Hawaii Day 5 – Diving and the lua’u!

Well, we survived the first epic day of diving…only to have to get up at 6am again for another day of it! We were definitely dragging a little, but the weather was so perfect and the water was so warm, that we had to go back for more. We got all our gear, wet back to the marina, and went back out on 2 more dives. They were nice, shallow, reef dives, and we had a good time. In retrospect 4 dives was probably enough, but it was cool to be out on the water and see a few more sites along the west coast of the island.

After the dives, we finally parted ways with our new dive buddies and went back to the condo for a brief relaxation session before our big evening: Luau time! We booked what the guidebook called the “best” and most authentic luau on the island (not to mention pricey…jeeze!). We had to drive about 40 minutes north, to an isolated resort on the water. It was a beautiful place, with tropical gardens surrounding a small, shallow body of water. On one side of the little pond/lake (about 30 feet across) was a stage, and on the other were tables lined up for dinner.

We were seated at a looong table with other families and given our complimentary mai tais. After a brief introduction to Hawaiian culture, a demonstration on how to make poi, and a few performances from ukulele bearing musicians, we were invited to visit the underground oven where they had our dinner roasting! We got to watch as the removed the layers of banana leaves and stones, and a full roasted pig emerges from the steaming, sandy pit! It looked and smelled delicious, and we were both anxious to get a plate!

The buffet was amazing: there were tropical fruits, TONS of fresh fish (sushi, poke, ceviche, loma loma, salmon, etc) island veggies, poi , salads, crab legs, and the roasted pig (and even some roasted turkey!). Between the two of us we tried to get some of everything, and we headed back to our table to try all the amazing looking food. Everything was great….except the poi. I really hoped to be cultured and culinarily adventurous, but that purple goo is NOT good.

After dinner and dessert we were treated to hula dancers, fire jugglers, and singers. It was a great show, a beautiful night, and a super tasty dinner. When the show was over, we put the top down in the car, enjoyed the warm, clear drive home, and went straight to bed! Had to rest up for our last early morning: whale watching!!

See all the pictures here: http://kristynspictures.shutterfly.com/

See the luau video here: http://kristynspictures.shutterfly.com/5055