Catching up on all the days in Hawaii April 11,2016

Wow here it is the 11th of April and I last published on the 6th and that didn't go out like it was suppose to. So now to catch up the best I can. 

We arrived in Honolulu about an hour late, which wasn't good for us, as we were renting a car, and for a while it got worse befor it got better. We finely got off the ship about 10:30. And where the Westerdam docked was not at the aloha tower, it was about a mile toward Waikiki, so we get out and Ed calls Hertz, for a shuttle, and the say the shuttle only runs untill 9 AM!  So we walk off to Aloha tower 1 which was the address, and guess what they aren't there!  So now what to do? Ed calls Hertz, and the guy says, were in the Pagoda hotel, about 5 miles away, we flag a taxi but he doesn't know where the Pagoda hotel is, so we go to the Interprise rental, as it was on the way, and we are not happy with Hertz right now, but they have no cars, so we get out on the street again, this time we found a great taxi driver who knew the way, and the Pagoda was right behind the WALMART!  Who knew we found out the next day that we could have taken a shuttle to Walmart, and been right there, but more on that later.

So we finely get the car, it is now it is noon, and we wanted to be at the Polynesian Culture center at noon, but at last we were on the way. We took the road over the Palii and road it around the coast, It took about an hour, and it was beautiful I saw lots of places I used to paint, lots of memories, the whole day, was just beginning. 

The four of us, Jim, Val and Ed and i, had purchased the Super Ambasader Package, so we got parking right up front and our own private guid for the day, and very VIP  treatment all day. Our guid was Phobie a sweet young blond girl from China!  And she really considered herself Chinese her parents moved moved to China when she was three, and she now had  9 siblings and they are all in China and when she finishes school on Oahu she will go home. She speaks fluent Chinese as well as English.  She was delightful and we all enjoyed her very much. 

We started out going to Fiji , and we learned that the early Fijians, were the pottery makers of Polynesia, and saw some wonderful natives dancing,  and our seats were right up front. We were given used some big bambo sticks that you pounded on the ground, it was fun. 

Tonga, was the next stop, Tonga is one of the few countries in the world, and the only one in Polynesia, never to be colonized by a European power. It's a royal family, now headed by his Majesty King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV.  This was one of the funniest shows, they chose three guys from the audience, one from Wisconsin, and two from California, one being aishen decent who was so funny. They were all very good sports. 

Then we went to Samoa, we learned about all the uses for coconuts and learned how to make coconut bread, yum, and Ed was chosen to try coconut juice, from a fresh coconut, he too was a good sport. 

Then we went to Tahiti and Jim and Ed learned to dance,, lol 

Tahiti, is the name of one island in the Society Islands, a group that includes Moorea, Bora Bora, and Raiatea, among others. 

Then it was on to the Pageant of the Long Canoes, and again we were given front row seats. 

Tonga

Tahiti 

Hawaii

After the show we got our own longboat canoe ride. Then it s on to dinner, again we had up front seats, and I mean up front. 

When it is time to dine, the pig is ritually removed from the imu and  paraded across a bridge into the dinning area. 

Then you have The Ali'i Lu'au, or the show, this was not the big evening show, that we saw later, I didn't take photos there, just enjoyed. Here are photos from the dinner show. 

We were so close they had to put up a fence to protect us, this was a female fire dancer. 

We left the center, about 9:30, we all had a great time, so many memories, from the past, and the day.

 The drive back was easy, and the guys dropped Val and I to the ship, and then they went on to hunt a place to park the car, then they had to walk two miles back to the ship, now we all said good night, after a brief glass of wine we were off to bed. 

To be continued........