Hell Hole of the Pacific

What? Russell, New Zealand?  This peaceful little town with its neat mowed lawns, shade draped streets and gentle people is the Hell Hole of the Pacific? 

Well, it is if you believe the enactors from a century or so ago.  The local people dress up as town officials, temperance workers, sailors, strumpets, gamblers and drunks.  The town crier announces the next scene and everyone moves to watch the story unfold. A town council is elected, temperance workers carry sign decrying Demon Rum, ladies of the night drape themselves over interested sailors (or others) and the story goes on.  In one scene the town high hatted official has a duel with the town drunk, but only wounds him.  A young woman corners a couple of stranger and tells how she came to this town with her whale ship captain husband, but he died leaving her with 3 small children.  How is a poor girl to support her family?

All this takes place along the street fronting the harbor while families stroll along with their dogs and other families sitting by the beach or wade in the sandy surf.  There are historic buildings and a huge fig tree which local historical society members will gladly explain to you.  We strolled along some of the streets away from the water in search of the church.  Instead, we found the Russell Bowling Club where a tournament was taking place.  When we stopped to watch, one of the members invited us to come in and sit in the shade.  Lawn bowling involves rolling a small ball down the grass for a distance of about 50 yards.  Then the two teams take turn rolling balls slightly larger than softballs to try to get as close to the little white ball as possible.  These balls have a weight off-center in the center so that when they are rolled, they go on a curved line.  The trick is to somehow control that curve to avoid other balls and get close to the white ball or to hit your opponents ball if it is too close to the target.  A woman who spends 6 months in Colorado and six months in Russell explained the game to us.

We finally found the church and its cemetery, where anther historical volunteer was explaining the history.  Inside the church, all the pews had small needle-pointed cushions.  A book in the narthex explained each cushion and told which local lady did the needlepoint.

The Fiji Village, A way of Life

Our travels have taken us to 3 different "native" villages, all very different.  I Panama, the village we visited has chosen to live in the traditional way.  They dress as their parents and grandparents dressed, their houses were unchanged over the last hundred years,and their lifestyle was only slightly changed by the coming of the 21st century  They did send their children to modern schools and seldom traveled outside the village, living, mainly off the land. Visitors were treated respectfully, but these were
intruders to their way of life.  When we left, I felt that life for them would go on as it had for centuries.

The people we saw in Tonga were giving us a presentation of the old ways of living, including us in ceremonies that are centuries old, but not a part of their current life.  The fashion show featured traditional clothing for special occasions, but I do not think that this is their everyday dress.  When they were not performing for tourists I felt that they would return to everyday life and go down to the mall for some shopping.  In the downtown mall, men did wear the "sula with pocket," a wrap around skirt of plain dark blue material with a flowered shirt, but we saw all sorts of modern dress for women and the stores featured many of the same styles you would find in Minnesota or Florida.

Figi was different.  We drove half way across the island passing through agricultural land and into low mountains.  The houses looked small and poor, but still "modern."  There were no grass huts or animals roaming the streets.  Occasionally there would be a grouping of houses which our guide called a village, but there was no explanation of anything special about the area.

We were welcomed with the traditional cava ceremony and a fashion show of ancient and modern dress.

Chief's dress

Woman's dress

Cava is offered to a Chief" from each bus

After this, we were turned over to the local women.  Nansi walked us through the village, pointing out the houses where various people live. 

House of the village Chief

The was real life, not an act put on for our benefit.  Her husband is employed by the elementary school, as a groundskeeper, I think.  Today was her daughter's first day of kindergarten.  She took us into her church and proudly talked about how the village had raised money so all the children could have Bibles when they came to church (Methodist.)

She was eager to point out that she had both a washer and a drier in the yard behind her house.  Her mother lived a few houses away.  Doors are never locked and if you run out of something like sugar or eggs, you just borrowed from a neighbor.  If her daughter wanted ice cream for dessert, she simply told her that they did not have money for ice cream that day, but there were plenty of papayas and bananas.  Most of the people in the village are related.  The village was not isolated from modern civilization.  The band which welcomed us had electric guitars and amps. They choose to lead a simple life even though a more modern way of life is available in the big city, Suva, and its suburbs.  Not all Fijians choose to live this way, but for those who do, it is a content existence.  I could feel the content and joy of living in this village   The women had made necklaces of local flowers for each of us.   They also had woven fans and mats to sell as well as the usual jewelry and souvenirs.

