Vak Eiva 2010

The only proper way to start would be to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to friends, family and really, everyone!

To the right we have the 2010 Christmas effort - right tropical really!


It is a strange time for us on the island right now. The weather is hot and still, and we hope it isn't still like this in a few months. We keep a close eye on the weather websites and were delighted to note that last week, when we thought is was stinking hot, it really was: 33 degrees and 75% humidity apparently feels like 37 degrees. How true.

School is out, the shopping has been done, Xmas in the Park (island style) is this week along with the staff Xmas party, and the job hunt goes on.

Of course Christmas is less than a fortnight away, and the Advent calendars (kept in the fridge to avoid melting) are providing answers to that age old question 'how long is it until Christmas....?" The family gifts are under the tree (hiding places are few and far between in the house) and the kids are rattling them and wondering...

The chocolate truffles bought in NZ for Xmas eve have been demolished...woops! The brandy snap shells are still in one piece and I have found UHT whipping cream on the island too. The children have discovered Creme Brulee so that is the plan for Xmas day. That and I (Mrs Shah, that is) made Xmas mince pies! From scratch (mostly)!

I blame this frenzy of foodiness on Vaka Eiva - or the fact that it is over, I should say. The week long festival of Outrigger Canoe paddling bought 800 paddlers to Rarotonga from NZ, Aus Hawaii and Tahiti. Add in supporters and families and it would be fair to say the island was heaving! Thankfully Nana came to spend a week looking after the kids, which in hindsight was more relaxing than paddling and paddle-tix (paddleing politics).

Over the week long regatta Michael and I paddled in 12km marathon races, 500m sprints, and Michael in the 32km Round Raro Relay Race. At the start of the week it was awesome to be a part of the blessing of the canoes, with our club vaka representing the Aitutaki clubs. We had to decorate the canoe which was then blessed with canoes from the other countries and Raro clubs.

Saturday - the first day of the regatta had terrible sea conditions, and I had a lot of concern about how my mixed crew would handle those. Michael's men's crew was raring to go, and thankfully by Monday the seas had dropped a bit. Unfortunately their allocated canoe was of an unfamiliar shape and not rigged to suit them, which created stability issues and meant the men never hit their stride. Their time of 1:08 was 9 min behind the leaders brough them in 9th place - a disappointing result for them.

Micheal was the only one of the men's team to race with two teams, and after the mornign race had to rest up for another 12km later that afternoon with the mixed crew. He was concerned about being able to recover but the reality was that he is the fittest in the club, let alone fittest in the more social mixed crew! The 3.30pm Mixed race was delayed ... and delayed as the previous races ran later ... and later. The upside was the rough sea conditions subsided, the downside was watching everyone else have a beer as we sat around waiting to race.

Fortunately ourallocated canoe was the sister to our usual training canoe - very familiar and comfortbale. As it got laterand it became obvious we would be racing the setting sun as much as the other canoes, the race was shortened to 8km, and at 6.15pm we finallyset off with 28 other canoes, chasing flying fish and skirting the breakers on the reef.

Being in a race of 29 canoes was amazing, and we had an AWESOME race. Everyone was pumped up and gave their all, pulling together and cheering each other on. We surfed a few swells, steered a tactical race, holding our line against rival crews and blocking passing maneuvers. We over took our Aitutaki training partners (in yellow, below) and held out an Australian crew over the last 50m for a tough sprint finish. It was a fantastic reslt, and we yelled and cheered and ate pizza in the water as we waited an hour for all the canoe sot be carried up the slipway. We came home in 41min, 6 min behind the leaders and 15th out of 18 in our age group (Masters). We were stoked.

That was really the highlight for us. The Sprints day wasn't the fun occasion we were expecting, with personality clashes and bad race scheduling causing issues. Our men's crew was T-boned by a kiwi crew straying out of their lane for the only DQ of the regatta. That resulted in a late re-race for the men, which meant a back to back for a couple of our paddlers and impacted on the mixed crew (in the very next race). Given that the sprints were a fun extra, and weren't a focus for the club, the tensions were...unfortunate.

