Commodore
October 9, 2023

Tuesday 10 October – feasting under an enormous fig tree

David who owns the beach came by at 6am to check on numbers for tonight which was a rude awakening, and then Rowan had a work call at 7am, all a very early start for me. David has to go into Neiafu to buy provisions for tonights feast. After breakfast we headed to the beach to do the walk over to the other side of the island. We could find nobody home to show us the way, so we found a path and headed off on our own. We walked up the hill and discovered the land has been cleared and they are growing plenty of vegetables, mainly taro, yams, pawpaws, pineapples and bananas. Once we left the uncultivated area the path soon petered out and I was very reluctant to get lost! David had said his daughter would take us over, so we went back to the house. Luckily for us they had all just returned from town, with more extended family to help with the cooking. Poor things had only just made it back as they were unaware of the fuel shortage at Neiafu, the supply ship comes in tomorrow all being well. We have promised him 5 litres and hope the other boats can chip in too.

Anna, David’s daughter was instructed to take us to the other side of the island. She is a very healthy size, she fooled us by racing up the hill leaving us gasping way behind her! We went through a couple of clearings and then began to see a vague path leading us down the other side. She did not do the last short steep section onto the beach. It was a stunning beach on the windward side, very wild and full of gorgeous shells. We walked the whole beach and were rather glad not to be out in the other anchorage we had thought about, as the wind was pretty strong, protected in our bay it is like a mill pond.

The forest cleared for crops

The beach on the other side o the island

Beautiful inaccessible beach

Beach walk

Our path up and over the island

The enormous fig tree

Our wonderful anchorage

We returned to PolePole, I got stuck into some much needed domestic chores, and laundry while Rowan went to do a very tricky snorkel over to the other side of the reef. He had to go out over the breaking waves. The coral was great apparently, in good nick and colourful, he just got put off by a very big shark!

6pm we were seated under the enormous Fig tree, with the couple from Zelda and the family on Bumfuzzle. This American couple have already circumnavigated in a monohull, this time it is with their kids on a Catamaran. They have also driven the entire Pan American highway in an old VW Combi. Wow she had the shrillest voice I have heard in a long time! Phew …… they are heading to Fiji! Heike and Sheryl on Zelda are doing the same passage as us to NZ at the same time. They are a great couple and it will be good to know they will not be too far from us on the crossing.

The food was amazing, an absolute feast, they had a huge fire going under the fig with a little piglet on a manually turning stick! David’s wife and her sister produced an enormous amount of food, about 10 different dishes, vegetables, curried chicken, leaf wrapped meat parcels to name a few that were absolutely delicious, and of course the pig with tender crackling. David started off the dinner with a prayer in their local language which was rather impressive. There were 5 little kids running around. Two were Anna’s kids and we brought a few gifts for them, swimming goggles and crayons, the goggles I fear will be a fashion accessory and never see water!. The were very sweet kids and David is an absolute gent, all so incredibly friendly and relaxed. It was a very special evening.