Children are loved and welcomed by all. 

Beat the Drums for Tonga

Our colorful welcome party

As seems to be usual on the South Pacific Islands, we were met by the friendly natives.
.

                                                                                                                                                                Our tour was called "Tonga Traditions" so our first stop was at a native house to be formally welcomed to the island.  This involves the "Cava Ceremony" where a drink is made by grinding various weeds with water amid proper calls, gestures and hand claps.  All who participated were offered a drink of the cava served in a half coconut shell.  It did not have much of a taste, but it was fun to participate.  Then the men and women danced and played the drums

The men of Tonga know how to bat the drums and both men and women know how to dance!

The traditional dress of the island is a wrapping of tapa cloth which is made by peeling out the inner bark of a mulberry tree.  This is then pounded to about 4 times its original width.  several strips are glued together to make a stiff "cloth " which is then painted. 

 We were treated to a fashion show and told the occasion on which each dress would be worn.

Some of the tapa was embroidered.

A large piece of tapa cloth

We had a taste of chicken and taro which had been baked in an underground oven.  They also provided a piece of tapioca root for us to taste. 

The rest of the tour consisted of a drive around the island to see the local sights.

Where Did It Go?

Today is Monday, January 22.  Yesterday was Saturday, January 20.  What happened to Sunday?  I should have been forewarned when we had a church service on Saturday.  What happens if you have a birthday on January 21?  Do you not get older this year?

Oh, yes, that's right.  We crossed the International Date Line.  I didn't even feel a bump when we crossed it, but they changed all the calendars anyway.

I shall mourn for the lost day, but they promised to give it back to us, one hour at a time.

Bora Bora - Gem of the South Pacific

Bora Bora more than made up for Tahiti.  The island is ringed by coral reefs with waves crashing over them into the shallow water which surrounds the island.  Our ship anchored in the harbor so we had a short tender ride to the town.  A 4 piece band was on shore greeting us with island music and the welcoming people gave us flowers (actually buds) as a welcome gift.  Darrell took "leTruck" for a drive around the island while I went on a "Shark and Stingray Safari."

The welcoming committee

 I think I got the better deal, but he enjoyed the ride.  The best way to see the island is from the sea where you can really see the different colored waters.  The shallow areas are a pale turquoise fading to deep blue where it is deeper.

The Captain.  Tattoos are a local tradition.

Our small boat took about a dozen of us on a tour to see some of the resorts and houses before we got to the shallow water.  As we approached the area where the water was about 4 feet deep, we began to see stingrays swimming around and under our boat.  All you could see was a dark shape about 3 feet across gliding under the water.

Reef shark

The stingrays loved our captain.

 The captain dropped anchor so we could all go in and wait for the fish to come.  And they did come!  In addition to the stingrays there were reef sharks, blue pilot fish, yellow and white angelfish shaped fish, iridescent blue fish about 3 inches long and a few other kinds.  The captain was feeding them, so the fish were all around us.  You could pet the rays, but we were cautioned not to pet the bottom side.  The fish might think your fingers were food.  They do not bite, but suck up the food and can give you a nice "hickie" if they latch onto you.








The stingrays were amazingly soft, except for a rougher area around the edges and down the middle of their backs. The body was 2-3 feet long with a 2 foot "tail."  As they swam, it was as if they were flying through the water by flapping their wings.

How's this for a houseboat?

This outrigger canoe had a big motor.

At this resort, you were really on the water.

               We had company on the water.

One of the colorful fish.

Next we moved to an area over a coral reef for snorkeling.

All those dark shapes in the water around me are stingrays!

We sailed off into the sunset with fond memories of this south sea paradise.

Tahiti? Ho Hum

I was not impressed with Tahiti.  When you take a tour, one of the most important things is the guide.  I now understand that our guide had to get back to the ship to lead another tour, but she essentially finished our 2 hour tour with half an hour left.  We walked past landmarks with the admonition to come back later if you want because we do not have time to stop.  Other tour groups actually went into the cathedral and got an explanation of the interior, for example.

The market had fish, fruit and local items.

