named inhabitant – the lauwiliwilinukunuku'oi'oi,
or longnose butterflyfish. An hour later, we're
snorkelling among said butterflyfish and their
colourful buddies. At first, omas, a snorkel-
ling newbie, stays close to the entrance stairwell.
But curiosity wins and he's soon bobbing across
the calm salt water to hang with pinktail dur-
geon and orangespine unicornfish as they chase
bubbles floating up from the artificial reef floor.
Next, we could sign up for ukulele lessons
or learn how to make leis, but instead we
decide to try stand up paddleboarding in the
sheltered cove beyond the beach. Renting a
board (US$30 per hour) from the resort's
shoreside Makiki Joe's, we receive a short les-
son before hitting the surf. Having never done
it before, I'm a little worried. Prepped to
scream, "e Menehune did it!" after my first
tumble, I surprisingly remain upright, even
with omas sitting near the tip. We make our
way across the smooth turquoise waters, the
sounds of the resort fading behind us, the
ocean waves rolling in the distance.
at night, we head to the Hālāwai Lawn
for the Starlit Hui, a lively performance of
Hawaiian music and hula. After a kaleidoscope
of leis, paddles, palm fronds, torches and flut-
tery paper birds, a young male ukulele duo
hams it up with modern riffs and behind-the-
back playing. Clad in bright Polynesian prints,
Mickey, Minnie and friends share the spot-
light in the grand finale. We end the evening
with a crash course in Hawaiian language at
