The last full day in paradise. How quickly the week went by. When we first got here, time seemed to go by a bit slow. But after about 4 days, the pace picked up, and now we were facing our last day. Today was the day we planned on attending a Luau. But for the rest of the day, we all decided to take it easy and do as little as possible. You know, the perfect vacation.
We spent a bit of time swimming in the ocean. Megan and Josie found a spot a 1/2 mile or so down the beach where the waves were just perfect so that you could float in the water, riding up and down, in and out, pretty much lazing the day away. I have to say, it was pretty fun. We all ended up there, floating for a bit, and playing in the sand.
After a bit, we cleaned up and headed into Lahaina to walk around and get whatever souvenirs and trinkets we wanted to bring back home. Of course we had to make another stop at Local Boyz for some shave ice. Honestly, this has got to be some of the best on the island. For $4, you get a huge serving, with 3 of several dozen flavors, served over vanilla ice cream. Make sure you get the Kuala Cream on top of it all. Super good stuff!! We made sure to stop into the Peter Lik Gallery, which if you have never been or heard of before, I strongly suggest you Google it. When I start collecting art, this is the first person's pieces I will consider purchasing. The guy is a brilliant photographer.
After buying some souvenirs, we headed over to the Sheraton at Black Rock for our Luau. The parking was a bit confusing, since I was not sure if we were supposed to park in the garage or not. You are, and make sure you bring your ticket. They will validate at the Luau, so you will only have to pay $1 vs. $18. We had to stand in quite a long line. I wondered why they did not have a "Preferred" line for those of us who paid extra, but we got in eventually. The bar was open, and I grabbed a couple of Mai Tai's. Pretty weak, so in about 10 minutes, I went back for more. Our table was right in the front, dead center stage. You could not get better seats. Perfect!!
The host came out and talked for a bit, letting us know that there were some activities happening around us. Coconut husking, Sarong tying, and a couple of other Hawaiian things were going on around the perimeter. There was also a long table with crafts for sale. We walked around, taking it all in. Then, the pig was coming out of the ground. There was quite a crowd, but it was still pretty cool to see a whole roasted pig on a table size plank. After that, it was dinner time. Preferred Seating meant we got to go thru the food line first. While standing in line we got to see the Dive Ceremony, where a diver lights Tiki torches as he climbs Black Rock, tosses a lei into the water, and then dives off the 50+ foot cliff. It was pretty cool, but we were hungry. 
The layout was very nice. Salads first. Green, potato/mac, salmon lomi lomi, and fruit. Then poi. Then fried rice, mahi mahi, kalua pork and teriyaki steak. There was also rolls and butter and several types of dressings. I filled up my plate with as much as I could, willing to try it all. We headed back to the table and got our eating on. The sun had set, the candles lit, and the band was playing music in the background. We were sitting with another family, as well as another newlywed couple. It was very nice to meet new people, all there for the same thing. To have fun, relax, and try new stuff. The food was ok to great, depending on the item. The pork was amazing. The rice, not so much. The steak was a bit overdone. The salads, tasty. And another round of drinks was just right.
After a bit, the show started. The host came out and sang a bit. Then the dancers, both male and female, came on and did their thing. There were several different dances, reflecting different island traditions, different events, like weddings and royal festivals. The dancers were great, as were the musicians. The show was very interactive. The host asked who was just married or celebrating anniversaries. He made those of us stand up, and at one point he called all the men in those groups, up to the stage, where we had to perform a hula. Good times indeed! They had people come up and learn the hula, and at one point the host called me up to the stage, where he handed me a beautiful flower lei, and instructed me to give it to Megan, Hawaiian style. Basically that consisted of me putting it around her neck and kissing her, in front of several hundred people. Again, good times. 
Finally the big event. The main reason why we selected this luau over all the others. The fire knife dance. The host called this huge Polynesian dude on to the stage. The drums started banging away and the lights dimmed and then this guy started saying something in his native language. After 30 seconds or so, he translated. "Wazzup!!" is what he said. He started twirling a stick with fire on both ends. He put it in his mouth, on his chest, drawing fire across himself in the process. He twirled that stick so fast that it looked like a circle of fire. After a bit, he was tossed another stick and before long he had both sticks twirling away, circles of fire with a heavy island drumbeat. After a few minutes of playing with fire, he tossed them in the air, extinguished them and that was the end of the show. The dancers all came out one final time, and then as we made our way to the exits, they made themselves available for photos. All in all, it was an incredible show and a decent meal.
There are a lot of luau's to chose from. Some are said to have "the best food" and others will give you a better understanding of the other islands. Only a couple have the fire dancers. Some have drink limits. This one was located on a very nice piece of property, right on the ocean. The food was good and the show was excellent. It was spendy, but I purchased our tickets online, thru a broker of some sort, where kids 12 and under were free with an adult fare. And it is definitely worth paying the extra $10 per person for "preferred" seating. After all, we had the best seats, got to eat first, and be part of the show. As a family we completely enjoyed the show. After that, we headed back home, lamenting the fact that this was the "last night."
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