Manihiki and Rakahanga Trip 2011, Part 4

Kai Kai time!


...and eat...



While the dignitories eat...






                                                                                                                                                           


The community provide the entertainment,
and wait for us to finish!

The first several days of our stay included lavish ‘kai kai’s’ every evening to welcome all the visitors to the island.  Kai kai’s are feasts and man can they eat!  The tables were full of food and there was barely enough room to fit a plate to eat off.  I over indulged in my first few days on the island and soon discovered that if I didn’t want to go home a whale I’d better take smaller portions!  But it wasn’t so much the size of the portions but rather the content that was also an issue.  Although delicious, the food was very starchy and high in cholesterol and fat.  There was arrowroot, taro, pancakes of various varieties (my favourite being uto panckes, which is the middle of the coconut when the nut starts sprouting and the milk has turned to a fluffy, meringue type consistency – awesome!), an assortment of fried fish – in fact we ate fish nearly every night – and plenty more besides. 

The routine would go something like this – speeches, more speeches, and still more speeches, all in Maori, except for when I replied, then grace, and then we, as guests, together with the community dignitaries, would assemble around the tables and eat while some of the ladies would wave cloths around the food to shoo the flies away.  The other community members would sit around the periphery and watch us eat, or sing, or play drums until we were done.  Once we were, and had left the table they could then approach and eat themselves.  There was just so much food that the leftovers would’ve fed them for days.  Although I have to say they were good eaters! 

Our transport for the first journey from Tukao to Tauhunu

Now, as Manihiki has two inhabited islands – Tukao and Tauhunu – we were required to attend kai kai’s on each island to welcome visitors, as well as one put on by the returning team who attended Constitution celebrations in Rarotonga, as well as the official opening of the Life Skills Programme.  There were kai kai’s for Africa...in fact if there had been a kai kai for Africa it would have solved some of the starvation problems they are facing!  There was even one arranged for a 6 year old boys first haircut, apparently a big deal!  I politely declined this invite!

Organising the seating arrangements.

I was staying on Tukao so we had to catch the barge to Tauhunu for their function(s).  This was something to experience.  On the first occasion we were to catch the barge, which was a flat decked vessel that we simply placed plastic chairs on for seating and loaded up with food for the occasion, and a motorbike!  Being sheltered, the initial part of the trip was fine leaving the wharf at Tukao.  But as we moved away from the shelter of the bay we soon experienced the strong winds that frequently buffet the lagoon, and Tauhunu in particular.  The waves got up and the barge started to pitch with the swell.  Thankfully we were going slowly so there was no fear of calamity, other than getting wet.  Kai kai over we once again boarded the barge for the trip back, this time in the pitch black.  Now there was no way of telling when the big waves would hit us and it provided for an interesting first half of the trip.  

and we're off!

But as the winds died and we hit calmer waters the students on board began singing, which sounded beautiful, and when combined with the star-lit skies and gentle sway of the boat, took on an almost surreal atmosphere.  But, as always in the islands, drama is never far away and sure enough, one of the engines failed and our already slow trip became almost stationery!  Help was at hand by way of a large speed boat which took half the passengers from the barge and delivered them back to shore, while we, being somewhat lighter now, were left to crawl back into the bay under the power of the remaining engine.    

The Tauhunu side was invariably windy and rough,
leading to a number of exciting adventures!

