Saturday, August 1

Sea turtle

Sharon and me with Fiji natives.

Samoan native posing in the coconut tree.

China man's hat

Today was a fun and full day. We headed up H-2 to the north shore and stopped at Lani'akea Beach or "turtle beach" as the kids call it. We saw countless turtles feeding at the edge of the water. It was awesome to see that many sea turtles at one time. Our destination was the Polynesian Cultural Center and we arrived soon after it opened at noon. The center features all of the Polynesian islands and has exhibits and performances that show a glimpse of each island's culture including songs, dance, foods and village life. The workers at the center are students at the Brigham Young University branch and most of them represent the islands many who return to their native islands to provide needed services and skills. The money collected from the center goes into a fund which pays tuition for students from the islands. The islands that are represented are: Fiji, Marquesas, Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti,, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the Hawai'i islands. When we left the center we continued our way around the island of Oahu . We stopped at a beach to photograph an island called China man's hat and ended our day with a great meal at the Cattleman Club. Tomorrow we are snorkeling again at Hanauma bay and in the evening we are going to a Luau at Paradise Cove.
Aloha!