The words of the Hawaiian language are melodic. From the voice of the right storyteller, they roll off the tongue in a form of lyrical poetry. When joined by the ukulele and hula, they combine to tell a verbal history that is passed from generation to generation. This is what they call in the Hawaiian Islands Talk Story. It was one of the highlights of my trip when I had the opportunity to cruise the islands aboard a 36 passenger expedition ship.
What makes a good storyteller? It’s a question I often ask myself as I try to translate the experiences I have as a traveler into words for my readers. As one who loves the telling of tales, I don’t think I could have been luckier than to have Danny “Kaniela” Akaka Jr. and his wife Ana as our onboard hosts during a 7 day island exploration with UnCruise Adventure in Hawaii. I had the chance to interview them both during a quiet moment on deck overlooking the Pacific and volcanic mountains of Maui.
