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As the lilting ukulele music swayed across our grassy dance ground, Malihini's arms and hands painted a picture of hauling in a net full of fish, while her hips swayed invitingly to and fro.
My hands, I suspect, painted a picture of a dead fish lying on a beach and
any hip swaying bore little relationship to the beat of the Hawaiian hula melody.
But I focused with all my might on making the right movements to tell the story of a family fishing expedition followed by a great feast of seafood.
And at the end Malihini Keahi, our teacher, commented, "Chris, you're good", to my wife, who is a good dancer, "Terri, you're good", to another of our group and, surprisingly, "Jim, you're good too".
So, I now have a certificate confirming that I have successfully completed a course in the hula, something that would surprise anyone unfortunate enough to have danced with me.
But then, as I discovered, the hula is not just a dance, rather it is an important ritual to be performed on significant occasions.
Like many Hawaiian traditions, the hula was almost killed off by missionary disapproval but was revived by King David Kalakaua in the late 19th century and today is once again an essential part not just of tourist displays and festivities but also of official occasions.
A great place to see the different kinds of hula is the Old Lahaina Luau, on the island of Maui, which offers a delicious combination of a Hawaiian feast, demonstrations of traditional crafts - including the making of dance costumes - and a selection of hulas.
These included the classic tourist offering of beautiful young women in flowers and grass skirts swaying seductively across the stage.
But there was also a rather more demure version, featuring the same young women in ankle-length skirts and long-sleeved blouses, showing how the hula looked when it was revived at King David's coronation in 1882.
A series of languorous solo performances notable for their intricate arm movements showed a different side of the dance.
Then there was a stirring drum hula, involving both men and women, thought to have come to Hawaii from Tahiti.
Finally they performed a traditional hula - kahiko - telling of Pele the volcano goddess erupting in rage when her sister and boyfriend fell in love.
The hula Malihini taught us at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel the next morning was another, simpler, form of kahiko describing an everyday community gathering to put out the nets, haul them in full of fish and then join together for a feast. "Each hula," she explained, "tells a story."
"Ancient Hawaiians did not have a written language so the songs and dances were how the stories were transmitted from generation to generation and it was essential that every word and every movement was done correctly so the story was passed on properly."
That, I think, is why my hula met with her approval. The dancing may not have been graceful but I did get the story right.
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Air New Zealand flies direct to Honolulu up to three times per week. Long-term airfares in Pacific Economy class are available from $1500 per person return plus airport and government taxes.
Where to stay: The Plantation Inn is a superb bed and breakfast hotel in the heart of Maui's old whaling town of Lahaina.
Kaanapali Beach Hotel is a larger, more modern, family-oriented hotel on the coast just outside Lahaina, offering a range of cultural activities including hula lessons.
What to do: The Old Lahaina Luau performs daily.
Further information: For general information about visiting Hawaii see discoverhawaii.co/nz.
Jim Eagles visited Hawaii as guest of Air New Zealand and Hawaii Tourism Oceania.
