Taking the chance at Wakaya Island - internet courtesy of the resort...unknown to them ... to update with some news
Sailed from Savusavu to Namenalla, overnighted and then on to Makongai and anchored off the old leper colony, now a "mariculture" research station.
Did the sevusevu thing with the chief (very articulate man) and then were taken on a tour of the clam culturing operation by a very gentle, but solid, young Fijian man who works fro the Fisheries Dept.
They have long concrete tanks in which the calms spawn....there are about 1500 baby clams in each tank. As they mature they are moved to small concrete plates and the plates are put into wire cages and put back in the sea for the clams to grow...the cages protect them from octopus whose beaks can open the shells !
When they are grown (about 3 to 4 years) they are taken to different places in Fiji which are clam reserves where they breed on their own...the escapees are delicacies for the local villagers.
There was a round tank with mature clams in it..3 different types ... he knew all their proper names, so I guess he is marine biologist or something like that and the biggest one, he said was 4 years old, would have been about 80cm across! Amazing..never seen anything like it!
Gunilla took some pictures so I'll put them on the blog when we get a good internet connection again.
Then we were introduced to Ratu who took us on a tour of the old leper colony buildings....the leper colony started in 1911 and was finally closed in 1969 after the "cure" was discovered. The old buildings were nothing much to look at..mostly occupied by families now, but the ruins of the cinema and the prison (seems lepers from all over the pacific came here..and as Ratu said "some of them misbehaved a little") were interesting as was the overgrown cemetery which goes right up the side of a hill with 1500 graves in it..all marked with
headstones or crosses, or both. One grave was Mother Mary Agnes born France 21-3-1870 died at Makongai 17-3-1955...she ran the leper colony for many years apparently.
In August / September it will be the jubilee; 100yrs from the start of the colony, and the cemetery will be cleaned up then....VIPs from all over the world are coming it seems.
We were shown the generator house with its 100 yr old Lister diesel...still supplying power to the village and the research station...you'll hear it start up tonight Ratu said.
On the way back to the village, passed two young guys clearing ground and planting kasava (tapioca)...one of them asked..where you from..New Zealand...got any wines on board ? ...sorry no only tea!....oh OK, he said and went back to cutting the weeds with his machete.
So thanks all round and goodbyes...see you tomorrow, you can walk to the other side of the island to the other village...its only 5 kilometres...ok see you tomorrow...
It's all very pleasant and friendly....everywhere I go I get asked about the Rugby 7s...the All Blacks won the series, of course, but one of the last games was Fiji v NZ and Fiji won ...score was something like 44-19, and they all take the opportunity to mention it !!
Two other boats came in while we were touring... a funny looking Dutch boat and an old style American boat (covered in junk as usual).
I'm cooking fried rice tonight...but not sure what to put in it...had a bit of a disaster with vegetables...a big bunch of Pak Choy we only got two meals from as it went rotten in the heat and humidity...should have put it in the fridge..dum de doo as Pete would say !
Saturday
Watched about 10 men set off in the Fisheries dept launch to go fishing.."good morning" as they passed by.
We set off to the beach about 10 to do the 5k walk to the next village...talk about a bush walk !..the first 100 m was almost straight up !...got easier after that, but it took quite a while..good exercise though..well worth it.
Arrived at the other village..it was hardly occupied... followed the road to the beach and met a man from the village where we are anchored. He had come around in his boat with his wife and two grandchildren ( we saw them leave before we went ashore)...he showed us around ...nice school classes 1 to 8, two teachers, with all the usual Fiji school rules posted up on the notice board...be nice, kind, don't bully, don't put rubbish on the ground etc etc
Then he said..you going back now ?..Yes we said...you want to come with us in the boat ? OK thanks !
So we helped grandpa and grandma put their stuff in the boat, along with another grey haired old fella and off we set ...must have doing about 20 knots, got back in a flash (took some nice video of the quick trip)...helped unload the boat and the woman said "here, take some bananas and pawpaw - we have plenty"..so loaded up with fruit we came back to our boat.
Finally completed the toilet floor..filled in the remaining holes a few days ago, today sanded the filler off and painted it...looks good.
Also had to modify the underneath of the gas locker lid..the new bottles I bought are slightly taller then the old ones and the regulator wheel buts up on the lid stopping it from sitting flat, so I chiseled out a hole in the lid to
accommodate it and painted that too !
We may stay here another day or two..its really nice and the people are very friendly.
Two other boats in here....a Dutch couple with their niece that came with them from NZ..they have been away for 7 years doing a circumnavigation....and an old fashioned american yacht...quite small with an American skipper and two jeune hommes francais for crew.
