Day 6After a big day of activity on Tuesday, we took it easy on Wednesday morning and slept in. Again we ate breakfast at the resort. One of the nice features of the plan our travel agent arranged for us was the meal plans that we got. We ended up with the "Modified American Plan", which basically got us a buffet of fruit in the morning along with cooked entres (bacong, eggs, etc...). After breakfast we hung around the lobby and Meghann hung around the idol of fertility..., Meghann!
The bus from the Cultural Center picked us up at 10:30 am. When we got there they gave us a 
little rundown on island history, including the political history and how the island gained quasi-independace from New Zealand. The tour consisted of a circut of their complex with a variety of stations explaining different aspects of island culture. First up, fishing. Fishing is a key source of food on the island and the guy here gave us a rundown on how to make nets from hibiscus bark.
little rundown on island history, including the political history and how the island gained quasi-independace from New Zealand. The tour consisted of a circut of their complex with a variety of stations explaining different aspects of island culture. First up, fishing. Fishing is a key source of food on the island and the guy here gave us a rundown on how to make nets from hibiscus bark.Next, and probably most interesting was the coconut station. The guy here deffinitley looked like a warrior. He was also a machine at coconut husking. Basically the way coconut husking 
works is that you plant a sharp stick in the ground and use it to pry off the outside husk. Then using a stone or stick to strike the ridges of the nut he was able to break the nut in half.
works is that you plant a sharp stick in the ground and use it to pry off the outside husk. Then using a stone or stick to strike the ridges of the nut he was able to break the nut in half.We then endured a nearly 2 hour tirade by one of the island elders on how the culture was being ruined by tourism. Luckily that part ended and we went on to learning some weaving and island dancing and eating a stellar meal of chicken, taro root, papya, and coconut product.
Afterward we went back to the resort, napped, kayaked, and ate the a la carte dinner for the 
first time. It turned out that the food was stellar, but the service was extremely slow. It took us about two hours to get our three courses, but it was well worth it for the meal. We went to bed early on Wednesday in preparation for an very early start on Thursday for our day trip to Aitutaki.
first time. It turned out that the food was stellar, but the service was extremely slow. It took us about two hours to get our three courses, but it was well worth it for the meal. We went to bed early on Wednesday in preparation for an very early start on Thursday for our day trip to Aitutaki.
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