The week ended with the Round Raro Relay Race, where crews of 9 take turns to jump in and out of their canoes and chase boats to complete the 32km circumnavigation. The men had been training hard for this event and had a race manager, Mena, from Rarotonga lined up for their chase boat. Mena asked me onto the chase boat to help with drink bottles and crew changes, which unfortunately turned me into an instant tall poppy ready to be mown down. Despite that, Mena and I worked well together and the crew went well for the first part of the race.

For the last half of the race the conditions on the eastern side of the island were sloppier, and fatigue started to set in, resulting in a near capsize ('huli', below). 20 minutes later, just after passing Pacific Resort Rarotonga, the canoe did capsize, and we had to watch 3 crews go past before recovering. At that point, Michael had gotten into the chase boat and suffered from severe cramps. Just as I was about to call in the safety boat the cramps started to ease and feeling returned to his face and hands (!)

But the week wasn't all about paddling. we managed to get some family time in too (and Michael had to work one day of course). We took advantage of the rare occasion of having 3 adults available and arranged a Quad Biking adventure into the inland mountains. With Nana paired with Bailey, Sienna with Jen and Michael with Jamie, the adults had their work cut out. Acting more like mudguards than drivers, we raced up rocky trails, across swollen streams and through huge puddles of muddy water. It was an impressive ride from Lorraine and Jen bearing in mind the state of their shoulders, wrists and bones.



It was nice to be away, but good to get home. And despite training so hard for the paddling, somehow we ar eboth glad it's all over ... on to the next adventure 2011.

15 minutes of fame....

About 3 months ago Pacific Resort was lucky enough to host the crew from Maori TV’s Hunting Aotearoa program. The crew were in the Cooks to visit Aitutaki, Raro and Atiu to film a couple of episodes for the program. I did an interview with the surprisingly charming Howie Morrison Jnr which lead the episode on Aitutaki (episode 26 just screened). The crew had a blast, saying it was one of the best trips they’d ever had.

They hooked up with some local characters including the hilarious Peckham Maoate who took them spear fishing for eel, coconut crabbing and CHICKEN TRAPPING – yes a bizarre Aitutaki sport where you put an onion on the end of a very long pole with a noose attached and then try to snare the sleeping chicken 15 ft up in a tree!! Even more bizarrely on Raro the crew went shooting for Fruit Bats, which Howie actually eats bbq’d !!! Taste’s like pigeon apparently.

There’s been lots to tell and I know many people will have already heard the news. I was delighted to get an early morning text to tell me that I had won the South Pacific General Manager of the Year Award at the HM Awards in Sydney. The HM Awards are the premium awards for hospitality and Accommodation excellence in Australia, NZ and South Pacific.

There were as record 1300 nominations for the 35 awards, which were presented at a dinner for 500 in Sydney, with Ray Martin as host. Sadly I couldn’t be there but one of my colleagues accepted the award for me. Sounds like he was almost as excited as I was, with the table of industry folk he was sitting at offering a huge cheer when my name came up.

It is a delightful to be recognized in this way. My fellow GM in Sydney Marcus Tait suggesting this adds 10 – 15% my future salary – now that’s the money!!

Jen and I got the chance to celebrate in advance when on the night prior pacific resort hosted a wine dinner in conjunction with our always friends from Pernod Ricard to showcase their Jacob’s Creek Reserve wines. Chef James designed an exceptional five course dinner and with matching wines I don’t think Aitutaki had seen anything like this for a while.

The Toa Moana Masters Vaka crew helped the dinner numbers by booking the largest table, which coincided with the departure of the women’s #1 stroke, Tanya back to NZ. As if any excuses was needed this meant much excellent St Hugo’s and Steingarten wines were consumed but the killer stroke was the whiskey with Pernod Riacrd supplying bottles of Chivas Regal, Jamesons and The Glenlivet 12 year old to go with coffee…with the expected result.

It was quite a week as the day after that was Michael’s Birthday. The family took an extra day off to get on the lagoon in a much anticipated cruise with Lawton on the Glass Bottom Boat (funnily enough it’s actually the old one from Goat Island). The weather was great and Lawton gave us a wonderful tour both in and out of the lagoon (a first for the kids). The glass bottom gives a great perspective, snorkeling without getting wet…and lunch was a feast with a wonderfully genuine flavour. Big Thumbs up for Uncle Lawton – highly recommended.

