Swimming, Snorkeling, Sailing

We have had a regular sort of busy week or so...
Saturday
Bailey and I went to sailing for the first time in a month and Bailey did really well. Jim (the coach/rescue boat driver/gear rigger and repairer/general Jim Friday) didn't give him a chance to hesitate and they went out from the beach to the sand bar - futher than he had been before. Bailey left the beach at the same time as one of the larger cruise boats which didn't cause him concern but made his mother have kittens. He was then sailing to and from the sand bank a dozen times and doing quite well. Jim came back in to pick up a couple of parents in the rescue boat at which point Bailey forgot to tack away to return to the sand bank and kept on going. He then decided that he had better turn around now and jibed - with the result being that the boom donked him on the head and swept him overboard! Of course he had a life jacket on, and the boat didn't go far. We motored over and pulled him out - no damage done but he got a bit of a fright. We went back to the beach and that was that for the day.
Sunday
Dinner at the resort with Stephen and Poppy and two......unusual......travel agents out of the States. Enough said.
Monday
First day on the school 'bus'. The driver wanted to have them in the truck cab but the boys were quite determined to sit in the back. Hurray - one less trip to make with my dwindling fuel.
Tuesday
We received Bailey's correspondence school papers - all two cartons of it! WOW masses of resources for art and maths, two terms worth of booklets and CD's - about 4 hours of work per day! So we started Mummy school on Tuesday. Maths was great and a piece of cake. English was....complex - an activity booklet, spelling, handwriting, creative writing, independent reading, guided reading, shared reading........and I'm sure I have left something out. Technology - Bailey's first choice - very cool 'design your own paper bag'! PE - running and skipping (we haven't got to that yet)! Jamieson was UNIMPRESSED that his brother should get so much one-on-one attention and had the mother of all tantrums. I'm suprised he didn't put a hole in his bedroom door, where he endured a prolonged period of TIME OUT! I will need to find activities for them to do at Mummy School...
Wednesday
Bunked off school and went on the lagoon. We attached ourselves again to a Bishops Cruise and had a lovely time again. Bailey loves snorkeling. Lots of sun and snoozes on the way back to the island. I mean, it's not like the kids will be missing out on anything....
Thursday
...except the notice that said the whole school was going snorkeling on Thursday! So typical - 2 days notice, 2 teachers in the (admittedly very shallow) water, 2 mums on their motor bikes coming to see the Papa'as wife to get togs for her 2 boys who are sitting on the beach while everyone else (50 kids) are in the water. So Sienna and I went along to the beach, 25m along from the resort, and stayed until 12 when we all went home.
Friday
Bliss - Pareau day and a full day (to 1pm) at school for Jamie.
Saturday
Sailing again, and I took all 3 kids. There was a nice king tide and a stiff breeze. Bailey, Jamie and Sienna helped the mums (no dads there) rig the boats and off they went. But Bailey did a leg off the beach and then back and was motoring along at a fair clip when he burst into tears and decided he wasn't having any of it. So he sailed back to mum on the beach and a cuddle. "It was going toooooooooooo faaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssstttt" That's ok, we'll try next week. Most of the older kids weren't there due to a series of vaka (waka/canoe) races. So it turned out that the senior crews were paddling from town to Ootu beach, where we were - some 18km. So we hung about for the crews to arrive which was very cool. There were lots of supporters there, lots of biscuits that Jamie could ask for. My island boy has NO shortage of confidence at all! So the kids swam all morning, a beach full of parents watched, and it was nice.
Sunday
The rain is back for a few days. We were amazed that Sienna slept through the (more gentle) thunderstorm (although I confess to feeling quite nurvous myself and each flash). She is sleeping in the same bed and one or both of the boys and is actually sleeping through the night, which is very nice. Michael went to work of a while, preparing for our time off, and we looked in on the staff village where our house will be built. It is nice and close to the beach and there are two 2-year-olds there for Sienna to play with, so that will be nice, though the house will be much smaller. So it was an easy day - hot chips for lunch, a bit of mummy school (still a novelty) and an early night.
Monday - today
Michael has flown to Raro, we are following this afternoon, and we will be there until Saturday on our first round of remote leave. It will be good to get off 'the rock' for a while. The kids are excited to be going on the plane, and have a 'family holiday with 5 of us'.

BOOM!

