Polynesian Cultural Center

I think the Polynesian Cultural Center was my favorite part of the trip. What an awesome place for these kids to be able to work there so they can go to school. It didn't look like work to me, they all seemed to be having so much fun. Our Tour Guide Tyler was awesome. He was from Hawaii and we found out he was getting married in two weeks. We started off in Tonga where we listened to the drums and the conch shells. Then we went to Fiji and thumped some big bamboo poles on the ground, learning different rhythms and banging along with the other instruments. The kids had to be careful not to smash their toes.

Next we watched the canoe show. All of the dancers from the different islands performed on flat rafts on the river. It was a lot of fun to see the different dances and costumes.

Then we went to Hawaii where we tried poi (it didn't taste like anything really) and learned to do a Hula dance. This video may be the only time you will see Michela dance. Look for me towards the end showing off my swiveling hips. :)

Our favorite place was Samoa. This guy in the picture was so funny, he was a seriously cracking us up. I thought the lady behind us was going to pee her pants she was laughing so hard. Some of the kids got up to do a little dance with some coconut shells. I was so surprised that Chase got up there, I was so proud of him for doing it. He tried so hard to keep up with the lady who was teaching the dance.

The best part was convincing Mike to volunteer for part of the show. He and another guy from the audience were taken back stage and given some pointers on making fire with two sticks and husking a coconut. Then they had to come on stage and compete against each other. Mike won both times! The kids were so excited, screaming for their Dad and proud that he had won. It was pretty exciting to see my Mikey up there showing off his manliness. In the video you will hear us all yelling and chanting for him.

Our final stop was New Zealand. We learned some different games that they play there. Hunter did awesome in this stick tossing game with Tyler. He was a natural at it.

Then we all got cool Maori tatoos. The kids loved this the most. They were so excited to get all inked up. Hunter ended up with two on his face and Michela had one on her face and one on her arm. Mike and I even indulged. Check out our great family picture of our little tribe.

We ate dinner at the Luau and then shopped around the market. The best part was the show at the end of the night. The dancers were incredible! The kids were all entranced, they couldn't keep their eyes off the show. Even little Aria stayed awake until the very end when she finally couldn't keep her eyes open for any longer. Everyone's favorite part was the fire dancer. He was so amazing. It was awesome when he had fire dancing on his tongue. What a great experience. We will be talking about this day for years to come.