visit to the USS Arizona memorial. So Sunday morning we got up early enough to beat the major crowds, as the waits can be very long later in the day. It's the most popular "attraction" on the island.

As you arrive, you are given a ticket with a group number and time to report to the theater for an orientation film. After the film, you board a boat that takes you across the estuary to the memorial itself. To occupy the waiting time, there is a museum, gift shop, and outdoor displays you can look at. If it's a long time, you can leave to tour other nearby attractions and come back.

Our wait was only about 40 minutes. The orientation film is well done and does a good job of putting people in the appropriate mood. After all, the memorial is a graveyard, and the sailors that died aboard the Arizona are entombed in it. Here are some pictures that DW took:













Nearby was the USS Missouri, where the treaty ending the war was signed.


But we didn't tour the Missouri. Instead our son took on a tour of the destroyer that he is assigned to. We weren't allowed to take any pictures while nearby, but here is one that DW took from the Arizona Memorial where you can see the top of his ship.


And here is one of the Navy's official photographs of it returning to home port last February.


After touring our son's ship, we had lunch and did a little shopping at the Navy Exchange and then went to the Sunday flea market at the Aloha Stadium, where we got some nice Aloha shirts at a great price. Didn't have the camera out for those stops.

[xalesa]

Wow! Very beautiful photos. I want to visit there someday, too!!!