Been swimming 3 times today..water is nearly 29 degrees...ambient temp is over 30 and of course the humidity is very high.
So that's it from makongai for today.....
Sunday
Serious Sunday today...church started about 10 and went on 'til 12 or so..then they all came out for lunch I gather...singing didn't sound too enthusiastic..or maybe that's the natural Fijian reserve.
Last night the saltwater pump for the galley gave up the ghost...oh dear I thought, there's tomorrows task..I have a complete spare pump..the fresh and salt pumps are the same type so everything is exchangeable.
So...ok tear into the pump locker...which is spaghetti junction now with 3 pumps in there plus an accumulator and hoses going every where....got the pump out easily enough...sure enough it reads high resistance
between the power leads..something's amiss.
Got the spare pump out ...then thought...I'll just have a look inside the existing pump, maybe it's something simple....took the end cap off..theres the power connections and the brush carrier and well...one of the brush leads is corroded / broken. Ha should be easy enough to fix !
After a half an hour of trying to resolder the lead, I give up and then...thought...why not get another piece of wire and just solder it to the brush holder..it's brass after all..so do that..measure with the ohmmeter...bingo 0.6 ohms..good enough...reassemble the pump motor ...meter across the power leads : 19 ohms...that'll do me !!
Put it all back in..and guess what .... it's all working ! Hooray !
OK...next...no stop for a cup of tea first...
Now, put on a brew of beer...its a bit warm (32 deg) but anyway, we'll see.
Had lunch of papaya and banana with sour cream and chopped nuts (she does that well!)...went for a swim...then went ashore for a walk along the beach.
Met at the beach by a young fella by the name of Amos. Hello he said, where are you going...we thought we'd walk along the beach...OK, he says, lets go...so the three of us walk along the beach having a halting chat with Amos. Turns out he's 12, last year at the local school, next year high school in Suva, he has 2 brothers and one sister already there, staying with relatives, but they come home in the holidays.
He asks us about where we come from ... NZ...NZ eh ?...won the rugby world cup !...but we beat you once !...yes I said I heard that !...I watched it on TV says Amos, obviously quite pleased to be Fijian when that game was on !
We come across a dead snake on the beach which Amos insists on turning over with his foot...the smell is terrible.
Back at the wharf, Amos suggest we sit under the shelter to cool off...good idea..its very hot !..Amos starts singing "I thank the lord eternally, for the shoes on my feet and everything I have to eat...." he has a nice voice , but the songs are the result of the indoctrination they get...Amos is a 7th day Adventist (as is the headmaster of the local school) so his day was Saturday (yesterday) and get the feeling he's at a bit of a loose end today when all the others are going to church....I think they're mostly methodist, looking at the school roll yesterday where every child is listed and categorised by class, age and religion !
While we're sitting in the shelter a whole horde of little children come running along, most carrying sticks (swords), a couple with old rubbish bin lids (shields)and even one with a makeshift helmet...they all pile into our zodiac and start shouting and waving sticks..Amos tells them all to get out ..of course they take no notice and continue to put sand in it...I walk out and say..OK that's enough and they all jump out !.
We decide to go back to the boat.. Amos says, you going ?
..yes, but we'll come back
...when you come back?
...later....
ok...come back later ?,,
yes we say, see you later !!
...OK bye...
Nice guy....
While all this on the beach stuff was going on, the Dutch family came in, tied their dinghy up to the wharf and went walking on the beach...didn't even say hello...yet they came and said hello the other day....we're back on the boat, and they motor past ..still don't say hello...dunno...folk...
anyway, we may go to Wakaya Is tomorrow..Amos says there's deer there..its only about 15 miles..so we'll see.
In the meantime this is a nice place to be..the people are friendly and kind..and Amos wants us to remember him as "Amos of Makongai Island"..I said I would write about him in my book..he seemed pleased about that
Monday
Left Makongai to sail to Wakaya Is...wind was on the nose so it was tacking all the way...good sail though 4 tacks and did 25 miles for a 15 mile as the crow flies distance.
Arrived at the island and anchored in Nuku Tibu bay only to find that its a private island ! Theres a a sign on the beach that states quite clearly "Private Island, Strictly NO ADMMITTANCE"
Anyway..there's a very faint wireless signal here so was able to get on the internet briefly and google Wakaya Island...and found a web page...its a resort ...Very Expensive !
Take a look at www.wakaya.com ..tells all...
So it was a whole day of sailing to get here...for nothing really !...Will go back to Makongai I think tomorrow..and then think about heading west towards Viti Levu ...
