A Day at the Polynesian Cultural Center

Our first full day in Hawaii was a great educational and cultural experience and I think we all had a really enjoyable time. The morning started with breakfast at a spot called Eggs and Things. We each had eggs and some kind of meat, and either potatoes or pancakes. We sat outside and across the street was Waikiki Beach. We enjoyed the nice tropical air and watching the people pass by.

After eating breakfast, we got in the rental car and headed to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) which was a little over and hour away. On the way, we saw a sign for a Shrimp Shack and when we got to it, we stopped so that Justin could grab something to eat. The Shrimp Shack was a food truck and Justin had the coconut shrimp. He let me try one and it was very good. Once Justin finished his meal, we jumped back in the car and headed back towards the PCC.

My dad had booked our PCC tickets in advance so he picked them up at Will Call and we were soon beginning our journey. The PCC has “villages” of all the Polynesian islands on its 43 acre spread. The islands represented were Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Tahiti, Hawaii, and New Zealand. Each island village had shows and demonstrations throughout the day and all of them were extremely interesting and informative.

The PCC opened at noon and the shows and demonstrations ended at 5:00. We got to see everything but the movie that my dad wanted to see. They also have a lagoon which runs through the middle of the place and we took a canoe ride on it. It was nice and relaxing.

After we saw our last show of the day, we headed to the Luau. The Luau we attended was put on by the Samoan village. There was entertainment including a 13-year old boy who twirled some sticks of fire. They gave some various groups of people headbands made from coconut leaves. My dad got one because he has a March birthday. The food at the Luau was good. It was buffet style and there was salad, rice, rolls, various meats and some dessert.

Once the Luau was over, we made our way over to the last event of the night which was an hour and a half show called Ha, The Breath of Life. All of the islands represented participated in the show and it was really good. There was all kinds of dancing and singing and chanting and twirling of fire. It was great.

The show wrapped up around 9:00 p.m. and then we headed back to the hotel. We arrived back at the hotel around 10:30 and called it a night. It was a really fun day!

Justin chowing down on some coconut shrimp

 At the Samoan Village

Fire at the Luau

I promise I have some better pictures than this. 

These were from my phone and the easiest access at the moment.