Oahu’s Ka Moana Luau offers a family-friendly feast for the eyes — and the stomach
By WYATT OLSON | Stars and Stripes | Published: December 27, 2018
Although special holiday meals come once or twice a year, luaus in Hawaii are as plentiful as the state’s famous rainbows.
Sea Life Park’s Ka Moana Luau is among the best on Oahu, offering diners a bountiful banquet — as well as activities for young and old, a gorgeous seaward vista and hula dancers aplenty.
Located on the opposite side of Oahu from Honolulu, Sea Life Park is nestled between the rugged cliffs of Makapu’u and the blue waters of the island’s eastern coastline.
By day, the park features dolphin and sea lion shows, as well as interactive aquarium exhibits containing a wide variety of local sea creatures. But five evenings a week, Ka Moana Luau is Sea Life Park’s biggest attraction.
Seating at traditional luaus is on the ground, but at the Ka Moana Luau, you’ll dine at one of dozens of tables set up under the open sky. Beyond the tables is a lovely view of the isle-dotted bay.
“Luau” is the Hawaiian word for feast — and that’s what you get here. The food is served buffet style, offering guests the chance to try a little bit of everything.
The buffet starts off with a robust salad bar that includes baby spring greens, spinach, shredded carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, radish sprouts and fried wonton strips.
If you prefer your veggies cooked, a mix of freshly steamed vegetables — such as zucchini and yellow squash — is also available. More adventurous diners can opt for the baked taro root, a popular Hawaiian staple.
Main dishes include seared ahi covered in a salsa of mango, pineapple and papaya. The sweet and sour flavors of the fruit are the perfect tangy complement to the fresh slices of fish.
For the fish-averse, the buffet’s chicken skewers — marinated in a mix of soy sauce, pineapple juice, ginger and garlic — are a nice alternative. Despite being cooked in large quantities for a crowd of hungry diners, the meat was surprisingly moist and tender.
The star of any luau, however, is the kalua pork. You can’t have a luau without it.
During a traditional luau, a pig is cooked in an underground pit called an imu. Kalua pork gets its name from this time-consuming and complicated process, as the Hawaiian phrase “ka lua” literally translates to “the hole.”
Modern luaus prepare pork in more efficient ways — but many still include an imu ceremony, during which a cooked whole pig is dramatically unearthed from the pit and laid upon a wooden platter hoisted by anywhere from two to four men.
During the Ka Moana Luau, two Polynesian-garbed men parade a whole roasted pig to the stage just before dinner is served. If you’re lucky, you might even be plucked from the crowd to help carry the platter.
The shredded kalua pork is mixed with fresh chopped cabbage and, while lean, still manages to be incredibly juicy. A tinge of smoke flavor gives the pork an added bit of complexity.
After feasting, be sure to save room for dessert — which can include items such as guava-coconut cake slathered in la creme Chantilly, or macadamia nut cookies. Wine and beer also may be purchased.
While food is central to a luau, there’s a lot more going on during the roughly 2 ½-hour Ka Moana Luau.
Before the buffet begins, guests can partake in a half-dozen interactive Hawaiian activities — many of which are family friendly and perfect for younger children. Among them are: weaving headbands out of palm fronds; learning basic ukulele chords; stringing a lei out of fresh flowers; learning to use traditional hula dance implements; and getting a temporary tattoo.
And then, of course, there is the requisite performance for which many luaus are famous. At Ka Moana Luau, the performers put on a spectacular flame-twirling and hula-dance show — 90 minutes of live music, costume changes, comedy and interaction with the audience.
You might never again be satisfied with turkey and stuffing.
olson.wyatt@stripes.com
Twitter: @WyattWOlson
KA MOANA LUAU
LOCATION: Sea Life Park, 41-202 Kalanianaole Highway #7, Waimanalo, Hawaii
DIRECTIONS: From Waikiki Beach, take the H-1 freeway east, which eventually becomes Highway 72 when reaching the east shore of Oahu. Drive past Hanauma Bay and Sandy Beach to Makapu’u Point. Sea Life Park is on the left side of the road, marked with a large sign at the entrance. Proceed to parking lot entrance. Parking is $5. Traffic can be dense on the two-lane highway, so be sure to allot enough time. Transportation (for a fee) is available to guests at certain Waikiki hotels, provided reservations are made 48 hours in advance.
HOURS: Seating begins at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. No luau on Thursdays or Saturdays.
COST: Basic cost for the buffet and show is $99 for adults, $87 ages 13-17, $74 ages 4-12 and free for ages 3 and under. Higher-priced packages — which include several complimentary alcoholic beverages, front-row seating, a free souvenir photo and other perks — are also available.
DRESS: Casual
INFORMATION: Reservations are required. www.sealifeparkhawaii.com/things-to-do/luau
article continues below