Jenni’s month has been all about the school library, with her new designation as Librarian. Jen’s been imprisoned in the stifling heat of the new school library several hours a day sorting, labeling, counting, censoring (no books with dragons allowed at the Seventh Day Adventist school) and getting to grips with the idiosyncrasies of the Dewey Decimal system. My favourite report has been the Bible filled by Author under ‘G’…for God. But the reports are all positive, with our donated mats coming into good use when some kids ACTUALLY CAME INTO THE LIBRARY OF THEIR OWN ACCORD TO SIT AND READ SOME BOOKS – a breakthrough!!

She’s a star that Jen.

So that’s September – Part 1…with Jamie’s birthday on the horizon September Part 2 will surely feature a cake of some sort…standby til then.

School Books for Aitutaki

We are delighted to report that the books and computer that were so generously donated by many old friends, family and new friends for the Teka'aroa SDA School in Aitutaki have been received by the school with many, many thanks.

The shipment, which had been put together by the Manns and Shakmanns in Warkworth, then delivered to East Tamaki, was finally landed on the last day of Term 1. As soon as school resumed, we delivered 12 boxes of library books and an Apple computer (from Milford Baptist Kindergarten) to the school in their temporary home, "The Shed".

The children were delighted to help open the boxes and look through the books, as 90 percent of their books were lost when the library and other buildings were flattened during Cyclone Pat in February. They are already checking books out of their library for home reading, which is delightful to see - their own toys and books having been largely destroyed.

We made a presentation to the school board, who were touched and greatful for everyones generosity. They are very thankful and quite delighted. The books are an incredible resource for our students, and the computer was in use the day after it was received!

We are particularly proud of the role that the children played in raising awareness and funds for Aitutaki. The SDA teachers are currently discussing the best use for the $530 that was raised by Sherwood Primary School after Chloe Mann (our neice) put a proposal to her principal for a mufti day and coin trail. Felix Tucker (Sienna's God-Cousin) at Red Beach Primary School also made an amazing contribution with books that he collected. It was delightful to see our old school Warkworth Primary being so generous with the books they had taken out of circulation from their library.

Thanks to the following for donations of books and assistance:
• The Shah Family
• The Tucker Family
• The Mann Family (Snr)
• The Mann Family (Jnr)
• The Shackleton-Mann Family
• Pacific Resort Aitutaki
• Warkworth Primary School
• Sherwood Primary School
• Milford Baptist Kindergarten
There were many others who donated books as well.

Meitaki Atupaki - Thank you very much
Kia Manuia - Good luck & live well

Crazy Beautiful

Aitutaki is crazy beautiful, and crazy and beautiful, and sometimes both at the same time.

School holidays have started, though it feels like our kids have been on holiday since November! So it is home school (The Correspondence School) for them every morning, and some old fashioned '3 R's'.

While the house isn't being a school, it is a vet clinic. There are volunteer vets on Rarotonga that come to Aitutaki a few time a year predominately to desex local domestic and wild cats. They needed somewhere to do it so we volunteered our front deck! Things happened at relatively short notice, so the usual practice of putting out humane cat traps to collect some of the wild cat population didn't happen, but we still got through 15 desexing operations and a couple of examinations.

All they needed was a table, some water and a sheltered spot. Then the cats were put in a sack and anethatised via injection. Once they had three or four boys 'asleep' they lined them up on our outside table and 10 minutes later there were two tiny testicles in the bin! It was quite briskly done and not without a little sympathy, but we had to giggle at the little boys all lined up on a towel sleeping off their anesthetic.

