Oahu, Hawaii 2013 - Day 4

Us with The Chief

Chad and I were in the lounge chairs at 5:30 to watch the sunrise.  Seconds after the sun came up, we found ourselves back on the beach, trying to find more sea glass.  I hate it—I actually can't stop looking for it, it's impossible to take my eyes off the sand, and then I end up missing all the gorgeous things around me.  Anyway, since it was going to be another early morning, I told Chad that he had to wake up the kids.  It's really not a fun job, so I like to share it with him.  Because I'm a good wife.  Eventually, he got them up and we ate breakfast together. 

Our sunrise

We drove to Hanauma Bay for some snorkeling.  We arrived just before 8 am and the parking lot was filling up quickly.  The park opens at 6 am, but there is no way the family would agree to go that early.  We watched a ten minute video about the conservation efforts at the bay, and how it’s important that we leave everything exactly the way we found it.  It took ten minutes to tell us that.  And we didn't even get popcorn.  But we were treated to a song throughout the film, which was a blatant rip-off of The Little Mermaid’s “Under the Sea.”  If they want to conserve time as much as they do the bay, I would like to offer my services:  I bet I can cut that video down to 30 seconds.  I would model it after the "One to Grow On" videos of my youth.  It would be me, gazing into the camera saying, “Hi, I’m Rachel Niemeyer.  Come on, guys, don’t be idiots.  Don’t touch the fish, the coral, or anything else, pick up your trash, and use your brain.  If you don’t, you leave.  And that’s… one to grow on!”  (YouTube it if you have been deprived of those commercials.)

Hanauma Bay

As we carried all of our gear down down the steep hill, we noticed the beach was still moderately empty and we picked a spot under some palm trees to camp out.  Chad, Jackson, Ashley and I went snorkeling.  Ali refused to go in the water.  Especially after the “jellyfish warning” we heard during the lecture.  The snorkeling was phenomenal!  Swimming above the coral, diving down to the sandy bottom, and observing some of the most beautiful fish in the world… it was incredible.  Jackson and I took a break to hang out with Ali, while the snorkel-addicts continued their adventure.  Soon, Chad brought a tired Ashley back to rest and he went off on his own (the video warned us about snorkeling without a buddy.  Hey, Mom, I think Chad needs a reminder about the importance of safety, and the dangers involved with going off alone.)  When he came back, he told us he had found a shark, and Jackson and I immediately jumped in the water to have him show us.  That's always my reaction: "Hey Rachel, there is something dangerous in that cupboar...." and I've already opened the cupboard before the words are all the way out.  He took us pretty far out, and the waves were tossing us about quite a bit.  We were snorkeling trying our hardest not to touch a cotton-pickin' thing, when Chad points at something about 12 feet below us, I look down, and there on the sand, is a 7-foot long reef shark, just chilling.  Suddenly, the ocean water became very warm.  No, it didn’t.  But my heart started racing and I imagined the shark darting up and killing me in front of my family.  I envisioned me putting up a good fight, but in the end, the shark won, and he swam out to sea with my entrails dragging behind him because he was taking them to feed his shark babies.

The shark that darn-near ate me whole

The kids spent an hour making sand sculptures and burying Ali in the sand so that all that was showing was her face.  We had a little picnic and finally, it was time to leave.  As we approached the steep hill, it seemed much more like a sheer cliff than it had 5 hours prior.  We were tired, wet, and covered in sand (the kind that causes chafing), so we paid the six dollars for a tram to take us up the hill with all the other losers.

We went home for a couple hours to eat, shower, and look for more sea glass.  We left the house at 4:00 because we had tickets to a luau.  We actually left at 4:03 because the blasted sea glass.

Exactly seventeen years ago today, Chad and I were on our honeymoon in Kauai, and we attended our first luau. I don’t remember many of the specifics of that luau, but I do remember that the show was very… pleasant.  And the poi was very... unpleasant.  The luau we went to tonight though, that luau was outstanding. (Poi is still unpleasant.)

After a lot of research (surprise surprise) I chose Chief’s Luau, which is currently celebrating its first anniversary.  The location was beautiful; right at the base of the Koolau Mountains, with the ocean to the west.  No hotels, traffic, or crowds to deal with.  We were greeted with puka shell necklaces around the necks, and a family photo with The Chief.  He has a very interesting biography; in fact, I was so impressed that I’m attaching a link to his website:  http://www.chiefsluau.com/  The show started at 5:00 with the digging up of the pig.  I missed the majority of it because I was buying a beautiful piece of Hawaiian artwork made by a local woman.  But I caught the tail-end.  You know, when they uncover the poor little piggy.

I THINK we ate that, I'm still not sure

There were activities of all kinds, and the 5 of us enjoyed the spear throwing the most.  Turns out we’re some pretty excellent spear-chuckers.  And by “we're,” I mean “Chad.”  The luau lasted 3 ½ hours.  The talent of the men and women in the show was unparalleled.  The Chief is hysterical, kind, and he obviously has a passion for his culture.  We watched dances from the many islands that make up Polynesia, and he taught us a lot about their culture.  During the dances, I felt like I was on It's a Small World in Disneyland.

Ashley got to go on stage and learn a dance with other kids.  They basically stood there and shook their hips, but it was cute nonetheless.  (Side note: the kid on the far right [below] and his dad were wearing matching polo shirts.)

Ashley preparing to dazzle the world... or just her parents

Dinner was served and the pork was absolutely delicious.  The poi was just as I remember it:  Like thick, sticky baby food.  While we ate, The Chief kept us entertained, and well-informed about all things Polynesian.  He even demonstrated how to peel a coconut (do you peel coconuts?) in just seconds. 

Chad's meal

This was an angry dance

Performing something from Blue Hawaii (I think)

I gave a quick demonstration of how to fire-knife dance...  No big deal

One final family picture from our luau

The show was extremely interactive.  At one point, he had all honeymooners come up on stage.  It was so sweet to see couples who have only been married for one or two days.  Then The Chief had all couples who were celebrating their anniversaries come up.  Chad convinced me to go with him, even though our anniversary was technically 6 days ago.  I’m leaving out the details because it was a really special moment for Chad and me, while the kids watched, and you’d just roll your eyes anyway.  But it was neat to see marriage and family encouraged, honored, and celebrated.  These seventeen years have been the best of my life.  And the best of Chad’s, too. 

Happy Anniversary (last week)

The last part of the show, was a spectacular fire-knife dance, and I was left wishing America had a culture as cool as this one.  I have never been very interested in Polynesian culture, but after tonight, I want to live in a jungle in Samoa.  Assuming, of course, that Samoa has a jungle?  I still have some things to learn, I guess.  As The Chief was closing the show, he had the entire audience form a huge circle and hold hands.  He spoke of the importance of love and respect, of family and being friends with one another.  I loved his message, but I made darn sure that it was Ashley holding a stranger's hand and not me.  Chad was at the other end, having his pinky held by a tiny Japanese toddler.  And then, in an awkward, but still rad moment, he had us all sing the following song together… while still holding hands... and swaying back and forth:

Aloha-oe, aloha-oe,

ikeona ona noho ikanipo

One fond embrace ahoea ea

Until we meet again,

-The Niemeyers