John and Jean went to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center today. It was a really fun day. On the way we stopped at Turtle Bay to check it out and then had lunch at one of the shrimp farms. Huge just caught prawns. YUM! At the center there are re-creations of villages from New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Hawaii, Tonga and Tahiti. In each village students from each country attending BYU-Hawaii present educational programs about their village traditions and then there are activities to do like stick throwing. You Girl Scouts will remember it as Lemi sticks :-). In the afternoon there was a Rainbows of Paradise canoe pageant where they did traditional dances on twin-hulled canoes. There was also an IMAX show on Coral Reefs where you felt like you were swimming with the fish, a delicious dinner buffet and a spectacular program HA Breath of Life. Students from each of the countries are admitted to BYU-Hawaii and then they represent their country at the Center to pay their tuition. They have to promise they will return to their native countries after graduation. The evening program ended with this incredible fire torch dance. . It was a great day of dancing, music and celebration. Visit www.polynesia.com for more info.