Our Gorgeous Georgie was first up, and spent the rest of the day staggering about drunkenly and sleeping. Unfortunately Fantastic Freddie has not come home, and has either gone wild or more likely been 'adopted' by another family as he was quite pretty and very loving. I did have a moment of hope as one local came up our steps with a cat that could have been Freddie's identical twin. Unfortunately she was quite certain that they had had the cat for quite a while and I was quite disappointed. Once the vets had left, with Georgie's bits in a bag, my young lad came home with a girl-friend. We call her 'Fraidy-Cat' or 'Scaredy-Cat' as she is happy to frollic with George on the deck and eat the food, but human contact is not permitted!

In the last week of term there is always a primary school inter-sports day at the high school. Term 1 is always volleyball. The kids love volleyball. The SDA school is not known for its sporting excellence, and not actually having a school made little difference. It was a lovely morning, much more relaxed than it often is, with everyone just happy to have a go without getting too worried by results and number of kids on teams.

Sienna filled in with the Grade (Year) 1&2 girls and was full of competitive attitude. Jamie was in the Grade 1&2 boys team (though he felt he really belonged in 'his' Grade 5&6 class) and had a great time running about the place. I 'coached' Bailey's Grade 3&4 boys and we had a great victory in one of the games - it was so cool to see how proud the boys were. It was a very hot day with barely a cloud in the sky. Lots of mama's had cooked food to sell at lunch time and workers from around the island rolled up to share lunch too.

We finished with a staff match that I was invited to join which was really good fun. I haven't done anything remotely contact since my rheumy Arthur-itis friend came to visit 4 years ago, and I had forgotten how much fun it is to be active in a team. Did I mention that it was hot? Nanny Tav played with me too and it was a jolly good time.

Speaking a sports and jolly good times, the rugby league has been a bit of a Friday night feature in the last month. The Aitutaki Sharks have had 3 home games in a row and are within sniffing distance of the semi finals. So nearly everyone on the island that isn't working can be found at the Vaepae field with a chilly bin, a mat or a chair (especially if you travel by bike) and an opinion, cheering on the Sharks. It has been great fun and certainly the easiest way to announce we are back on the island. The boy were still in Australia mode, hanging around not wanting to stray too far. Then they hooked up with their friends and we didn't see them until the game was finished.

Another item for the happy-happy-joy-joy list was finding an excellent dentist in Rarotonga. An 'Aitutaki installed' filling fell out of Sienna's mouth a few days after we arrived back in Aitutaki (isn't that just the way?!) and half of her tooth had just crumbled away. It was well beyond the local 'dentist' at the hospital so we booked into the only private dentist in Raro and Sienna and I flew across for the day. Well, it turns out he is the son of our old neighbour Mama Nicholas and he was brilliant. He excavated and rebuilt Sienna's dead tooth and ground down a high filling for me and $80 later 'bob's your uncle'. It was the best and cheapest dentist visit I have ever had, not including the $600 worth of airfares...

Shah Road Trip - Aitutaki

Home at last. Having paused in Rarotonga for a few days to just sit and do nothing (except a bit of grocery shopping) we flew to Aitutaki. We watched the sun setting the clouds on fire in the west at the same time as the full, pink moon arose from the east. Then suddenly the lagoon was there, and the island, and the runway. And the rain. That wasn't quite in the script... So we ran through the rain to the terminal, only to get equally drenched within the terminal building. Noone has fixed that roof yet. Jen and the kids took the resort car home and Michael followed in the truck with our (now) 16 bags and boxes. 30 seconds after walking in the door the kids have the lid off the lego box and are into it. It was dark, and we had no idea what time it really was, let alone what time we felt it was, so off to bed and a bit of a sleep in the next morning, the last of our holiday.

Michael hid out at home for the day - time enough for work to start on wednesday (which was not the belief of the Raro team who seem to think that combining holidays and work meetings is quite acceptable). We were reunited with big cat Georgie who is quite pleased to see us home. Freddie is AWOL, out on the prowl, but he pops into the resort each night (at dinner time) to say Hi to everyone. Both cats have been nicknamed Michael and Jenni as they have been accompanying security on their rounds, checking out reception and generally making sure things run smoothly. Next time we catch Freddie, both cats will be on the plane to Raro for the big SNIP! That should keep the lads closer to home.

