May Part 9: Oahu Day 3

Friday, May 29, 2026

I woke up on Friday ready to go, and most of the house was still sleeping. We had plans to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center at noon when they opened, but we didn't have plans that morning. I showered so I could try to hit up a session or something at the Laia temple. But, as I was about to walk to the temple, Lara got up and told us she planned to hit up the beach at near Turtle Bay where they filmed Catching Fire from the Hunger Games trilogy. Everyone was going, and I didn't' want to be left out, so I changed clothes to go with them. I'm glad I did; it was beautiful!

We parked on the road, and then walked down a short path to the beach. We saw this incredible Banyan tree, which has been featured in movies,  on our way, so we stopped to take a picture using the timer on my phone. 

We learned that this particular bay, Kawela Bay, was the location used in many films, including Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Jumungi II. The bay was beautiful! 

Rachel, Greg, Papa, Brian, Julia, Michael, and I reenacted a scene from Catching Fire that was filmed here. It was a smudge ridiculous, but we had a good laugh making it happen. Michael played Finnick, Rachel was Katniss, Brian played Peta, while Julia played Joanna, I played Wiress, and Papa played Beetee. It was the scene where these characters are first reunited in the arena, in this very bay. 

All too soon, we needed to head back so we could make it to the Polynesian Cultural Center on time. We got a little rainfall on us as we were leaving, but it didn't last long. 

 

After quick showers, we met back up at the Polynesian Cultural Center, just down the road from our place. I think Lara's crew even walked there! We got lunch from the various food trucks.

Then, we headed into the PCC, and one of the missionaries was kind enough to take our photo. 

After showing our tickets and checking in and meeting up with our tour guide, PK, we went to Huki: A Canoe Experience. We found a place to sit and watch this unique parade of canoes with some dancing and songs from the various islands represented at the PCC. While watching the Tahitian dancers do the crazy hula dancing, Brian told Michael about Gabe’s theory that girls have “extra butt muscles." Michael then told Brian a story about his Peoples of the Pacific class where they were all watching different Polynesian dances. The guys were just talking the whole time, then when the Tahitian dance started, the boys all just got quiet and stared at it. If you haven't seen Tahitian ladies dance, you really ought to look it up.

At one point in the Canoe show, they had everyone hold hands, and I loved seeing Julia, Mack, and Gabe holding hands. 

After the canoe show, our guide took us to the village representing Islands of Aotearoa,  also known as New Zealand, and we played the Tītī-tōrea stick game. It was a lot of fun, and Michael ended up being the

family champ.

I loved all the little details at the PCC. 

Our next stop was Fiji, where we each got a tattoo. First, we had to decide which one to get. Did we consider ourselves the chief? A warrior? A Queen? A Princess? a Navigator? It was a tough choice.

Obviously I went with Queen. I'm not sure what Michael landed on. 

Next, we went to Tonga and watched a really fun Drum Show. We had so much fun that we didn't take any pictures of it.

After Tonga, we went to Tahiti to watch a wedding ceremony. Apparently in Tahiti, they don't say, "Yes or I will." Instead, the question is, "Will you ever leave?" And the answer is, "No," or "I won't."

After watching the wedding ceremony, we took a canoe ride through the PCC. We saw canoe that Disney artists came to study when they were working on Moana. 

After the canoe ride, we learned how to play "You are My Sunshine" on the Ukelele. 

I thought we sounded pretty decent, but I think some of these musicians were cringing over the sounds. 

On our way to Samoa, we stopped to get a little refreshment. We decided to try coconut water. 

And have a little fun with the coconut when we were all finished. 

I don't think we cared much for coconut water, but we all tried it. 

In Samoa, we learned how to make a fish toy out of coconut leaves, and while we were making them, we watched the guys climb up the coconut tree and then got to see fire dancers. It was pretty awesome! 

After Samoa, our guide walked us over to where they were having the Luau, and we had someone take our picture with him before we said good-bye. We had a great time with PK! 

Then, we got to go into the Luau, where they gave each of us a real flower lei as we entered. 

The Luau was incredible. They started us out with pina coladas in a pineapple, which included free refills! We had purple rolls, all kinds of exotic fruit, and so much good food! 

They showed us where they cook the pig, but based on how skinny the pig was, they must have already taken its meat and got it ready to serve. 

While we were eating, they had a show with music telling the story of the last Hawaiian queen through music that she wrote.  

After the Luau, we made our way to our seats for the "Ha-Breath of Life" show. It was AMAZING! At one point, Michael said, "I have no idea what is going on, but heck yeah!" The show featured dances from all the islands, including dances involving lots of fire! Everyone was very impressed.

After the show, we went to a theater to watch a short documentary about knife throwers/fire dancers. Then we checked out the gift shop, where I found this gift box that made me laugh because "an unusually even temperament" does not describe our Gabriel.

I brought my Florida hat to Hawaii, and my sisters told me I needed a Hawaiian hat. I found the perfect on in the gift show. 

By the end of the night, it became very clear that Rachel’s sunburn was VERY bad. She had all kinds of blisters that kept popping throughout the day. I watched the back of her shirt get wetter as the day went a long. One blister was probably an inch wide and very full/protruding. Brian called up Teledoc for possible prescriptions, but they only gave us some recommendations for over-the-counter treatments. Having had second degree sunburns myself, I wasn't surprised by this, though I did hope they'd give us a prescription for silvadine. Unfortunately, the only real remedy for a sunburn is time.