Ooof! What a day this one was! We knew it was going to be the “long” day, but we had no idea…
It started innocently–and deliciously–enough with another yummy Russell-made breakfast of pancakes, sausage, eggs, fruit, and Damian’s plate of vitamins!
Then we hit the road for a trip around the island. Dad Garry and Mom Lisa hopped on the bike, the rest of us in the van. First stop….traffic. Yup. It was horrible morning rush-hour. But we made it through then zoomed on up to the Dole Plantation. Where it was not yet open.
So we moved on to Turtle Beach. Perfect stop! Perfectly named. At first…not much action. Then we spotted a turtle out in the water.
Then we spied another, and another. Soon…as the tide began to come in in earnest, we saw more and more out in the waves.
People began to gather around. Then someone spotted a big fella that was sitting on a shelf that was just covered with green moss. It’s what they eat, so he was basically sitting directly on the dinner table. But he was happy and we all gathered around to enjoy spending time with him.
After an hour or so of watching the Honu, the people, the waves…we backtracked to Dole Plantation. They have a train that runs around the place, a big hedge maze, and a souvenir shop. We shopped.
Everyone found a trinket or two they liked. Then, on a lark, Damian bought a “chance” on an oyster that “very likely” has a pearl inside, thinking he’d get one for Mom Edna. So he picked his oyster went through the ritual chant, and the gal behind the counter opened it up. Inside was a beautiful pink pearl! They had a special where I could put it in a jewelry piece at 50% off! Nice. So I said, “How about a Honu necklace?” The gal behind the counter showed me a necklace setting that at 50% off was a mere $300 ! ”How about a little baggie to put it in?” hehehe
Garry bought a “chance” for his Mom to try. She picked out her oyster, did the chant, and got it pried open. Inside….two black pearls!
She got a baggie too!
Then we hit the snack bar and got some pineapple smoothie treat to enjoy in the sunshine of the garden.
Then it was time to hit the road again. Garry decided this time he would ride the motorcycle.
Damian says, “NO!”
We left Dole and drove back down to the ocean, beyond Turtle Beach to the North Shore. The water was amazing! We’d forgotten to pack swimsuits. <sigh> Still, that didn’t stop Russ from leaping into the waves wearing his regular shorts. The rest of us waded out knee deep, or–in Garry the Youngers case–flopped down on the beach and fell asleep under the sun.
We drove on down for lunch at Ted’s. Russ made sandwiches and brought drinks…but we did spend the money on an entire Chocolate / Coconut pie! Yummy! We had one slice left over that no one would claim, so we donated it to the table next to us! It made that lady happy.
We continued to work our way around the island toward our final destination. We made one more stop at the “keyhole,” a rock formation that–according to the blue book–had the center punched out some time ago by a tsunami.
We stopped at an outdoor shower to wash the sunscreen, sweat, and grime off us then changed into our luau clothes!
The Two Moms Getting Ready to Hula?
We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center for an afternoon / evening of … Polynesian stuff. The PCC has several “islands” (think Disney World) where you can go see presentations of things that were/are done on that particular island. We did Samoa and Aotearoa as we only had time for two.
After our two shows, we went on to the Luau. After the “Royal Family” arrived, it was time for food! A fair amount of Hawaiian cuisine. (To be honest, I’ve been to luaus with better spreads.) But it was nice.
And we got a special call out to our two August birthday babies!
Happy August Birthday to Mom Edna and Dad Garry!
So we enjoyed our food, drinks, desserts. Afterwards….
Mah Belly Hurts!
Finally, it was time for the big show. We moved to a special theatre where we were treated to the show “H’a” (The Breath of Life). It was very good, quite impressive. It carried on the theme of the all the different peoples of the Polynesian islands, and tried to weave the story of the birth, life, love, battles, etc., of a Hawaiian Prince / Warrior. Lots of chanting, singing, dancing. Lots. I mean lots. (Here I’m going to exaggerate wildly) apparently there are 176 islands and tribes in this area and each one got a 20-minute song-and-dance show. Well…that’s the way it felt. It was impressive but it went on, and on, and on, and on. Then they stopped for a 10-minute ice-cream intermission! (Really?) Then the 2nd half of the show started up. Jeebus!
But it was finally over and time to get back home. Remember, we’re on the far far side of the island…at night…in the misty half-rain…with Dad Garry and Mom Lisa (who have never been here and have no idea how to get back to Waikiki) following us on a motorcycle. …after a long, long day of driving around and events.
It was a long trip, but we made it back alive! Everyone had a drink to “calm down.” Then we collapsed—and I do mean “collapsed”—into our beds and it was lights out for the night.
ALOHA!
