Our cruise ship docked in Honolulu at 7:00 am and we had an early departure at 7:30 am. We caught a cab to the Marriott Hotel on Waikiki Beach, where we planned to stay one night so that we could include in our trip a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) and the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. We dropped off our suitcases and caught our bus for the one hour drive up to Laie where the PCC is located. This picture was taken through the bus window of the coastline. On the right is the Chinaman's Hat, also referred to as Mokolii ("little lizard"). It is a tiny island off of Kaneohe Bay.
We arrived at the Polynesian Cultural Center, which is located on 42 acres and opened in 1963. There are 7 native villages to see, each with their own shows and activities. It takes some planning ahead, but well worth seeing as much as you can. We started with the Island of Samoa. The show began outside, but then it began to rain, so we were moved into the "Chief's House," to continue the program. This man was quite entertaining and also informative, as he showed us how the natives opened coconuts, climbed the coconut trees to knock down the fruit.....
...and start fires, without using matches! Mom and I thought he was quite handsome and when he smiled, his whole face lit up. So we did what we had to do.....
....and got him to take a picture with my mom! You know, everyone thought that my mom was going to have to keep an eye on me around all these Hawaiian men, but in actuality, it was my mother who needed the chaperone!!
Had to get a shot of this sign...just a small hut where you could buy something to eat and drink. I liked the sign and the thatched roof.
Next we went to the Island of Marquesas. This building was quite tall and was the Chief's House. No one was allowed to come in without permission and if they did, they were killed....no questions asked!
There is a Canoe Pageant that travels down the river every day at 2:30 pm. The natives are dressed in their island's attire and they perform while the canoes are moving along. Here is the Island of Hawaii awaiting their turn to leave the dock. Notice that the cute man in the front caught my mom's eye!
Here are the dancers from the Island of Tahiti.
Later we went to the Island of Tahiti, where these two dancers were part of the program. They moved so quickly that my camera could not get a good shot of them!
We had reservations for the Luau at 5:00pm. We were given a real flower lei when we came in. There were 8 people to a table so we were able to meet some other travelers. It was quite a big place and the food was served buffet style up at the back. There were about 5 tiers of tables and probably 10 tables per tier. We also got to see a fun show while we ate.
Here's my plate of food from the luau. From the top, I had clear, rice noodles (kind of like gummy candy), fried fish, shredded pork to the left, BBQ chicken at the bottom, a salad with baby corn, a cucumber salad, tomato mixture, and sweet potato cooked with taro, which turned it purple. In the plastic container above the knife is some beef jerky, which was very, very spicy!
The rolls were also cooked with taro, thus the purple color!
We then went over to the Pacific Theater for the Horizons Night Show. Unfortunately, my camera's battery died, so I was not able to get any pictures. But by the time the show started it was dark and they would not have come out well anyway. It was a spectacular show with all the islands being represented in dance and song. The backdrop is a big waterfall and the tiki torches and fire lanterns made an impressive display! We really enjoyed it. We then headed back to Waikiki to our hotel, for a good night's sleep.
The next morning, the 20th, we got up early and caught our shuttle to the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. We were some of the first people there, which we purposely planned because we had to get back to the hotel, check out and then get to the airport by noon. This wonderful memorial in many ways was our favorite stop of the entire trip. It had a touching display and reminded us of the sacrifice that our nation's men and women give for our safety and freedom. And in today's world, it's still a poignant reminder!
After seeing a 23-minute documentary about that infamous day in December, 1941, we were taken to a boat and headed out to the memorial. On the left side of this picture is the "Mighty Mo," the battleship USS Missouri, where the treaty ending the war was signed.
We were told that many of the 1,177 crewmen that were on the USS Arizona that day were still entombed in the ship beneath the water and that it was a sacred place for us to visit. They admonished us to be very quiet, whispering only when necessary.
This picture shows the USS Arizona positioned in the water where it sank and the white memorial built above it. You can see the turrets on the map that are shown in the pictures below.
One of the gun turrets....
One of the vents....
Sixty-six years later, it's still leaking oil!
This plaque is located outside the main entrance of the Visitor's Center. It goes along with.....
.....this picture! I don't know the man in the picture, but he provides a good scale comparison for the size of the anchor.
Inside the Memorial, at one end, is a list of all the names of the men on the USS Arizona. The leis were left by visitors who had attended luaus from the night before. They only keep them one day and then they start collecting them again the next day. The whole experience was very moving, especially knowing that my dad served in WWII. It was also a wonderful way to end our trip to Hawaii.
Created: 16 Mar 2007 Modified: 19 Mar 2007