Pufau Bay (Update 34)
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Date: Monday 24th May
Time: 1900 hours Tahiti Time (GMT – 10 hours)
Position: Tahunaoe Motu, Mirimiri, Raiatea

Bula Viti kei Rotuma

Sunday was a rest day for us as we prepare to sail to Rarotonga. We left Uturoa township at 10am and headed west around the Northern tip of Raiatea, past the airport to a small motu called Tahunaoe.

Tahunaoe Motu lies in the Rautoanui Passage, which is the Western Pass in the reef circling Raiatea and Tahaa used by voyagers in the past for departure to Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and beyond.

So effectively we landed at the Eastern most point of Raiatea and we will depart from the Western most point. Raiatea is a long island approximately 20km’s long which lies North South.

This morning, a lady from a local pearl farm visited the canoe to sell pearls. Soon crew members from all the other canoes and support boats were on the Uto ni Yalo to see the pearls.

At 2pm today, we moved all the canoes into a little bay beside the Pass called Pufau Bay. It is said that in the old days, canoes about to make long voyages would wait in this bay for the signal to set sail.

A fire would be lit on the hills behind Pufau to signal to the waiting canoes that it was time to depart.

On shore a small ceremony was held to bless the departure of the canoes. A rock from Taputapuatea Marae, was presented to each canoe by a descendant of King Tamatoa.

In exchange for the uto tree seedling we presented at our welcome, we were given a Ivi tree seedling to carry back to Fiji. Ratu Manoa was showed the Tahitians how to prepare the seedling for a long voyage by wrapping the seedling in banana tree bark.

Following the ceremony we moved back to our anchorage beside Tahunaoe Motu for the night. Hine Moana is tied up alongside us for the night as they did last night.

Once again we are waiting for wind and a meeting will be held at 8am tomorrow to decide on a departure time. The good news it looks like we will have some wind late tomorrow.

Rarotonga is 541 nautical miles from Raiatea and it will take us three to four days to cross. We will pass close to Mitiaro, Atiu and Mauke Islands in the Cooks so we have to be careful as we approach Raro. These islands are around 120 – 150 nautical miles from Raro.

We are heading to Avatiu Harbour and we hear the Fijian Community have been busy preparing for our arrival. There is a large Fijian community in Raro working in the tourism industry.

Tonight we have the Vanuatu and Samoan crew members from Hine Moana on board drinking kava with us. There are also crew members from Te Matau a Maui, Faafaite, our support boats Ranui and Foftein and some locals.

I have managed to hitch a ride to town in the morning to buy our last supplies and ice for the esky. I am banking on us leaving tomorrow afternoon.

The food is very very expensive here. A frozen whole chicken size 2.0 is around FJD$50 - $60. The only thing that is cheap is the bagette or French stick bread because they have price control on this item. It costs a little over one saqamoli for a French loaf.

Sorry I was not able to send more photo’s from here but I will be able to do so from Raro.

We had a very moving crew meeting this afternoon to discuss the rest of our voyage. When we leave Raiatea we will begin our voyage home. Our newest crew member, Titaua or Tevita as he is called on board was also present at the meeting where all the discussion was in Fijian.

It was touching to see him also cry when the Uto crew were getting emotional from the moving speech made by Ratu Manoa. Although he was not able to understand the conversation, he could feel the emotion in the air.

Tevita has made life long friends of the Uto ni Yalo crew.

Moce

Colin/Uto ni Yalo

Report by Satellite Phone courtesy of DIGICEL