At 6/4/2011 7:46 AM (utc) our position was 17
°26.51'S
178°57.19'E
Sailed from Savusavu to Namenalla, overnighted and then on to Makongai and anchored off the old leper colony, now a "mariculture" research station.
Did the sevusevu thing with the chief (very articulate man) and then were taken on a tour of the clam culturing operation by a very gentle, but solid, young Fijian man who works fro the Fisheries Dept.
They have long concrete tanks in which the calms spawn....there are about 1500 baby clams in each tank. As they mature they are moved to small concrete plates and the plates are put into wire cages and put back in the sea for the clams to grow...the cages protect them from octopus whose beaks can open the shells !
When they are grown (about 3 to 4 years) they are taken to different places in Fiji which are clam reserves where they breed on their own...the escapees are delicacies for the local villagers.
There was a round tank with mature clams in it..3 different types ... he knew all their proper names, so I guess he is marine biologist or something like that and the biggest one, he said was 4 years old, would have been about 80cm across! Amazing..never seen anything like it!
Gunilla took some pictures so I'll put them on the blog when we get a good internet connection again.
Then we were introduced to Ratu who took us on a tour of the old leper colony buildings....the leper colony started in 1911 and was finally closed in 1969 after the "cure" was discovered. The old buildings were nothing much to look at..mostly occupied by families now, but the ruins of the cinema and the prison (seems lepers from all over the pacific came here..and as Ratu said "some of them misbehaved a little") were interesting as was the overgrown cemetery which goes right up the side of a hill with 1500 graves in it..all marked with
headstones or crosses, or both. One grave was Mother Mary Agnes born France 21-3-1870 died at Makongai 17-3-1955...she ran the leper colony for many years apparently.
In August / September it will be the jubilee; 100yrs from the start of the colony, and the cemetery will be cleaned up then....VIPs from all over the world are coming it seems.
We were shown the generator house with its 100 yr old Lister diesel...still supplying power to the village and the research station...you'll hear it start up tonight Ratu said.
On the way back to the village, passed two young guys clearing ground and planting kasava (tapioca)...one of them asked..where you from..New Zealand...got any wines on board ? ...sorry no only tea!....oh OK, he said and went back to cutting the weeds with his machete.
So thanks all round and goodbyes...see you tomorrow, you can walk to the other side of the island to the other village...its only 5 kilometres...ok see you tomorrow...
It's all very pleasant and friendly....everywhere I go I get asked about the Rugby 7s...the All Blacks won the series, of course, but one of the last games was Fiji v NZ and Fiji won ...score was something like 44-19, and they all take the opportunity to mention it !!
Two other boats came in while we were touring... a funny looking Dutch boat and an old style American boat (covered in junk as usual).
I'm cooking fried rice tonight...but not sure what to put in it...had a bit of a disaster with vegetables...a big bunch of Pak Choy we only got two meals from as it went rotten in the heat and humidity...should have put it in the fridge..dum de doo as Pete would say !
Saturday
Watched about 10 men set off in the Fisheries dept launch to go fishing.."good morning" as they passed by.
We set off to the beach about 10 to do the 5k walk to the next village...talk about a bush walk !..the first 100 m was almost straight up !...got easier after that, but it took quite a while..good exercise though..well worth it.
Arrived at the other village..it was hardly occupied... followed the road to the beach and met a man from the village where we are anchored. He had come around in his boat with his wife and two grandchildren ( we saw them leave before we went ashore)...he showed us around ...nice school classes 1 to 8, two teachers, with all the usual Fiji school rules posted up on the notice board...be nice, kind, don't bully, don't put rubbish on the ground etc etc
Then he said..you going back now ?..Yes we said...you want to come with us in the boat ? OK thanks !
So we helped grandpa and grandma put their stuff in the boat, along with another grey haired old fella and off we set ...must have doing about 20 knots, got back in a flash (took some nice video of the quick trip)...helped unload the boat and the woman said "here, take some bananas and pawpaw - we have plenty"..so loaded up with fruit we came back to our boat.
Finally completed the toilet floor..filled in the remaining holes a few days ago, today sanded the filler off and painted it...looks good.
Also had to modify the underneath of the gas locker lid..the new bottles I bought are slightly taller then the old ones and the regulator wheel buts up on the lid stopping it from sitting flat, so I chiseled out a hole in the lid to
accommodate it and painted that too !
We may stay here another day or two..its really nice and the people are very friendly.
Two other boats in here....a Dutch couple with their niece that came with them from NZ..they have been away for 7 years doing a circumnavigation....and an old fashioned american yacht...quite small with an American skipper and two jeune hommes francais for crew.