Easter school holidays have just finished and this week marks my 3 month anniversary on the island. Of course Sienna, Jamie and Bailey enjoyed their time off school. Jen, B, J & S had a day out on the lagoon on a Bishops Cruise with Poppy. Our good friends Annie and Teina Bishop are off the island but insisted we keep an eye on their pool and their boats. The kids had a great day snorkeling – they have become quit confident now – especially Bailey. The kids were well looked after by ‘Auntie’ Poppy who seems to be channeling Auntie Foofoo. Whenever the boys ask Mummy if they can do something – like jumping off the deck of the cruise boat, Mummy says no, so they sneak to Auntie Poppy who says yes, of course. Onboard the cruise Jen was proud to feel like a local – explaining island life including that the unique transfer option of the open sided truck was actually the school bus.

With an especially busy week at Pacific Resort holiday week wasn’t much different for me as I worked right through Easter weekend. We have been overwhelmed with families to the point where we have run out of rollaway beds!! But having 8 – 10 children and teenagers in the pool definitely it gives the resort a different feel. Remarkably we are the only one of what I consider the top properties on the island that actually welcomes families…come all our friends.

On Sunday Jen and I took the kids for a big walk along the beach around to the Marine Resource Centre. Somehow we ended up doing this in the heat of midday and it was a very slow walk home, that finished in us all walking fully clothed into the cool water of the lagoon outside our house. It was a lovely reminder of actually how beautiful the lagoon, the beach and the fish life are. Sunday night we had dinner with the editor of the Sunday Telegraph and the travel editor of Harpers Bazaar – so standby for some coverage soon.

The week before the school holidays Jenni made a short unplanned visit to Auckland for Bryce’s father’s funeral. A very sad event that gave her the chance to personally share our Shah love to Bryce, Nats and Thornton. The kids were especially excited to meet Mummy at the airport because of the promise of Easter eggs, little did we expect the excess luggage full of muesli bars, biscuits, herbs, spices and any number of missing ingredients.

Thanks to our lovely friends Stephen and Poppy, and nanny Tav we had managed to cope for the week without Jen, and me still working. The first day Jen was away had set my teeth on edge. After dropping Sienna with Poppy and the boys at school for sports day, with the agreement of their teacher to pick them up at 1.00pm I went to work. Only to receive a phone call at 11.00am from one of our other friends, Colette, who was at school with Bailey and Jamie – she was wondering if I knew sports day had just finished and school was done for the day!!! Thankfully Poppy came to the rescue.

Our eventful life on Aitutaki continues…the last few days have seen a slow moving low hang over the island creating fierce tropical downpours, which are hard to describe. Imagine the most intense rain you have ever seen then double it and imagine it for 20 minutes, followed by clear skies, every hour for 6 hours in a row. Last night was the pinnacle. We had some very intense rain, and then the lightning started. Not so bad in itself, but the gaps with the thunder got shorter and shorter. Sienna had of course already found refuge in our bed when there was THE LOUDEST BANG I have ever heard in my life in perfect unison with the brightest flash. I have no doubt that the lighting struck within metres of our house. I leapt out of bed grabbed Sienna and followed Jenni to the boys room, where they were quivering in their bed, just in time to hear/feel/see THE SECOND LOUDEST CRACK I HAVE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE as the lighting struck again….The five of us spent the rest of the night all together in our bed, reading stories with a CD playing trying to ignore the thunder and lighting as it went passed.

Jens Bit...
I can't remember being so scared as I was last night - I'm still jumpy now. Having watched the pilot episodes of LOST! during the evening I had vague, half asleep, terrified thoughts of the 'smoke monster' trying to break in through the roof! Bailey had been talking about vandergraf machines that day and about the cracking noise the static electricity makes. So between the 2nd and 3rd assault on our ears (and nerves) he and I managed to have a semi-rational discussion about how close the lightening must be to be able to hear the crack!! I love my science boy. The lads seem quite fine and not too unnerved tonight (despite the continuing rain) but Sienna won't leave the room without one of us and I don't expect her to be in her own room for a while yet.

On the plus side, my new tomato plants like the extra water and are growing well!

The trip back to NZ was a whirl-wind. I was so glad to be there to support Bryce the rest of the Smart family. I also caught up with the Perry family (who welcomed me into their home at 6am!) and the Tuckers for dinner, plus grandparents and siblings too. It was nice to be back for Chloe's birthday as well. I have to admit that I felt a twinge as I departed the Island, watching the turquois lagoon disappear behind the plane. Flying into Auckland at 5am into the freezing cold (well it was for me) was a bit of a rude shock. I confess I had to borrow jumpers, singlets and socks from Fiona to keep me warm!

And predictably, when I got back the Island had run out of fuel. You just gotta laugh.