Our second trip was even more eventful, and scary!  This time the barge wasn’t used (I imagine the engine hadn’t been fixed) but rather a smallish, open motor boat that  I would guess it would be 2.5 – 3 metres in length.  Again, we packed it to the rim with food and people and set off.  The familiar winds struck us mid trip and we needed to shelter under a tarpaulin to stay dry as this boat was faster, but smaller, and felt the waves so much more than the barge.  For the return trip, now 9.30pm, our passenger numbers had somehow doubled to 16 and yet the ‘captain’ insisted we were all able to fit.  Now I must say here that one of the Principals attending the principal’s workshop had TWICE drifted at sea for weeks on end in boating mishaps and lived to tell the tale.  This was a man who lived and breathed the sea and salt water ran through his veins.  He had often travelled in a boat such as this 75 nautical miles through the night between the islands of Kiribati.  Fait to say then he knew a thing or two about boating, so when he shook his head and said “no, no, no...”  I began to get worried.  Now the wind, if anything, had increased in velocity and the weighed down boat struggled to leave the wharf amidst big waves, strong winds and a screaming engine that sat too deep in the water.  Thoughts of my family played through my mind – my beautiful wife and children – I knew they would provide motivation to keep afloat and swim to shore should the boat sink.  I only hoped that if we tipped I was not under a throng of people.  I was also reassured by the fact that there weren’t large sharks in the lagoon, and those that were “wouldn’t bite”.  Thankfully, the captain saw sense and turned back after about 25 metres of our trip.  “We will do two trips” he indicated.  So another gas tank was added and the passengers were split in two groups, with women and children first.  They duly set off into the darkness...

Rangi, our host, had indicated that I should text her mid trip and she would meet us at the wharf to bring us home on the truck.  I texted her about 45 minutes after the first boat left to say that we were doing two trips and that I’d be late but there were passengers on the first boat that were staying at her accommodation.  She texted back, alarmed,  saying they hadn’t arrived at her house as yet!  This caused me some anguish until I saw the empty boat drift into view ready for the second trip.

As usual the first half of the journey was rough, but soon mellowed out to smooth waters and we actually raced home at break neck speed under a full- moon lit night.  It was quite magical, and although thoughts of my family still swam through my head it was for different reasons now – I wish they could’ve been here to experience this with me!

Needless to say I slept well that night...

To be continued.       



Manihiki and Rakahanga Trip, 2011, Part 3

Pearl Farming

The pearl processing plant.  From such humble beginnings...

Our wonderful host, Rangi, a Cook Islander who spent many years in Wellington, filled us in on the workings of pearl farming here.

The pearls shells await Nishi delicate surgery.

  Pearls take 18 months to grow and while they can grow at anytime of the year they generally only harvest twice a year as the process is extremely time consuming, laborious, and simply hard work.  The colour of the inside ring of the shell determines the colour of the pearl.  Depending on the quality of the pearl produced the oysters can be reseeded up to four times for further harvesting.  The good oysters are treated this way while the poor ones are discarded straight away and the meat eaten.  To extract the pearls the oysters are prised open and a peg inserted between the shells to keep them ajar.  They are then layered in a tray and delivered to the technician who then begins the meticulous surgery of extracting the pearl and reseeding the oyster.

The operating table

 This work is carried out on the ‘surgical table’ where the water sack is cut and the pearl extracted using long fine tweezers.  The assortment of fine, expensive precision instruments  used to perform the surgery, sourced and custom made in Japan, resemble those utilised by a dentist, while the working space of the surgeon conjures memories of the granddads jewellery operation. 

surgery in progress.

Rangi and her husband Mataio employ a Perth based Japanese surgeon named Nishi.  This bald headed, spectacled oddity of a man appears to stick to a strict regime of routine and custom in all his daily activities, not uncommon for the Japanese one assumes.  Rangi cooks his food and he dutifully comes in at set times during the day and on my first day there I was asked to move from the head of the table so Nishi could sit there to eat.  It was obviously some regimented eating programme he kept to and I was most definitely in his spot!  I watched, fascinated, as he shuffled his plates and utensils just so in readiness for eating.  Once done he would excuse himself and retreat back to his room, lit rather oddly with an orange bulb, to watch movies rather loudly!  He was a nice chap though and was very helpful and obliging in allowing us to watch him work, both at his operating table and whilst he cleaned and polished the pearls. 

The washing and polishing process.

This involved ‘spinning’ the pearls in a concrete mixer look-a-like contraption that spun the pearls in water initially, then in a mixture of water and salt to polish and buff them.  They were then graded and sized by using a siv like device.  With so many pearls being handled on a daily basis there has to be a high degree of trust involved in this work as the monetary value being dealt with is enormous.  We were shown single pearls with a retail value of in excess of $1,000 so collectively the figures much be huge.   I was reliably informed that Nishi would make $165,000 a year from his work both in the Cook Islands and in Australia, and with nothing to spend his money on here in the Cooks he would be doing alright indeed, thank you very much!

