On Day 5 of our Hawaii trip, we spent the whole day in the North Shore area and for once didn’t have to do very much driving. After sleeping in a little, we headed over to Haleiwa to Waialua Bakery to get some brunch!
After the scrumptious brunch, we stopped at Waimea Bay to spend the late morning lounging around the beach there.
After the beach, we were hungry for a cold dessert and what better place to go to than Matsumoto’s Shave Ice in Haleiwa? The place is famous for supposedly being the first shaved ice place in Hawaii.
I personally thought that Waiola Shave Ice in Honolulu (which we went to on Day 1 and Day 4) was better than Matsumoto’s Shave Ice (the ice was finer at Waiola and the syrup was a little too sugary for my taste at Matsumoto’s), but it was still very good and refreshing.
We then went back to the hotel and freshened up to get ready to spend the latter half of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It is a living museum which serves as a showcase of Polynesian peoples, featuring cultural displays from Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Tahiti, Samoa, the Marquesas, Easter Island, and Hawaii through simulated villages. It was uber-touristy, but we figured we should go check it out since it was our first time in Hawaii. 🙂
One of the first things we saw on the guided tour in the Polynesian Cultural Center was the “Rainbows of Paradise” show. The lagoon inside the center hosts a “parade” of canoes that showcases the signature dances of each of Polynesian culture.
My favorite show that I saw while walking around the different “villages” was the coconut husking show. The guy who was demonstrating the husking was hilarious!
After enjoying a few shows, it was time for dinner! We went to our very first luau, right there at the Polynesian Cultural Center. (Not the most authentic experience, we know….)
After thoroughly stuffing ourselves at the luau, we wandered around the center, browsing gift shops and taking silly photos:
The evening spectacular, “HA: Breath of Life” is a $3 million show that uses new technology, animation, music, dance and great storytelling to bring to life the diverse cultures of Polynesia to visitors. Apparently the local community of indigenous peoples on the North Shore contributed a great deal to the development of this show, which showcases the values of many Polynesian societies. To make it as authentic as possible, each universal theme is portrayed by the respective culture, illustrated with dance and music that harken back to the 1960’s before much of the island culture was diluted by tourism.
Here’s a video clip I took during the night show, in which performers dazzled the audience with amazing feats of fire.
The “HA: Breath of Life” show was really impressive and was a great way to end the evening and our time in Oahu. We returned happy and full to our hotel, so we could get some restful sleep before heading to the airport the next morning to fly over to the neighboring island of Kaua’i.