Oahu Tour

Photos.

I was really looking forward to seeing the surfers on Oahu's famous North Shore, so I was disappointed when the bus driver said that the bus used to stop but someone would always get wet (or worse) by getting too close to the waves. Instead, it was a drive-by, and we were on the wrong side of the bus. And that was just my own fault. I knew the direction of the tour and wasn't smart enough to get us on the side along the shore. Oh well.

Dole Plantation
Our first stop was the Dole Plantation.  I learned mostly that there are many different varieties of pineapple, and listened to a long explanation about how to plant a new pineapple. Seems very labor intensive. Cut off a tip and get it rooted before planting manually in the ground. Whew.

Polynesian Cultural Center

Show at the Polynesian Cultural center

I really felt deflated as we walked into the grounds of the Polynesian Cultural Center.  It looked like a theme park --  not what I expected. Leo, our tour guide, pretty much left us on our own. Heat and unremitting sun. Seemed like the worst of Hawaii.

Turned out, the day was better than anticipated. We sat in the Welcome Center, an open breezeway with a few sculptures and artifacts, as well as the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame. Couldn’t find a Minnesota Viking in the bunch, but the next day I learned about new inductee Marcus Mariota, quarterback for the Tennessee Titans.

There were a couple of shows, one of them a Maori presentation that I found interesting, especially as I listened to four-part harmonies that reminded me of African arrangements. Maybe Tanzanian. I’ll have to check them out.

The shows looked “politically incorrect” and a little offensive to this critical Minnesotan but maybe Hawaii is different. “Hawaiian Journey” in the amphitheater seemed to be powered by old technology. Later, we sat for an hour in the blistering sun waiting for and watching a kind of boat parade with big canoes, each populated by people from different Polynesian and Hawaiian peoples. Fun but simply too hot.

We passed on the last two displays (Tonga and Tahiti) and instead opted for a bottle of water in the cool Welcome Center and a coffee break in the Polynesian Bakery’s outdoor space. The coffee and rolls (coconut for me, cinnamon for Bob) were delicious.

It was a long ride back to the Marriott in rush hour traffic after a day that may be more interesting to remember than it was to experience. We were exhausted and had a shrimp cocktail from the ABC convenience store in in our room. Delicious and refreshing.