Sienna's 3rd Birthday

Our little girl is now 3! I'm afraid that I couldn't quite get my head around a proper party - Saturday's are out for all the Seventh Day Adventist school kids (she would know 3-4 outside school) and Sunday is probably out for most of the rest (not that we know many anyway). So we took our birthday roadshow to the island!

Off to school for Friday in our Kia Orana day mufti wear, and Jamie told everyone in the middle of chappel that it was his sister's birthday. The school sang her 'happy birthday to you' and 'happy long life to you' fininshed off with rousing 'hip-hip-hurray' in English and Maori (I'm not sure what the difference was).

We had opened presents before school - the kids were so excited to receive so many parcels. Thank you for all your gifts of clothes, jewellery, stickers, books, balloons, sand toys and knickers! The boys were quite chuffed to see one or two things for them as well. We had a quick cake cutting with Michael before we took the cake to school for lunch.

Now, you know you are becoming a fixture when one of the kids calls you 'Auntie', as in 'Auntie, school hasn't finished yet' when I picked Bailey up early one day. We are even more of a fixture now we have shared our 'Girl in the Moon' cake amongst every kid in school.

We then took the cake to see Annie, and took a trip through her plantation for bananas, limes, guavas and even a late pineapple. Off home to get the remaning pieces into the fridge - buttercream doesn't last too long in the heat up here! Poppy and Stephen dropped around after school to exchange their piece of cake with lolly cake and a gossip.

We went out to dinner at the Boat Shed where we had a lovely dinner outside (kids off catching crabs) before a rain shower chased us inside. Then home for a video call with Nana and Poppa, and Fiona, Rose and Harrison. We had a very nice day and thank goodness for Skype Video calls that bring everyone much closer to Aitutaki than a phone call does.

xxJen

PS We went to church today and I have been invited by the Mama's on a special girls only outting next Sunday afternoon. You've got to be up for things I suppose, so off I will go. Report to come....pray for me...:-)

It finally happened

As I sit here typing away, licking the chocolate cake mixture from my fingers, the chocolate cake that I made with my cake mixer and measuring cups, that will be decorated using my piping tools and colours... and look at my photos on the wall... and listen to Jamie riding his squeaky bike on the deck... you guessed it.. THE BOAT HAS ARRIVED!!!!!

At the end of last week we heard that the boat was due on Friday, so I ran (strolled quickly) down to the beach while the kids had breakfast and a beautiful sight awaited my - Voyage 115 (as it is known) - hovering outside the reef, cranes unfurled (??) lowering containers onto waiting barges which bring them through the reef and to the 'dock' in Arutanga (town).

Of course it was exciting to think that all our boxes would be arriving, but more exciting for the island was the arrival of the petrol. We ran out of gas 3 days before the boat arrived, though Michael had some in his work vehicle. Using the work car for school pickups is logistically problematic so we did as most of the island did - kept the kids home from school. The roads were very quiet - the only people moving about were those with deisel vehicles. Then at around mid morning, we heard a strange sound - cars! The fuel must have been the first thing off and in short order there were scooters and cars all over the place.

For the past 7-10 days it had felt like the island was slowly contracting, turning inwards and settling down into something akin to survival mode - unneccesary travel was eliminated, people ate what was in their cupboards instead of venturing out to the shops, fewer people were out and about and the ever present toots from passerby's vanished. It felt like the island was taking a bit of a nap. Then the boat arrived like an alarm clock going off and the island awoke and life started buzzing again.

We waited until late Friday to get our fuel, thinking that things would have settled down. Instead we parked ourselves in the queue at the Aquila station. We sat under the trees and shared our grumbles at the tour operator who had rolled up with a truck load of 44 gallon drums to fill, and the van that opened up to reveal half-a-dozen jerry cans. The rest of us in our cars and bikes slowly took our turn to fill up and 45 minutes later drove home with a feeling of freedom.

So for following days we watched people carrying jerry cans of various (illegal in NZ) descriptions on scooters and trucks alike and filling them to take home, either to fill other vehicles or to stash for later on - the later I suspect. It was the closest I have ever come to panic buying. And now a week later the sign outside the Aquila pumps says, predictably, "no containers being filled, limit for cars $20". The big problem with this is that for various, contentious reasons, V116 is not due for another 5 weeks.

The lions share of the blame belongs off the island though. Issue number 1 is that there is only one ship servicing the Cook Islands now - Reef Shipping. Towards the end of last year the second carrier, Pacific Fourm Line, decided that the run wasn't making them any money so they pulled out. The first effect of that was that there wasn't enough capacity and containers got left behind in Auckland. Those containers then started getting taken to Samoa so that the ship had to make longer runs - Auckland-Raro-Aitutaki-Nuie-Samoa-Rarotonga-Auckland.

