Lunch with Auntie Nalani

Obviously, one of our first visits had to be Auntie Nalani.  She would not have let us be on the same island as her for more than a few hours before seeing us.  We met up with her at her office to see the lo`i just below her building.  For those of you not from Hawaii, lo`i are pods of land that grow kalo (taro), a plant that is integral to our Hawaiian history and culture.  

She showed us around and we got to see the different kalo that were just planted and some that are almost ready to be harvested.  It was absolutely amazing seeing how efficient our ancestors were back in the day and how we still use their methods to plant and harvest today.

After hanging out at her office, we headed to lunch at the Kaimana Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Waikiki.  They are known for their lobby that opens up to the ocean and their restaurant that serves AMAZING food.  Lucas and I shared poke and rice.  Poke is another staple food in Hawaii which is typically tuna sashimi mixed with scallions, onions, shoyu (soy sauce), sesame oil and red pepper flakes.  It is one of my favorite foods!  The restaurant opens up to Kaimana Beach where we got an awesome view of the ocean and the Waikiki hotels.