Tanna Toka!
Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Wed 29 Sep 2010 14:43
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September 29th 1034 Local 2334UTC (28th
September)
18:52.42S 167:59.85E
On Monday we had asked Yachting World to come out
to the boat with fuel as we couldn't get in due to too deep a draft and the fact
that our mast would foul the overhead electricity cables near them. During the
day one of the guys, Moses, came out to check out the boat and where to
fill fuel etc. When they eventually came with the fuel it was after five pm.
They came in two boats, every single member of staff and some others too. Moses
must have said something to them about Rhiann Marie. Anyway in typical Rhiann
Marie fashion I invited everyone aboard. We had a great laugh and we were
flattered by being told by one woman that she had worked for thirty years in
Yachting World and had never been on such a beautiful boat as Rhiann Marie! They
also complimented us on being very "open" as they were rarely invited on
any boats and generally found a lot of yachties to be "closed". That's a shame,
but mostly for the yachties, as we have made friends and contacts very quickly
and all kindnesses have always been rewarded in one way or another.
If we (generally me - Trish sometimes has to warn
me not to come back with the whole village!) invite someone aboard and if
they are not particularly agreeable then it's quite easy just to cut the visit
short. We have only cut short two visits, one from a German and one from a
Canadian, but that is no reflection on their respective
nationalities.
Yesterday morning we flew down to Tanna in a small
6 seater aircraft. We left the boat anchored at Port Vila and planned to be back
by 1700. The idea was to visit the volcano on Tanna which is very active and
supposedly one of the "safest" active volcanoes in the world to
visit...
We had hoped to sail to Tanna as it is very rich in
Kastom culture, but the anchorages are unsuitable for Rhiann Marie.
Before getting onto the wee plane I was talking to
a Kiwi girl who said she worked in the cultural centre in Vila and was going
down to Tanna for the big Toka dancing "festival". We had not heard anything
about this, so my mind got thinking how we could stay over the night to see this
indigenous cultural event also known as the Nekowiar.
When we landed in Tanna I hijacked the 4x4 pick up
that was transferring us to the airport and checked with Vanuatu airlines if we
could get a flight back the next day. Nothing - every seat full. So I took our
local guide for the day, Daniel, aside and asked him to speak with the
driver of the pick up truck to see if he could get us to the big chief's nakamal
in Greenpoint to see the Toka, while I tackled the pilot of the wee
plane that took us on the trip and the other two people that were on the tour. I
got the pilot to delay our return as long as he could before it would be dark
(no headlights on the plane or something I suppose..). Long story short - deal
done and off we charged in the truck, driver and us four inside the cab, Daniel
the Tannanese guide in the back along with his wife and two staff from the
small resort where we arrived for refreshments. They had never been down to
Greenpoint before and it was "injun" territory. The "road" was horrendous we
went through several dry riverbeds, some with the rivers flowing, we got stuck
in sand and other bits were so heavily rutted I think they would have been
impassable in the wet! I'll leave the details for another time but what
confronted us at the Nakamal was worth every bit of the arduous trip and the
sacrifice of time at the volcano. I will post as many images as I can so you can
get the flavour of the event and the location.
The Toka is held about every three years and is
over two to three days. The most of the first day is taken up with the women
dancing and boy was it impressive - perhaps even scary. Some of the stuff
they were doing reminded me of some of the scenes form "Zulu". (you see
- Africa again ..). Obviously because of our timetable and with no way
to delay till the next day, we only had a short visit and the big day was to be
today. The day will start with two hundred pigs being slaughtered ceremoniously.
It is also the time when the men will propose to, or choose a wife. If she
accepts then there is gift exchanging between the families. The Nekowiar was
originally a celebration of the end of a tribal war, what ever it is today it is
a spectacular event. Not in the slightest bit touristy though there were a
handful of white people in evidence. All indigenous people, young and old,
were kitted out in traditional dress and seemed to be thouroughly enjoying
the occasion.
We then charged off to the volcano, now two and a
half hours away. I rode in the back of the truck with the locals most off the
way and learned a lot from them as well as having a great old laugh. Mostly them
wetting themselves at my attempts at speaking Bislama. I probably sounded a bit
like Ali G on Kava.
The Volcano was angry and was throwing huge blasts
of molten lava clear and up out of the crater. The Australians with
us scampered back down the hill pretty quickly. However not to be
deterred by molten lumps of rock together with smoke and ash we headed further
up to the top of the path leading up the edge of the crater. We were not twenty
metres up when Daniel showed us a huge lump of petrified lava which had landed
on the path three days previous! He then proceeded to tell us of a Japanese
couple who had both been killed by a lump of molten lava hitting them. My
technique was to keep a close eye on all airbourne material until it landed
somewhere else.
This was the "safe" volcano to
view......
On the way back to the airport we were passed at
speed by another pick up truck on the dirt road. There had been a very rare
murder in Tanna, at a village in the highlands where there was a family dispute
over land. The two culprits had been found and were being rushed to the
airport to be sent to Vila for trial. They were bundled, handcuffed, into
another plane in front of us. Interestingly I also read of another murder in
Vanuatu, in the island of Maewo. The six people arrested for the murder of
another villager who was accused of witchcraft escaped from custody and made
their getaway in a small boat.
After a busy day we had an early night and I got up
at 0145 and hauled anchor. We were clear of Pango point outside Vila by 0300 and
set sail.
This morning between 0830 and 0930 I stood on the
windward deck at the side rail, daydreaming and basking in the morning sun,
which was already high in the sky. I just stood, with one leg up the coaming,
straddling the lazy genoa sheet and hanging onto the bimini frame. We were
sailing along at around nine knots in slight seas, and with the 15
knot wind just behind the beam. I was wearing a quiet contemplative, but
satisfied smile and could hardly believe my extreme good fortune. In reflective
mood I was, and am very thankful for our good fortune and our safe passage
to date. There was nothing but horizon and blue skies surrounding us. It
was exactly a year to the day since Rhiann Marie was registered and a year and
three days since we started this adventurous circumnavigation. At times I
wondered what the second half of the trip would hold for us, mindful of the
danger zones up ahead, at times my mood was happy recalling all the laughs
and craic we have had and at other times tinged with sadness,
missing family, friends and colleagues. But all in all we had a lot to be
thankful for. We decided to take this on while we were alive - very alive, and I
hope we will never regret it. It is my responsibility to keep all aboard, and
vessel safe and I will keep reminding myself of that ........
Speaking of which I had to snap out of the day
dreaming as there was a Taiwanise longliner on a direct collision
course with us and he could not be raised on the radio. I stood on and
stood on as is my duty and passed just over a hundred yards behind him
with a small course alteration, having got the engine running at the ready
if need be.
The fabulous sailing continued all day and we sat
for hour after hour at 10 knots. On one four hour watch we covered 42 miles over
the ground which was all VMG to destination! Happy days! On the down side and
for the second time in a week we had such an exposive strike on the fishing line
that everything broke including the 220 lb breaking strength line. These were
big lures and even bigger fish but they are too strong it seems for a fixed
line. I might have to reconsider rigging a couple of rods. I will get one of
them yet even if I have to go round again!
Photos will follow.
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