One of the main reasons we chose to come to Hawaii was because we wanted to experience South Pacific culture without having to fly for 16 hours. So when I discovered we could learn about six different cultures at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu’s north shore, I was sold.

The center showcases native cultures of Samoa, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Fiji, Hawaii, Tahiti and Tonga. The place is basically a theme park with different villages. There are shows in each village, but our boys wouldn’t sit for those. They were much happier doing the hands-on activities such as long poi twirling in Aotearoa (which was pretty hilarious), ancient bowling in Hawaii, and weaving in Tonga. Brayden and I even learned how to dance the hula, though thankfully no one got photos of that.

We also took a canoe ride through the villages, saw an IMAX show about Hawaiian scenery, and watched a canoe pageant in which people from each culture wore traditional garb and performed various rituals and dances. I really enjoyed it, but the kids were slightly less impressed — Brayden thought the best part was when one of the Tonga guys accidentally fell into the water.

Back to the beach tomorrow…