Exploring Oahu's East Coast

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Samoa Village in Polynesian Cultural Centre

Coconut Juice in Polynesian Cultural Centre

Eating Fresh Coconut in Polynesian Cultural Centre

Boat Parade in Polynesian Cultural Centre

Getting Tattoos in Polynesian Cultural Centre

I’m a summer person.

Sweaty nights and blazing Australian temperatures are a small inconvenience to bear when you get to lounge about the beach, eat chilled fruits and for when I’m feeling healthy, make smoothies to keep cool on sunny afternoons. Sadly, we’re in March now and summer is slipping away from the southern hemisphere.

For this reason, I’m happy to continue reminiscing upon our Hawaiian getaway in this post, dreaming of the warm weather and stress-free life. The pictures in this post recount our time on Oahu’s beautiful east coast, a definite palette cleanser after the hustle and bustle of Waikiki’s tourist spots. It’s strange but it was on this trip to the east coast that I found myself feeling like I had finally visited a place that fit in perfectly with what I had imagined and hoped Hawaii would be.

The east coastline was an endless stretch of tranquil beaches offering colourful boats and plenty of swings for those stopping by. I’m not a surfer or swimmer and although my hometown is full of surf beaches, I’ve always preferred calmer ones. It’s for this reason that the east coast certainly spoke to my heart. The still water and cotton-candy skies were dreamy to say the least.

After our scenic bus ride, we made our first stop at the Kualoa Ranch for a jungle expedition tour. I’ve somehow always related jungle expeditions with plenty of activity and a huge adrenaline rush. However this one, much like the rest of our day, was quite relaxing. We drove through the dense jungle quite peacefully, stopping occasionally to see historical sites including an 800 year old ancient Hawaiian fishpond as well as pop culture ones including the location of where Jurassic world was filmed! The rest of the way, we befriended some lazy horses, met one very curious little cat and made a point to explore Chinaman's Hat, an islet that we saw great views of from the ranch.

The second stop on our trip was a lot more jam packed. To get a taste of Hawaiian culture we headed to the Polynesian Cultural Centre. Although quite a textbook tourist destination, our time spent here was memorable. We explored the village, stopping by the different cultural areas to take in the varying traditions between the islands. In true Polynesian fashion, we got tattooed, learned the art of making craft with banana leaves and took a canoe ride. We also mastered the skill of spear throwing from the friendly folk at the Tongan village and ended the day by watching the different tribes coming together to show off their dance moves, in our eyes, them Tahiti girls can moooove.

On the food front we tried fresh coconut, something I was very skeptical to try due to past experiences. The coconut juice was absolutely delicious and unlike the ones I had tasted previously but the true surprise came when we were presented the coconut flesh, covered in lemon juice and chilli. This is one snack I truly recommend you try in Hawaii.

Before we say goodbye for the week, here’s a fun fact for you: In Samoan culture, it’s the man’s duty to prepare food for the family. Talk about breaking gender stereotypes!

Aloha for now!

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