BLUE WATER RALLY - NIUE
Tuesday 11TH June - Friday 13th June
(We missed out on Saturday 14th as we crossed the international
dateline) The paradox is that although Niue has one of the most
inhospitable coastlines, no marina and no resident yachts, it does have a yacht
club and probably the most hospitable people we have ever come across. Unforgiving coastline with the reef round the island…… Rocky coastline with no beaches or possible place to land…… Historically the peoples were from Abandoned building And more…….. And more…….. And more……. It is strange but, a little like most of us getting used to the minutia
in our lives needing to be cleaned/mended/changed ‘oneday’, these
happy, smiling Niuens don’t actually seem to see the destruction and
despair around them! I think they have got used to it all – the
ramshackle depressing university buildings, the desecrated shop fronts, the
falling down buildings! It is hard for the visitor to see beyond this
– there are no ‘beaches’, a few sandy coves, no swimming
pools, no pretty architecture, in truth very little to visually brighten your
line of eye – but I think we have succeeded in digging a little
deeper……….the beauty is there to see but in the nature itself
rather than man made buildings or objects…….. New A younger Misa in his family’s burial caves Meet the ancestors……… One of the government ministers (not re-elected last week) opened a two
month bird shooting season last year to Misa’s incredulous disbelief! The ‘island’ is actually the lagoon or crater of an ancient
volcano which over a period of squillions of years has ‘filled up’
with layers and layers of coral. The ground is limestone
‘coral’ but somehow the vegetation grows on top and Misa with ebony spears – most hardwood is poisonous and if the
end of this broke off in the enemy he would die a slow and painful
death…. Misa the bushman teaching us to make fire from two pieces of wood
rubbed together – notice the smoke after less than a minute Kindled with a piece of dry coconut….. fire!! Misa’s ancestors farmed in clearings in the forest where the soil
is deep and nutritious but nowadays these natural ‘farmlands’ are
lost and overgrown as the struggle continues to grow crops on rocky limestone
which then requires fertilisation! Taro plantation struggling to grow in poor soil There is an active movement to stop putting pesticides on the crops
(taro, sweet potato, yams, bananas, tapioca, corn, tomatoes, onions) as
the poison precipitates down into the water table - utilised by the island for
its water supply. Apparently uranium has been found under Viai village (with resulting
higher incidents of cancer and detrimental effects on local population growth)
– the village has been evacuated but other nations are keen to mine it
but at what cost? The coconut crab, uga, is believed to live to at least 80 years of age
and returns to the sea to lay her eggs only when mature (possibly over the age
of 12) but is often killed for food before she has a chance to reproduce. Paul with his uga in a tree – demonstrating it’s incredible
vice like grip – they feed on coconuts and are trapped by splitting a
coconut which is then tied to a tree – the scent attracts the crab which
is then caught for the pot. 16 Indian Sikhs arrived on the island 3 years ago – ostensibly to
fill the role of vegetable planters and growers. The suspicion is that
they were trying to get NZ residency through the ‘back door’.
Who knows? But these poor blighters are now seemingly trapped here with
their womenfolk back in So many issues – and we’ve only been here seven days!
Surprise, surprise A game of golf with the Moonshadows… And instruction from Siri the resident coach…… We have biked or walked down many of the pathways to the gorges, caves,
rock pools, fantastic rock formations and crystal clear waters and now we are
ready to sail to Tonga once we have a weather
window…………….. Washaway Café for Sunday burger….. the only place open for lunch Stunning rock pools Coral gardens in the crystal clear water Wondrous lime stone rock formations and caves Amazing rock formations Limestone arches……. |