Today, Thursday, is the second day for the boys back at school. The SDA school is currently located in a large packing shed at someones house, with years 2-6 in together (40 kids) down one side and lunch tables and library (with salvaged books) down the other side. The 'School-in-a-box' resources from UNICEF are being put to good use, and the Red Cross Breakfasts in Schools is just finishing. The boys were pleased to be back and the kids at school were pleased to see them. Another warm Aitutaki welcome for The Shahs. The Year 1, new entrant and preschool kids (another 40) are in the home of the principal in her lounge room and tarp covered porch, again with resources recovered from the rubble, plus UNICEF stationery and photocopied books.

Everyone seems to be in good spirits, but there is a lot of frustration on the island with the slow speed of the rebuilding. We all know that nothing happens quickly up here, but 6 weeks before roof repairs start is such a long time. The immediate cleanup is finished, with damaged buildings cleared out, but there are still some piles of timber and roofing iron beside houses, and the broken branches are similarly heaped around the place. Those that are able have returned to maintaining their perfect lawns (a Serious Responsibility on Aitutaki) but many of those lawns have big white marquee style tents with overflow beds and belongings from extended families living together. On the plus side, the trees have greened up and the land looks healthy, if a little bare in places where the big trees used to be. A few pawpaws are about the place and flowers are blooming in pockets around the place, and people still have a wave to share as we pass each other on the road. It is nice to be home.

2 Weeks After Pat

A week away from Aitutaki and now when I think of the island I picture blue waters and whi

te sands, not sadness and destruction. It is difficult not to feel guilty that we have been able to escape the hardships on the island, but it is lovely to be in New Zealand with family and friends .

As the children and I left Rarotonga we saw the NZ Airforce Hercules land. It did half-a-dozen trips between Raro and Aitutaki carrying bob-cats, tents, water units and all sorts of things that were needed during the 5 days it took to arrive. To be fair, I understand that the plane had been waiting on standby in NZ all that time, waiting for a request for assistance from the Cook Islands. After waiting for 3 days without any indication when aid would arrive (while goverment officials did assessments) the tourism operators drafted a letter requesting specific requirements for assistance for the island. When that was hand delivered from Aitutaki to the NZ High Commission in Raro, it was devastating to be told that it was the first actual request for aid.

News from Aitutaki at the end of week 2 is that the kid's school has been condemmed, which is very sad. Classes are being held in the homes of two teachers, though I don't know what resources they might be using as it didn't look like much survived in the classrooms. There are tents appearing in gardens but power supply is still a major issue. Excellent news - the Aitutaki Game Fishing Club has re-opened and a big night is planned for tonight (Wed) which will coincide with Michael's farewell! All of the resorts have reopened, and I took 6 kids out on the lagoon with Bishops Cruises the day before we left and was amazed to see how well everything survived on the lagoon and One Foot Island. On the down side, the island had run out of petrol due to the number of generators being run - the ship should be arriving any time now with new supplies.

It was good to see that NZ has not forgotten us - there was a good item on Aitutaki on TV ONE news tonight. Unfortunately we heard from Mayor Tango that the island is still waiting for a committment from the Cook Islands government on money for rebuilding - and absolute outrage.

One last pic - Sunset the night after Pat left.

Cyclone Pat is a Very Nasty Lady

7am, 2.5 hours after the eye has passed at Rapae Bay, Amuri Village

The bar at Pacific Resort Aitutaki (under the sand is stairs and paving!)

(L) Amuri Village destruction; (R) Neibaa store in Vaepae Village

(L) Presbyterian Church in Vaepae; (R) Teka'aroa SDA School

Teka'aroa SDA School

A quick installment from poor old Aitutaki. First and foremost we are safe and sound, the house and resort are structurally sound and most importantly no lives were lost. Once you have looked at the total devastation around our beautiful island you can appreciate that last statement with wonder and awe. We were lucky enough to be in one of the safest positions on the island. We were exposed to all of the Southerlies before the eye, but protected from the early Easterlies and the North winds after the eye passed. Additionally we are connected to the resort generator so didn’t lose the light or power and until 2am when the internet went out, we were able to keep and eye on updates and the wind strength at the airport. Incidentally, when we lost our connection at 2am, the top gust was 70 knot, and that was 2 hours before the eye moved over the island (between 4.00am and 4.45am).

