Spike's Kauaiian Adventure

As most of you know by know, I just got back from Kauai. Here's the slide show that I promised you.

My two friends, my girlfriend, and I stayed at the Marriot on Kalapaki beach. This is the view from our hotel window. Not too bad of a view.

These tikis were carved out of still planted palm trees looking out to the beach at our hotel.

There isn't a whole lot of tiki on Kauai (like there is on Oahu) but if you search and know where to look, you'll find it. With the help of James' book, the second day that we were there, we ended up going to 'Tahiti Nui.'

Super cool sign and tiki outside. The inside was nothing too exciting though. Other than some carved weapons and masks on the walls, the decor seemed pretty sparse. The sweet old Hawaiian lady that runs the joint poured the four of us each a mai tai and I swear it took her twenty minutes to make them. I felt like I should get back there and help her lift the bottles. The coolest thing about the place were the carved stools.

The worst thing about the place was that even though it was the afternoon, she had the Lifetime network playing on tv super loud. She was watching some show about the guy that played Zach Morris on 'Saved by the Bell' trying to date rape Candace Cameron -Not exactly the kind of entertainment I look for in tiki bars. To be honest, the Tahiti Nui is pretty easily forgettable, but if you're in Kauai, there's no reason not to go check it out. This tiki is outside the Tahiti Nui and down the road a little. Crazy looking huh.

Here are a couple of tikis that I found outside a tourist store near Lahui.

I went to a luau two years ago that was pretty fun but the one that we went to this year is leaps and bounds better. If you are in Kauai, the Luau that you have to go to is the Smith Ranch luau.

If you get there an hour early, you have the opportunity to go on a tram tour of the extensive garden. The tour includes history of Kauai as well as information about all the plants and animals in Kauai. This is a shot of my girlfriend and me on the tram with a piece of star fruit.

There are all kinds of birds in the garden including this peacock. As the flash went off, this colorful bastard tried to attack me. Also, if you've never been to Kauai before you might be surprised to find out that there are jungle chickens all over the place. seriously.

There are different sections to the garden too. This is the sign for the Polynesian section. Each area includes indigenous plants from the area and examples of huts.

This is in the Rapa Nui area. I guess some movie company used the garden for a movie and built the moai. When they were done filming, they left it for the Smith family.

The tram tour ends and the imu ceremony begins. Here are the guys unearthing the pig.

Inside for dinner, which was super delicious, there were free unlimited mai tais and this little three piece band. There were pretty cool singing both traditional Hawaiian songs as well as hapa haoli songs.

We then went to another outdoor building where the performance took place. Live band, great dancing and show, and lost of fire coming out of the volcano at the back of the stage.

These pictures are of the dancer girls with ball on rope on fire. I'd totally light myself on fire if I gave this a try.

This guy is doing a Tahitian fire knife dance. Get this- the guy takes a big sword looking thing and then lights it on fire. I guess it's because the sword isn't dangerous enough by its self. Then, he twirls it all over the damn place real fast. That's a good way to loose a thumb.

The show was real great. You end up with a real sense of the history of not only Hawaii but the whole Polynesian area. As I was leaving the luau, I ran into this guy. I told him that I played guitar in a band called the Smoking Menehunes and he played a song for me on his shell.

The rest of my vacation I spent surfing every day. The spot that was working when I was there was Shipwreck's. It's kind of a small beach with a rock bottom. The water there was clearer than any water I've ever seen before.

We also took a boat tour of the Na' Pali coast and snorkeled at Poipu. I saw a whole lot of fish but my favorites were a small puffer and of course the Humuhumunukunukuapu'a.

Not being much for tourist souvenirs, I also found a vintage shop while I was there. The prices were moderate but there was too much cool stuff to take everything home. It would have been way to expensive. Sorry about the out of focus picture, but here is a hula nodder thing that I got and a Mainlander mug.

I also hooked up two new vintage shirts. The lady at the store said that a guy came in with ninety never worn shirts from the early sixties handed them over for barely anything. I wish I could have gotten more but these are two of them.

So that's pretty much it, aloha and mahalo!

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Spike

[ Edited by: Luckydesigns on 2003-09-01 21:07 ]

All right malahini haole boy, it's band practice time! (hey, does that menehune playing the conch want to gig with us?)

Thanks, I've been told to always offer peacocks money BEFORE taking the picture.

Man! When we used to go to Tahiti Nui (pre Iniki)(haven't been back since) it was killer! We even drank with the Senator of New Mexico one time and watched him stumble back to his pad with his family!! They use to string 4' leis on the porch and give them to you!!! The food was da kine and the people were cool. Even bands with wash tub bass dudes would play. Bummer if it has changed. Is Aunty Louise the owner still??

Where's the Booze?

The menehune already has a pretty good thing going over at Smith's luao so no, he won't be playing with us.

Ben, I think it is Aunty Louise is the one that served us. It just kinda felt like she was letting the place slide a bit. If you haven't been there in a couple of years, I guess she closed half of the bar due to raised rent on the property.

Lapu, thanks for showing up again. I'm holding a mai tai in the picture with the menehune. The other times I was drinking, I forgot that I was holding a camera. It happens.