Honolulu Zoo

I wasn't really too excited to visit the Honolulu Zoo. I figured if you have seen one zoo, you have seen them all. I guess that's not true, but we have the Hogle Zoo so close to us here, that I wanted to do things that I couldn't normally do - like play in the ocean, snorkel, and scuba dive. But Mike's family wanted to go, so we joined them in order to have some quality family time.

The sign says, "Honolulu Zoo * This is the best Zoo to be found for 2300 miles in any direction." Obviously the people at the Honolulu Zoo have a sense of humor because there is no other zoo within 2300 miles. Hee Hee Hee.
Also, the Honolulu Zoo is only 3 feet above sea level. Very interesting.

We want Madison to be a traveler, since it's something that we both love so much. Every time we saw a sign like this, we took her picture by it. I am sure that 100% of the time she was sleeping, but oh well, it was fun for us.

Flamingo at the Honolulu Zoo.

Banyan Tree(s):

This bird was just roaming around where people walked. I kinda liked its uniqueness (as opposed to what I would see in Utah):

My favorite part of visiting the zoo was watching the sloth walk across it's cage. We got there at perfect timing to see it walk from one end to the other and it was seriously sooooooo slow. Mike caught a tiny bit of it on video. It was pretty awesome to watch though.
Golden Tamerin:
Komodo Dragon:

The world's largest lizard, the komodo dragons are 9 to 10 feet long and weigh up to 300 pounds. It was previously thought that the bacteria in their mouths caused their victims to die when bitten. In 2009, it was discovered that they also secrete a venomous bile that acts to prevent blood clotting causing a drop in blood pressure. That, combined with the bacteria, eventually causes the prey's death.

There were tiny little lizards all around the zoo, just sun bathing on the rocks. Kinda fun :)

Roseate Spoonbill:

Toco Toucan:

Turtles sunbathing on a branch in the water:

Ring-Tailed Lemur:

 African Hunting Dog:

The scientific name "Lycaon pictus" means "painted wolf" because this species is covered in 'a furry version of combat fatigues.' This endemic dog of the African savanna, unlike most candid species, eats only meat.

 This is my absolute favorite pic of the gorillas:

 Black-Handed Spider Monkey:

 Interesting... a garden of bird houses?!

 African Lions:

Siamand Gibbon:

I think that Mike & I would go back to the Honolulu Zoo again if we had the chance. It wasn't anything super special but it was just a bit different than the zoo we have here. A couple of different types of animals. We ended up leaving really quickly because Madison's fever spiked and we wanted to get her back to the hotel to rest. I think it would have been fun to see all of the animals that we missed out on. One thing to mention though, parking at the Honolulu Zoo is RIDICULOUS. After driving around for like 15 minutes, we found a place that did valet parking. It saved the day.

At home rockin' the Honolulu Zoo Onsie:

Oahu, Hawaii: Hā: BREATH OF LIFE SHOW at the Polynesian Culture Center

Remember how I said that whale watching was one of my favorite parts of Hawaii? This show was the other. Oh my gosh! It was soooooo incredible! Mike and I are huge fans on going to Broadway shows in New York and this show was much better than a lot of the shows we have seen on Broadway. I highly, highly, highly recommend it. I don't think a luau/night show can get much better than this!

So when you visit the Polynesian Culture Center in the day you can visit different islands: Samoa, Aotearoa, Fiji, Hawaii, Marquesas, Tahiti, and Tonga. They teach you about their culture and perform for you. They are fun, upbeat, and really interesting. I loved all of the ones that we attended (and we actually visited the PCC two different days so we saw most of the shows). The  Hā: Breath of Life Show combined all of the different island cultures and dances and traditions to create a story of a couple giving birth to their first child, a son. Throughout the show, you watch dances of this boy's life and of him growing up. The adventures of a young kid, when he becomes a man, finding his love, courtship, and then we watched him get married. After his marriage, there is a battle and his father dies. I was already totally in love with the show but it hit new heights of amazing at this point. I think because they depicted it so well and it felt so real. Family members surround the father's body weeping and moaning their loss then angels walk out of the woodwork and surround the body as well. The father's spirit rises from his body and he begins to greet angels, as though they were his family members who had previously passed on. (There are no words so family or friends - he greets his loved ones who passed on before him.) He leaves with them, and his family is still there surrounding his body, and mourning their loss. Time passes, and this boy and his new wife are now expecting a baby. You watch as she gives birth and a new generation is born. The deceased father comes back (as an angel) and greets his new grandchild and watches over his wife and son. I can't tell you how many times I cried throughout the show. Possibly because I within the last 5 months I had my first baby and my grandpa passed away so it stirred up all the emotions from these events. I do think I would have loved it either way. It is so engaging and I don't think I have ever seen another performance that highlights the circle of life as well as this one.

The Polynesian Culture Center website describes the show like this: Hā: BREATH OF LIFE. A STORY OF PASSION, IGNITED BY FIRE, SONG AND DANCE.

The symbolic story of Mana and his beloved Lani, punctuated by Polynesian dance, music and blazing fireknives, is told in “Hā: Breath of Life,” a stunning, new evening show featuring over 100 Polynesian natives, special effects, animation and surround sound. It is a Pacific isle saga of birth and death, love and family, triumph and tragedy.

I guess that's all they really say about it, "It is a Pacific isle saga of birth and death, love and family, triumph and tragedy." No wonder I was so blown away by the story and show. I had never really heard anything about it, so I had no idea what to expect, but dang, I fell in love so fast!

Following typical show etiquette - no photography is allowed so I waited until they were taking their bows to snap some pics to remember it by.

Madison was a little rock star throughout the show. Our original seats were the front row of the center section, second level. But our little section was only filled about half way up, so we moved to where we were behind everyone, that way I could stand up and bounce her if I needed to. But she was totally enthralled with the show and especially loved the fire portions (which I can't blame her - they had some incredible fire tricks). I think no matter where you sit, you will kind of get lost in the show and love it no matter what. 

Breath of Life Show Photos from the Polynesian Culture Center Website:

While I was super impressed with the whole show, I loved the fire portion. The performers are so talented and are able to do some crazy things while playing with fire. They sat on it, the slid across it, they twirled it with both hands, held it in their feet, they twirled it while standing on each other and creating pyramids (as shown in the photo above), at some points they made it comical but I really think everyone in the audience was watching in awe at their fire skills.

Us after the show with the father (left) and his son as an adult (right):

It was going to be our last time visiting the PCC so I thought, "Shoot, I should take a picture!" As we were driving away... photo fail ;)

Amazing night, amazing show, best in Hawaii hands down!