There were no fireworks or confetti bursts to mark the
opening of Volcano Bay, Universal Orlando's new water theme park that is a
celebration of South Pacific culture.
Instead, Tonga drummers set a pulsing heartbeat, indicating
to everyone gathered on the sandy shore of Waturi Beach, with the Krakatau volcano
towering beyond the turquoise wave pool, that the dedication of Volcano Bay had
begun.
A tattooed Maori warrior stepped forth, piercing the moment
of silence following the drums with a long blow into a conch shell, the soulful
sound calling forth Maori singer Maisey Rika. Though few gathered understood
the language of Rika's song, no one missed its spiritual significance. She was
soon accompanied by the rhythmic splashing of women dressed in woven fronds,
their heads crowned in yellow orchids, waist-deep in the water. Maori men
emerged from the waterfalls, gracefully paddling on boards across the lagoon to
join the others on the beach.
The gathering culminated with the tribe's chief bestowing a
symbolic stone from the ocean off New Zealand's coast to Universal Orlando
president and CEO Bill Davis. The gift was sealed with a hongi, the traditional
touching of foreheads and exchange of each other's spirit. The moment was
complete.
"We're used to grand openings," said Jim Timon,
Universal Orlando's senior vice president of entertainment, "with
fireworks and fighter jets and such, but this is unlike anything we've ever
done."
After a week of rehearsals with award-winning kapa haka
artists representing South Pacific cultures, Timon commented how much they've
shared of their "powerful, rich cultural traditions," and how they've
led to "one of the finest things Universal Entertainment has ever done."
Now that Volcano Bay is open, Universal Entertainment is
looking for opportunities to bring South Pacific cultural entertainment to
guests each day.
Volcano Bay is a water park where guests are immersed in the
land of the Waturi people, a fictional group of South Pacific voyagers whose
travels include Polynesia, Easter Island, Hawaii and New Zealand to find their
new land, dominated by the Krakatau volcano.
Universal has rolled out new technology, loaning guests a
TapuTapu waterproof wristband that enables them to virtually stand in line, use
as payment for goods and services, access lockers and interact with attractions.
The park sits directly beside two new towers with 400 rooms
at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort, offering immediate access to the entrance of
Volcano Bay.