For our second day in Hawaii we had tickets to the Polynesian Cultural Center, which didn’t open until the afternoon. We decided to drive along the north shore, stopping periodically to check out different beaches. The drive was gorgeous and my favorite part of Oahu.
One of our first stops was Ehukai Beach, home of the famous Banzai Pipeline. While we were there we saw a body board competition.
We also saw a few locations where Lost was filmed. I was the one more interested in those spots though, as boyfriend hadn’t watched any of the show yet. Since coming back he has started watching, probably to be reminded of Hawaii. And he was probably sick of me and his family telling him to watch it. 😉
For lunch we stopped at the Shrimp Shack, which is a food truck at a small convenience store. We stumbled across The Shrimp Shack on Unique Eats but it was also on Beach Eats, Cooking and Food Network respectively. It was definitely worth the stop. This is definitely a must stop place, although it is easy to miss as you’re driving by so be sure to keep your eyes open!
I had the garlic shrimp while the boyfriend had the hot spicy shrimp. Both were amazing with lots of flavor but be sure to have napkins because it gets messy. I had the Kona Iceberg (naturally) as my beverage while the boyfriend had a tropical float. Both were tasty, cool and refreshing.
The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was worth the trip. It was very interesting, educational and fun. We watched the opening boat parade which showcased each Polynesian culture. The dancing/story telling and dress were incredible. Every person looked like they wanted to be there and were fully engaged. It looked like so much fun I wanted to join in! After the parade we went to as many shows at each individual village as we could. We learned about the hula and Tahitian weddings, amongst other things.
For dinner we went to a luau and got leis on the way in. We saw the whole pig being roasted and carried past us to be used in the luau. The food was fantastic. I especially enjoyed the taro root buns. I also bought a drink that was inside a pineapple, now all I need is to drink out of a coconut and I can cross that off the bucket list! They had a few more dances as dinner went on. These were harder to pay attention to with everything else going on during dinner.
After dinner we went to the fire show. WOW. That was one of the most amazing shows I have seen It must take a lot of effort to coordinate and choreograph everything and everyone involved. The show told the story of a boy as he grew and started his own family, as well as his travels through all the Polynesian islands.
The story was easy to follow and well written/presented. The dancing and staging were amazing; they made great use of the space including the aisles. The fire dancing was freaking amazing. The actors/dances did some awesome moves all while juggling fire. I was beyond impressed.
I would recommend the Polynesian Cultural Center if you are ever in Oahu. The students participating really know how to engage the audience. They really look like they are having a lot of fun. Every thing seemed organized and well-coordinated.
Overall this was a great day in Oahu.
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