So now the situation is that any delay during one voyage (such as cyclones Joni and Ken over the last few weeks, or making a diversion to Apia) slides into the schedule for the next voyage, resulting in any supplies that have been ordered to cover the estimated 4 week turnaround of a typical voyage needs to stretch out until the boat actually does arrive. Now because of the time frames involved, it is not as simple as ordering more - often the news of a ship diversion comes too late to order additional stock.

The second issue so far as fuel goes is that the fuel suppliers in NZ and Raro now demand payment in advance of shipping. The businesses here are too small to stump up with $30k plus to ensure adequate fuel supplies, and the more often fuel runs out, the worse the panic buying gets. Things might be improved by major purchasers - resorts and tour operators - paying up front to ensure their supply outside the supply for regular buyers, but it seems that either they are unable or unwilling to tie up their cash in that manor. (Happy to say that Pacific Resort is the exception!)

Woops, jumping off the soap box now!

So our boxes arrived, with suprising efficiency, on Saturday afternoon and the kids are in 7th heaven playing with their toys, I can finally do some baking and there are books to read, medicine cabinets to stock and photos to view. There are still half packed boxes everywhere, and stuff for Africa, but things are a lot more homely now.

xxJen

Mikey's Bit -
Now about work...so I've been at it for 11 weeks and I certainly feel at home at the resort. I like to think that there aren't many things I can't cope with but the odd thing creeps up to suprise me. On the face of it the resort is deservingly worthy of it's many awards and without a doubt guests love the place - the ambience and the setting are amazing. I constantly hear how much more beautiful we are than Taihiti, Fiji and even Hawaii, but it is the very charming and genuine service that guests seem to enjoy. There are a few areas that, after 7 years, are flagged for attention and will be my focus for the next few months. It's a challenge working 6 day a week - yes that's the standard for expats and I am looking forward to my first 3 month off island break.

There is never a dull moment - no matter how hard I try. New menu and wine list are due out in a week or so...I need to remember to take time to smell the roses (hibiscus anyway) but there's always something to make you smile ---

This week at a cocktail party for some travel agents one of the staff offered to pass around the cannabis - that's the small bite sized snacks you have for CANAPES and I was asked to order some more 'snoggles' - those are the tubes you breathe through when you're snorkeling!!!

xxM

This just in

Just in case you were worried, I haven't lost my philosophical outlook, and I'm fairly sure my sense of humour is somewhere close at hand.

Because after all, things are much the same as home, just with a smaller toolbox with which to manage things.

xxJen

PS A boat update - it hasn't even reached Rarotonga yet! I could paddle my vaka faster than that! I better buy a car tomorrow so I can get some gas!

PPS a picture of the kids in their Kia Orana Day (mufti day Friday) wear, featuring Sienna in her new dress, Jamie in his (fake?) tan and Bailey with his missing teeth!

On the price of things....

The price of things can be measured many ways - money, time, aggravation, frustration. Here are a sample of Aitutaki prices:

• Petrol: $2.40 per litre when there is gas on the island; priceless when all the pumps are empty...(add a big aggravation and inconvenience tax on that one)
  
• School Fees: $10 per term (admittedly the school has a few less resources than most NZ schools...)
• School Uniform: $10 per shirt (white, button up), $7 per shorts (khaki) - beats $35 per short sleeve in NZ, in fact I got Bailey's entire uniform for $68!
• Doctors visit: $10 plus 1 hour waiting time.
• Antibiotics: $2 plus 15 minutes for the dispensary to find the change for my $20.
• Milk: $4 per litre UHT or $2.15 powdered (chocolate milk on special $2.50/l).
• Cruskits: $11 plus aggravation levy upon finding they expired 6 months ago and are totally stale.
• Family sized block of Cadbury's: $9 less delight bonus upon finding the last block of Caramello.
• Child with fever not responding to Pamol and no medicine cabinet in the fridge full of other stuff, nor fully stocked chemist down the road: pretty decent level of frustration.
• Being bumped to the front of the queue at the doctors clinic in front of the 10 other locals there just because we are "papa'a": well no cost there yet...and my concience will get over that pretty quickly, besides Sienna's cute factor always gets us something.
• Sleep: More that I can afford, right now hot, sweaty Sienna wakes all night because she feels crappy; before that is was the rain on the roof...
• Missing Marcus and Debs' wedding in Tauranga: pretty darn huge, though there was a slight rebate after chatting with Marcus and seeing the photos and vows. Congratulations guys - we love you!
• Missing yet another wedding in Melbourne with Jo & Fred: aaiiieeeeeeee no wedding invitations in years and then two in the same month when we are miles across the ocean! Have a fantastic time this weekend guys.
• Rain filling up the water tank: free, plus a massive credit for keeping the temperature down.
• Fresh baked sandwich loaf: $4.50 - not much for than Tip Top!
• French stick: $2 - cheaper than the Warkworth Bakehouse!
  
