More than just a Luau.

While Shyvonne and Annie were here we took a trip up to the North Shore to the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was like going to a luau with a theme park attached. The day started with a canoe parade showcasing 6 island chains and their traditional dance and attire.

The Islands of Hawaii

 The Islands of Tonga

The Islands on Tahiti

The Islands of Aotearoa (New Zealand)

The Islands of Samoa

The Islands of Fiji

The Royal Court of Hawaii

After we watched the parade with headed to the Samoan Center. Where a very comical man showed us how to make fire with sticks and coconut husks, how to "milk" a coconut, and how to climb a coconut tree. In Samoa it is typical for the men to cook and do all of the hard stuff! I like that! Needless to say Shyvonne fell in love, meet her new boyfriend.

 The muscle man of Samoa. He made a fire from the husk of a coconut and then put it out with his foot, tough guy. 

Oh, and he gets his own coconuts, too!

Then we went over to see some dancing and singing in the Aotearoa (New Zealand) village, which was very interesting. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures! One distinctive thing in their dance is the poms on strings that they spin around.

At the next village, Fiji, we saw drumming. They pulled 3 men from the audience to participate; to do a simon says act. The best participant was the Japanese boy. He tried, but it was really hard to get over his squealing when he was doing his imitation of the warrior's call. We sat in the back so it was hard to get a good picture, though I did get this guy playing a nose flute!

Nose Flute! Hope he doesn't have a bugger!

After the Fiji village it was time to go to dinner. We enjoyed a nice show of hula dancers and got to see the royal court again. 

 King Kamehameha

When dinner was over we walked around the shops until the main show began. This show was like a combination of luau and musical. It told a story of a boy growing up as he move through the stages of life and migrated from island to island. 

The best part of the show was the fire dancers. It is amazing to see them twirl the fire and throw it at each other. It gets a little hot!  

Here is Shyvonne's Boyfriend again!

Expert flame twirler

It was a long and interesting day to see all the different cultures that make up the Polynesian Islands. Hopefully sometime I will have the chance to go back to see all of the mini shows that the other villages put on.