Been swimming 3 times today..water is nearly 29 degrees...ambient temp is over 30 and of course the humidity is very high.
So that's it from makongai for today.....
Sunday
Serious Sunday today...church started about 10 and went on 'til 12 or so..then they all came out for lunch I gather...singing didn't sound too enthusiastic..or maybe that's the natural Fijian reserve.
Last night the saltwater pump for the galley gave up the ghost...oh dear I thought, there's tomorrows task..I have a complete spare pump..the fresh and salt pumps are the same type so everything is exchangeable.
So...ok tear into the pump locker...which is spaghetti junction now with 3 pumps in there plus an accumulator and hoses going every where....got the pump out easily enough...sure enough it reads high resistance
between the power leads..something's amiss.
Got the spare pump out ...then thought...I'll just have a look inside the existing pump, maybe it's something simple....took the end cap off..theres the power connections and the brush carrier and well...one of the brush leads is corroded / broken. Ha should be easy enough to fix !
After a half an hour of trying to resolder the lead, I give up and then...thought...why not get another piece of wire and just solder it to the brush holder..it's brass after all..so do that..measure with the ohmmeter...bingo 0.6 ohms..good enough...reassemble the pump motor ...meter across the power leads : 19 ohms...that'll do me !!
Put it all back in..and guess what .... it's all working ! Hooray !
OK...next...no stop for a cup of tea first...
Now, put on a brew of beer...its a bit warm (32 deg) but anyway, we'll see.
Had lunch of papaya and banana with sour cream and chopped nuts (she does that well!)...went for a swim...then went ashore for a walk along the beach.
Met at the beach by a young fella by the name of Amos. Hello he said, where are you going...we thought we'd walk along the beach...OK, he says, lets go...so the three of us walk along the beach having a halting chat with Amos. Turns out he's 12, last year at the local school, next year high school in Suva, he has 2 brothers and one sister already there, staying with relatives, but they come home in the holidays.
He asks us about where we come from ... NZ...NZ eh ?...won the rugby world cup !...but we beat you once !...yes I said I heard that !...I watched it on TV says Amos, obviously quite pleased to be Fijian when that game was on !
We come across a dead snake on the beach which Amos insists on turning over with his foot...the smell is terrible.
Back at the wharf, Amos suggest we sit under the shelter to cool off...good idea..its very hot !..Amos starts singing "I thank the lord eternally, for the shoes on my feet and everything I have to eat...." he has a nice voice , but the songs are the result of the indoctrination they get...Amos is a 7th day Adventist (as is the headmaster of the local school) so his day was Saturday (yesterday) and get the feeling he's at a bit of a loose end today when all the others are going to church....I think they're mostly methodist, looking at the school roll yesterday where every child is listed and categorised by class, age and religion !
While we're sitting in the shelter a whole horde of little children come running along, most carrying sticks (swords), a couple with old rubbish bin lids (shields)and even one with a makeshift helmet...they all pile into our zodiac and start shouting and waving sticks..Amos tells them all to get out ..of course they take no notice and continue to put sand in it...I walk out and say..OK that's enough and they all jump out !.
We decide to go back to the boat.. Amos says, you going ?
..yes, but we'll come back
...when you come back?
...later....
ok...come back later ?,,
yes we say, see you later !!
...OK bye...
Nice guy....
While all this on the beach stuff was going on, the Dutch family came in, tied their dinghy up to the wharf and went walking on the beach...didn't even say hello...yet they came and said hello the other day....we're back on the boat, and they motor past ..still don't say hello...dunno...folk...
anyway, we may go to Wakaya Is tomorrow..Amos says there's deer there..its only about 15 miles..so we'll see.
In the meantime this is a nice place to be..the people are friendly and kind..and Amos wants us to remember him as "Amos of Makongai Island"..I said I would write about him in my book..he seemed pleased about that
Monday
Left Makongai to sail to Wakaya Is...wind was on the nose so it was tacking all the way...good sail though 4 tacks and did 25 miles for a 15 mile as the crow flies distance.
Arrived at the island and anchored in Nuku Tibu bay only to find that its a private island ! Theres a a sign on the beach that states quite clearly "Private Island, Strictly NO ADMMITTANCE"
Anyway..there's a very faint wireless signal here so was able to get on the internet briefly and google Wakaya Island...and found a web page...its a resort ...Very Expensive !
Take a look at www.wakaya.com ..tells all...
So it was a whole day of sailing to get here...for nothing really !...Will go back to Makongai I think tomorrow..and then think about heading west towards Viti Levu ...
At 6/4/2011 7:46 AM (utc) our position was 17
°26.51'S
178°57.19'E