 The part of Papeete which we saw was the typical mix of local businesses, tourist shops and buildings not too well kept.  The language was French rather than Jamaican, but the feel was about the same.  One of our friends stopped at a cafe which had Wi-fi, but he had to order a meal in order to use it.  His Coke and small burger cost over $10.

People who took tours out of the city said that the scenery was very nice.  Maybe we are spoiled, but this is not  place I would consider for another visit.

There were 2 highlights to this stop.  We were docked next to a ship full of yachts.  If you wish to sail around the South Pacific Islands, but do not want the tedious days of crossing the Pacific or going around Africa or if your yacht does not have the fuel capacity for such a long voyage, you have your Captain take your yacht to "Yacht Express."

This large ship with an open stern lowers itself in the water until the open area  has enough depth of water to float your yacht, and you motor on in.  The large ship then magically rises up until the water drains and your yacht is high and dry.  The crew fastens down your yacht and your Captain retires to guest quarters for the voyage to Tahiti. You, meanwhile, relax for a couple of weeks until it is time to reclaim your yacht in Tahiti.



The other highlight was the evening entertainment, O Tahiti E, a local dance group.

If the pictures seem a bit blurred, it is because the dancers were moving too fast for the camera to catch them.  I have video, but I do not know how to up load it, since it is over ten times as big as the smallest photo.  The dancers were excellent and so well received that they cancelled out of their afternoon jobs to return to the ship for a repeat performance before we departed. This way those who could not attend the previous evening show due to crowding could see the dancing live. The second performance was not standing room only but was very very well attended.

Island Paradise

The South Pacific islands have a reputation for tranquility and beauty.  We visited out first today, the town of New Haku, Island of Taiohae, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.  As we approached the island, I wondered how anyone could live on this mass of brown rock.  We are here in the dry season, so a lot of the lower altitude vegetation looks brown from the distance.

However, when you are closer and especially at higher elevations, the real beauty shows up.  Green mountains, black sand beaches  and coconut plantations blend to make a relaxing scene.

 

It is not only the land that is beautiful.  We were met with local dancers and drummers.  Our driver told us all about his country, showed us his home and shared pictures of his wife, his 2 year old daughter and his 2 horses.

Tattoos are common.

Part of our welcoming party.

This child was enchanted by a passenger's cane.

Our driver had a necklace make of the teeth of wild pigs he had hunter

We boarded pickup trucks (a convoy of 17 trucks) and rode a few blocks to the cathedral.  The Marquesas, unlike much of the area, are Roman Catholic.  Their churches reflect this religion and incorporate local traditions and customs.  The building is made of local stone, using many red stones, since red is considered to be a sacred color.

Altar area with local carvings.

The Marquases cross combines a Christian
 cross with local symbols.

The road with many switchbacks took us part way up the island for a view on our ship anchored below.  

Most sacred sites from the time before western explorers arrived are deep in the mountains and jungles.  This is where the people lived to avoid invading peoples.  Since these are generally inaccessible to tourist and locals alike, they have constructed a model of one of these sites.  Complete with "tikis."  A tiki is a stature or carved face to represent a power protecting the people.  Most are very obviously male, but once in a while there will be a female as a goddess of fertility.  All of these have large eyes to see danger approaching.

This brings me back to my original question.  How do these people live?  They are modern people.  They have wi-fi and cell phones.  There is a hospital on the island.  Their children go to school either public or Catholic.  For high school they may have to go to boarding school on one of the larger islands in French Polynesia. It would be possible to live on the island without outside support, but most people do not.  The land is fertile enough to grow what is needed to eat, to construct dwellings and there is game to uimt and oceans to fish.  However, if you want electricity and trucks, you need fuel Which is imported.  Tourism provides employment but there are the usual support and governmebnt jobs which would exist without tourists.  Our driver has lived on the island all his life in one of the smaller villages (about 300 people) and drives for tourists a day or 2 a week.  The rest of the time, he takes care of their 2 year old daughter while his wife is employed by the schools.  He loves to hunt and fish and has plenty of time to do that.  There are many coconut farmers.  The coconuts are harvested, bagged and loaded on horses before being split.  The coconut meat is dried and shipped to Tahiti where it is processed to get Coconut oil for food and cosmetics.  It is a relatively simple life, but I am not ready to give up my refrigerator, freezer and washing machine.