• Cheese Bread: $2.50 at the petrol station and $4 at the Heinekin shop
  
• Power: $50 per week so far......Yikes! And that is without any aircon!
• Custom made pareau (island print) dress for Sienna: $15, plus a bonus for the end of the nag nag nag...
  

So it has been a long week. I have had the flu since last Wednesday - interestingly it has progressed without the Codral/Night & Day as it would have without it, and it is much cheaper! Then Sienna started sleeping in our bed as she is scared of the rain at night and lo-and-behold she comes down with the bot. Except after 1.5 days of low grade fever she started to go downhill, looking quite spaced out and untogether.

So off we went to the hospital where the doctor (some days 2 doctors) have their clinic. (At the same time we were trying to get money together for our car which would hopefully have some gas in it). Into the full waiting room, the nurse takes temperatures (glass mercury thermometer under the arm!) and issues records cards. Our little girl get bumped up the queue (past the German/Austrian with his 8 year old who has had a sore throat for half the day). Into the doctor, same old drill as in NZ (thank heavens I pay attention to these things) and some big lymph glands behind her ears. We didn't get a look in her mouth but went down the antibiotics route anyway. So today, she is still hot and sleepy but has started eating which is nice (and seems happy to sing along to Play School). I think we have a few crabby days ahead, but fingers crossed she'll settle down before the heat starts back up.

xxJen

PS 1MORE DAY UNTIL THE BOAT ARRIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Map of Aitutaki

Yes, yes, you have seen the tourist maps and the hotel maps, but where do you actually live in this place? Where do things happen? Well here is the definitive (until I amend it) map (thanks Google Earth) of The Shah's Aitutaki!
In comparison, Kawau Island in the Hauraki Gulf is 7km by 5km, and Motutapu Island is 7km x 3km. There is a tar sealed road that runs around the island and several unsealed roads that cut across the island. We have only found one that we would honour with the title Wyllie Rd. The roads here are repaired with crushed coral, which is excavated from the lagoon just off the beach. This is actually a great thing for the locals as they get a nice deep swimming hole instead of the shallow 27 degree lagoon at our place. Fortunately there is such a trench a few doors up from our house.

So home for now, at Retire's house (C), is 2km from the Pacific Resort (A), which is 2km from Tekaaroa School (D). In 4 months we will move to the Rapae Village (B) which is the Pacific Resort staff village.

The best shopping is over the island at Neibaa Store (N) (as in 'your friendly neibaa store' - sound it out....) which is run by a Kiribati family. The have the biggest range and the prices are pretty good. Just like a 4 Square really but smaller, darker and more crowded. The Heinekin shop (L) has lots of imported dairy products - essential for growing Shahs - including 1kg yoghurt for $14 (gulp) and big blocks of chocolate for $9 (eek). It is also the icecream shop to stop at after school. There are a lot of variety type stores around including Mango Traders (also at B) which is Auntie Moira's store and who have just finished making a dress for Sienna (more on that later).

Teina and Annie Bishop run Bishops Cruises and their other businesses from their house (E). We visit them several times a week after school to swim in their pool. The kids are becoming experts at 'breaking in' to their banana safe! Stephen and Poppy's Docherty house (F) is near the highest point on the island Maunga Pu. Their deck and (unheated) spa pool have one of the best views on the island. They are currently our lending library (though I need to slow down a bit or will run out of reading material!).

Our two favourite places to visit are the Marine Resource Centre (G), which we can walk to in 45min along the beach, where they breed giant clams and have a rescued turtle. There was also a big stone fish there the other day which was downright scary looking. The sailing club (I) consists of a good beach with a swimming channel and a few shipping containers. The sand bar just off the beach is shallow enough for the kids to stand up, so the sailors have a rest out there when they want to. The church we go to (once a month) is the CICC (Cook Islands Christian Church) in Arutanga. There is a specific section for each village (ours is Amuri) and there are kids everywhere.

So that is our world, complete with roving chickens and pigs - not that much different from Wyllie Rd......

xxJen