Michael was at the resort between 1am and 4am as trees fell all around - he ended the day on Wednesday night having works 38 hours straight. The kids and I were in our bed, with the lights on and audio books playing – loudly. The sound of the wind, even with everything shut up, was incredibly loud. It was like standing beside a railway while a freight train screams past, except that it didn’t stop for 9 hours. The amount of adrenaline going through my body for such a prolonged period made me feel sick. Gusts got stronger and stronger, and literally slammed against the side of the house. Palm tree leaves filled the stairway and I literally watched out the window as a hot water heater flew off the neighboring roof. Daylight revealed three trees that had fallen away from the house, mattresses floating in the tide and a view out of the property towards the village that didn’t exist before. The little pool managed to catch 2 boogie boards in it – the third could be anywhere.

It was bad enough seeing the mess at the resort, where nearly all the big trees have fallen or had branches ripped off, blocking all paths and entry to several rooms. Venturing around the island is heart breaking. The kid’s school, Teka'aroa SDA, doesn’t exist anymore. ‘My’ preschool classroom consists of a blackboard on the end wall, upon which someone has written ‘God Is Great’. The library, and 3 classes, plus the admin office with all computers etc have been flattened. Bailey’s class block of 3 rooms is standing but the roof is in the banana plantation across the road. The college has lost several class rooms and the roof to many other classes. I had to cry. The houses constructed out of coral concrete, which is a lot of the old family homes, have lost walls and roofs. Fibro houses have had mixed fortunes, mostly bad. Concrete houses have done well, and western style houses the best. Power lines and phone lines lie all over the roads. There are some places with underground power supplies which have been reconnected, but issues with drinking water and food safety affect almost everyone and majority of the island is in darkness.

While people were emerging with smiles yesterday morning, today the enormity of the task ahead has robbed the smiles from many faces. Where do we start seems to be a common thought, and what outsiders may not realize is that it isn’t simply a task of rebuilding – there are no building supplies on the island and no skilled staff. There is no money to replace homes that have been built by and lived in for generations. Trees are down everywhere – I heard an estimate of 18mths before any new coconuts can be harvested, which is a major issue for feeding people and stock (many pigs survive on coconut flesh). Many family plantations have huge damage, fruit trees have been stripped or felled.

Regular flights have returned today. The resort is accepting guests. The resort cleanup should be mostly done within a week or two, by which time we will have earned our holiday. I can only hope the Aitutaki spirit will remain undaunted, and the easy option of just leaving will not be too high in people’s minds. The lagoon looks lovely today.

Kia Manuia

January & Cyclone Nisha

I have just looked at the calendar and suddenly there are only 3 weeks left before the kids and I fly out to Auckland. Michael and the boys have just had a week in Rarotonga, while Sienna and I stayed home in the peace and had our nails done. Our first split holiday was a bit odd, but the boys had great time with their Dad and I had a quiet time with my daughter. Also in January was a trip to One Foot Island, which started out fine and sunny and ended up soaked to the skin, swimming in the torrential rain.

Tupuna’s Café sponsored a kids fishing competition at the Game Fishing Club, and we took our home-made poles to the harbour and spent the morning in the sun pulling in tiny fish. We all had a great time, with Bailey catching 5, Jamie 3 and Sienna 2 fish. None larger than 200g! We thought Jamie might get a prize for his 25g rock cod, but there was a last minute weigh-in at 60g! There was a great turnout with 40 kids strip-mining the seas – it would have looked lovely to the passengers of the cruise ship that had stopped by for the day.

The Christmas holidays are over thankfully, though when I dropped the boys at school on Monday I found that the pre-school teacher was still in NZ and there was no reliever… except me! So now I have a class of 18-20 3 and 4 year olds from 8.00-10.30am. It is exhausting, but not too bad! I have only put my hand up for a week though – I am not completely insane.

