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1    Introduction & at-sea days
2    Lahaina
3    Nawiliwili
4    Honolulu
5    Kona
6    Hilo
7    Dining
8    Entertainment, days at-sea, Ensenada, & home
 
 
 

Nawiliwili

We travelled during the night and docked in Nawiliwili on Kauai in the morning.  Here we were docked and merely walked off the ship.  We had booked one tour today.  It was the Tropical Garden and Luau Ceremony.  We boarded tour buses which took us to the Smith Tropical Paradise.  This is a beautiful botanical garden site with examples of most of the plants found on Kauai.  I did not say native plants, as most of the vegetation on the island was brought in from other areas over the centuries.  We were given a narrated tram ride around the facilities which included streams, pools, lush plants, and even a Japanese garden.  There was a large covered, open sided building where the luau was held.  We found seats with a good view of the stage.  There was constant entertainment of singers and native dancers on the stage.
 

The grounds at the Smith Tropical Paradise are just beautiful.  The next 7 pictures show some of this beauty.
The next 3 pictures show the unearthing of the pig ceremony.
The entertainment at the luau was very good, consisting of a singer, a couple of musicians, and several groups of dancers.

Prior to the start of the luau, we had the ceremonial unearthing of the pig.  The pig is deep pit barbequed by burying it in the ground over a bed of coals and lava rock.  It is covered with banana leaves, then a linen cloth, then sand or dirt.  The ceremony consists of two young sarong dressed men playing the conch shell, then hoeing the sand off the linen covering.  When it is clear, the linen is removed, the bannana leaves are removed, and the pig is taken out and placed in a stainless steel tray.  This was not actually the pork we ate at our luau, but may have been the meat for the next one.

We served ourselves buffet style to the bountiful food.  We even tried poi.  We each agreed with the general concensus that it was awful!  It tasted as bad as it looked, like a thin grey mud.  We were told that you have to acquire a taste for it, and that you never eat it alone, but always with other food.  They served unlimited mai-tais and Hawaiin punch.  I had the latter.  It was a wonderful day!
 

As we left the dock at Nawiliwili, there were two tugboats standing by to help.  I never saw them actually do anything, but they were there if the ship's thrusters were not up to the task.