Luau, birds and poi..
Last evening we went to Smiths Luau just up the road from our accommodation. The gates open at 5:00 giving us an hour to take a tram ride around the property with narration about the trees, wildlife and flowers on the property. The property is located near the river and encompasses 30 acres. It is very beautiful and lush with ponds and many varieties of trees and flowering plants.
After the tram ride we still had about a half hour so we wandered around for some photo opportunities. There were a gazillion chickens, roosters and chicks along with several peacocks (such loud raucous calls they have) and one area was enclosed with an electric fence with goats, some had kids, very cute little animals. Once I'd filled my desire for flower photos we walked back towards the Hale where the buffet was to be held and came across six paired Nene, the protected goose species of Hawaii....the following information is courtesy of Wikipedia.....
The nene is the world's rarest goose.[12] It is believed that it was once common, with approximately 25,000 Hawaiian geese living in Hawaiʻi when Captain James Cook arrived in 1778.[8] Hunting and introduced predators, such as small Asian mongooses, pigs, and cats, reduced the population to 30 birds by 1952.[8] The species breeds well in captivity, and has been successfully re-introduced; in 2004, it was estimated that there were 800 birds in the wild, as well as 1000 in wildfowl collections and zoos.[8] However, there is some concern of inbreeding due to the small initial population of birds.
It is also believed they may have evolved from the Canada Goose. The six we encountered were paired off and are very striking birds with their striped necks. The males are slightly larger than the females.
The buffet was good and well organized to feed a lot of people. There were the usual luau foods available. Poi, made from pounded and cooked Taro is always available at luaus, I don't mind it and find it to be good with the Kalua pork (the pig that is cooked in the Imu.
Today we are driving to Waimea canyon. It is supposed to provide beautiful mountains scapes and canyons.
After the tram ride we still had about a half hour so we wandered around for some photo opportunities. There were a gazillion chickens, roosters and chicks along with several peacocks (such loud raucous calls they have) and one area was enclosed with an electric fence with goats, some had kids, very cute little animals. Once I'd filled my desire for flower photos we walked back towards the Hale where the buffet was to be held and came across six paired Nene, the protected goose species of Hawaii....the following information is courtesy of Wikipedia.....
The nene is the world's rarest goose.[12] It is believed that it was once common, with approximately 25,000 Hawaiian geese living in Hawaiʻi when Captain James Cook arrived in 1778.[8] Hunting and introduced predators, such as small Asian mongooses, pigs, and cats, reduced the population to 30 birds by 1952.[8] The species breeds well in captivity, and has been successfully re-introduced; in 2004, it was estimated that there were 800 birds in the wild, as well as 1000 in wildfowl collections and zoos.[8] However, there is some concern of inbreeding due to the small initial population of birds.
It is also believed they may have evolved from the Canada Goose. The six we encountered were paired off and are very striking birds with their striped necks. The males are slightly larger than the females.
The buffet was good and well organized to feed a lot of people. There were the usual luau foods available. Poi, made from pounded and cooked Taro is always available at luaus, I don't mind it and find it to be good with the Kalua pork (the pig that is cooked in the Imu.
Today we are driving to Waimea canyon. It is supposed to provide beautiful mountains scapes and canyons.
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Enjoy the warmth and weather while you still can. So much water fell out of the sky last night and today I feared we'd all float away.