We have had some very hot days this year. The temperature on the deck was 38 on one day, and the air-conditioner has been getting a good work out. The reciprocal side of that is now it is wet, and warm sea temperatures mean that Tropical Cyclone Nisha is floating about between the Cook Islands and Samoa. The predicted track brings it close to our shores (like, right over our heads maybe Saturday afternoon), and may be a category 3 by then, which means winds 80-100knots. Of course one thing you can say about cyclones is that they are not always predictable, so both the track and intensity could change (for better or worse) or die away completely. NB: Aitutaki is due north of Rarotonga at approx. 159W 19S. In the mean time, the island emergency plan has been activated, (which at this stage means the police are notifying everyone) and it is time to check on candles and torches and things. Our own situation is quite good – we have a very well constructed house, are well elevated above sea level, and are connected to the emergency generator and water supply from the resort. So we shouldn’t need to evacuate to a community hall but can sit back and have a ring-side seat as we watch things fly.

In the meantime, take a look at yet another beautiful Aitutaki sunset from last week.

A Deserted Island Paradise...and some Fishing Action

We have had an exciting two weeks in busy Aitutaki. We spent three nights on the motu (small, uninhabited island), attended the school prize-giving and sponsored a game-fishing competition.

Maina

Our trip to Maina Motu was incredible. Maina is on the south-west corner of the lagoon and is everything you want on a deserted tropical island - white sand, warm waters, native birds, no mossies, lots of hermit crabs, and LOTS of sun. We had the use of a friend's beach hut, but slept outside on the second night and cooked over the fire. Quentin (Snr & Jnr) from Wet & Wild took us out on Sunday morning, and deposited us in the sand, and that is pretty much where we stayed. Our days consisted of lying on the mat under the trees on the beach, reading books and waiting for the sun to move across the sky, whereby we would pop up, move the mat and go for another swim. Heavenly - no cars, no TV, no phones. Just the peace was relaxing with the blues and whites and the stars at night.

In the evening we gathered wood and coconuts, lit the fire, cooked dinner & toasted marshmallows, then lay back to watch Jupiter set, the satellites pass and the stars shoot. Our night on the beach was a little chilly due to a fresh breeze, but we would have all made it through to sunrise if not for a 4am shower of rain! Never mind. It was the most relaxing sleeplessness I have ever experienced! Tuesday afternoon rolled around and we said "Ka kite a kone Maina" and heading home to much appreciated fresh water and soft beds.

Prize Giving

The following day was the school parents day, which we didn't quite understand but we thought we would just roll up to school and find out about it in the morning. The boys were dressed and in the car when the principal rode up and gave us the English language newsletter that said there was no school today and the Parents day/prizegiving/reports/parent-teacher thingee started at 2pm. Crazy place!

So at 2pm we arrived for the Tekaaroa SDA School Prizegiving which had lovely flowers, lovely singing (yes even from our boys) and 2 hours on small chairs... Bailey received a Certificate of Academic Achievement in Maths, Oral English, Reading English and Physical Education, plus the Academic Excellence in Reading and Academic Excellence in Numeracy awards for Grade 3.

Jamie received a Special Award for being a Great Explorer in School, which was signed by ALL the teachers as Jamie doesn’t like to confine himself to one class, but flits in and out of all of them. It was a very funny and quite appropriate solution to the problem of assessing a child who never appears in a classroom long enough to observe!

It was really nice that the school made a special effort to give some speeches in English, and the Chairman of the school board translated the Maori for us. Michael and I were unexpectedly called up to present some of the certificates which was also nice.

Fishing Competition

L: Michael and his 8kg Yellow Fin Tuna on the Mary J. R: Weigh-in time, with the kids and the Aitutaki Game Fishing Club in the background.

To finish off the week Pacific Resort Aitutaki sponsored a tournament at the Aitutaki Game Fishing Club. Michael had to be at the wharf by 4.00am to get out to the good off shore spot by sunrise but the fishing was worth it. His boat pulled in 6 tuna - Michael's weighed in at 8kg, which paled next to the comp winner with a 22.5kg tuna. It was a fun night at the fishing club with all the locals were there, and all five of us, plus a few others, had special tournament shirts. I took the kids home for Viriama to look after and settled in for a very good night.