Many thousands of dollars worth of pearls!

Interestingly, as we were departing the island 3 more Japanese arrived to take up their roles as pearl technicians on various other farms on the island.

To be continued...

Road Safety a priority in Rarotonga

I had to take the scooter in for a warrant on Friday as it had expired in July!  The police are doing a big push on road safety and have been out in numbers with road blocks so I thought I'd better get it done.  So I went back to the rental agency I bought it off and paid my $10.
"Anything wrong with it?"  The lady asked.
"Well the speedo doesn't work" I replied.
"Ahh!  That's ok, what about the lights?"
"Yeah they're good"
"Ok"
So she wrote out the warrant and gave it to me...done!

You gotta love the Islands Style!

Manihiki and Rakahanga Trip, 2011, Part 1

The 6 facilitators of the 2011 Northern Group Life Skills Expo, and Principals Workshop gathered at Rarotonga airport at 4.00am as instructed, for a 5.00am flight.  We were all nervously wondering if we would make the 10 kilo weight restriction, especially given the fact that we were asked to bring fresh veges with us as our host on Manihiki was yet to get bounty from her garden.  As I was too soon discover on my arrival, being a coral atoll it was hard to get a bounty from anything other than the sea!  The tomatoes I carried weren’t the issue, but the half pumpkin was another matter and I was wondering what clothing items I’d have to sacrifice to get the pumpkin on board.  Thankfully I squeezed in a touch under 10 kilos but there was definitely going to have to be laundry done mid stay!  Despite our prompt arrival at the airport, in typical Raro fashion no airline staff actually turned up until 4.30am.  We eventually boarded the plane at 5.15am, still pitch black, and took off for a 50 minute flight to Aitutaki, where we stopped for fuel and a chance to stretch our legs, and be given a snack, consisting of a chicken sandwich, an apple, and a carton of Fresh Up, in preparation for the 2 hour 50 minute flight to Manihiki.  The Raro – Aitutaki leg was cold!  I was inadequately dressed as I didn’t have a sweatshirt of any description.  I did have a pareu to wrap around me and try to keep warm.  Strangely though I felt warmer with it simply wrapped around my legs than my whole body.



Stopping for fuel at Aitutaki en route to Manihiki



I didn’t find the trip from Aitutaki to Manihiki as cold as the first leg, although, again, I did have the Pareu wrapped around my legs.   This was no doubt due to the sun having risen and now beaming in through the windows.  The sun looked spectacular as it rose above the cotton wool clouds to the East as we headed north.  Mid flight Strickland had had enough of sitting and decided to stretch out on the floor in the aisle.  He squeezed down between the seats on his back and assumed the “funeral pose”.  Being a solidly built man there was no chance of him being able to turn and he took up a sizeable length of the plane!  As there  was no door for the pilots cockpit I was able to peer straight in and I had a chuckle to myself mid-flight when I noticed the co-pilot reading the newspaper.  Such casualness was encouraging I guess...?   

"Bro, 2 down, 5 letters, another word for accident...?"

And so after nearly three hours, out of the distant clouds appeared an oasis amongst the mass of deep blue.   From what I could gather from the plane windows the atoll was roughly triangular shaped with a thin strip of land encircling the lagoon.  As we flew over head we noticed the houses built atop small coral mounds in the middle of the lagoon.  These, I was told, were the oyster farms.  An extraordinary sight!  At its highest point Manihiki only raises about 3 or 4 metres above sea level, if that, and at any point is only 100 – 200 metres wide.  The airstrip we were heading towards was hard pressed soil.  As we approached Strickland said that “there isn’t any margin for error”.

To be continued...

Sun rise over the Pacific.

Pearl farms in Manihiki Lagoon

Tukao Village, Manihiki