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Day 76, Smith family cruise and garden luau

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Monday, January 16, 2023

We had a quiet morning, walked around, did a load of wash, and stopped into Papaya Health Food Store to see Jessica Leech, the owner. I play canasta with her mom at home.
At Jessica’s suggestion we drove to Anini Beach for a swim. Great beach! Shady, protected, nice sand, bathrooms, and a shower to rinse off. Then we visited nearby Kilauea Point Lighthouse. Very dramatic.

At 3:30pm we went on the Smith family cruise on the Wailua River to the fern grotto. Our boat was a large rectangular motorized floating room. Lots of benches. The captain was also playing the ukulele at the fern grotto. Later she was helping with the luau dinner. It was a bit hokey, but we always love a chance to be on the water.

The Smith family garden luau was more updated than the boat ride. We moved our car about 1/2 mile from the marina. We were offered a shell lei, and then we were given a tour of the beautiful gardens in a tram.

The grandfather introduced the ceremony where the roast pig is uncovered from the roasting pit. His grandfather started the company.

As far as comparisons go, we thought the food was better at the Smith luau, but the show was better at the Old Lanaina Luau. Some of the Smith family luau performers were rather large. Not as agile and graceful as they might have been. Regardless, it was a wonderful finale for our Hawaii trip.

Our condo
At Papaya Health Food store with Jessica

Anini Beach

Anini Beach was protected from waves, undertows, the sun, and maybe from sharks!
Kilauea Point Lighthouse
A map of the Wailua River. Our condo was about one mile north of the river mouth
Nearby landmark
Our vessel on the left
The fern grotto
Being serenaded with the Hawaiian wedding song with hula
Along the river
A performance on the ride back from the fern grotto
Jim bought a bag of bird seed for $1, and he had a bunch of birds following us around.

This one was eating out of Jim’s hand
Waiting for the ceremony to begin
Uncovering the pit where the pig had been cooking all day
The Smith family patriarch presiding over the unearthed roast pork. The rice pudding was also cooked in the pit in a covered pot.
Our table
The entertainment during dinnerp
Dinner: salmon with tomatoes, macaroni salad, mashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, roast pork, fried rice, etc….
We were in the front row in the luau theatre, a short walk from where we had dinner.
Pele rose from a volcano
Tahitian dancers
The main stage was pretty far away
The men did a dance right in front of us
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