PUHI — Malia Cremer, a performer with Lu‘au Kalamaku, turned out Wednesday evening, larger than life. Cremer and her lu‘au brothers and sisters were honored with a tribute that caught them by surprise and left them speechless when the Polynesian
PUHI — Malia Cremer, a performer with Lu‘au Kalamaku, turned out Wednesday evening, larger than life.
Cremer and her lu‘au brothers and sisters were honored with a tribute that caught them by surprise and left them speechless when the Polynesian Adventure bus rolled up to the entrance of Lu‘au Kalamaku on the grounds of the Kilohana Estates.
“We did it for the performers,” said Sandi Weir, director of Business Development for Norwegian Cruise Lines. “The kids work so hard at every event. The energy and excitement they put out at each event is like they’re taking the stage for the first time.”
The wrap coincided with the NCL plans to expand on its branding program, Weir said, and in addition to bringing the lu‘au to the streets, was a good way to recognize the efforts of the lu‘au staff.
A wrap, used on buses on the Mainland, features the logo and name of the event emblazoned along the sides of the bus used to shuttle guests from the North Shore on Tuesdays, the South Shore on Fridays, and the NCL cruise ship that berths overnight at Nawiliwili Harbor on Thursdays.
But beyond that, the wrap is liberally punctuated with photos of the performers in the show, anchored by Cremer, and is another way to promote the island’s people and culture.
“Don’t splash mud on her,” one performer said when she saw Cremer’s portrait at the rear of the bus.
“She’s also on the front of the bus,” said another who noted that if you look at the other side of the bus, she is located at the front. “She’ll leave you in the dust.”
Weir said the lu‘au’s staff was not aware of the plans by NCL to feature the performers on the bus, and on Wednesday, an off-night for the event, the staff was gathered for a company party.
The bus lumbered to a stop outside the lu‘au entrance and the employees were ushered outside the pavilion where they greeted the new look with screams of delight, laughter and exclamations of “Oh, my god!” when the reality set in.
“They are bigger than life,” Weir said. “And they’ll be on the bus each time it rolls out to pick up guests. They’ll be there a long time.”
Visit us online to watch video of this larger than life event featuring performers in the Lu‘au Kalamaku enjoying the new-look Polynesian Adventure bus.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com
