August 19, 2012

Huahine is divided into 2 islands with a bridge connecting the 2 halves. Hiro, one of the original gods, drove his canoe through the middle of Huahine dividing it in 2.  You can see his canoe paddle and a body part in protruding rocks in Baie Maroe. The 2 halves are called Huahine Nui (nui means big) and Huahine Iti (iti means little).  Yesterday, we circumnavigated Huahine Iti in the dinghy, Rubber Ducky, going through all the side bays and under the bridge.  We saw the locals out for their Sunday picnics and social gatherings and young men paddling their outriggers with their surfboards aboard out to the fringing reef to surf.  When they got to the edge of the reef in the outrigger they would tie it up, walk to the edge with the board and paddle out into the Pacific Ocean.  Not big surf but if you wiped out on the coral reef - ouch. Rubber Ducky was made in New Zealand to Barry's specifications.  This is her first year of real use and we are finding her to be fast, strong and very stable. She replaces the much heavier Avon, Sunbeam, who went AWOL one very windy night in Fiji.

View of Raiatea and Bora Bora

Upon our return to Sunrise in the late afternoon we were visited by our neighbors on the catamaran close by.  He is from Munich, she is from Ukraine and their 4 year old skinny dipping daughter, Katerina, speaks German, Russian and excellent English. Katerina spent the day playing with the local Polynesian children on shore.  The family will spend another year in French Polynesia.  Being from the European Union, they do not have to leave after 90 days like we Americans do. Miss Goodnight is the name of their boat. We call them Mr. and Mrs. Goodnight and they would call us Mr and Mrs. Sunrise.

Mr and Mrs Goodnight and daughter Katerina came back for a visit this morning.  Franz told Barry all about their very large (to us) catamaran with its 3 bedrooms and 3 heads and superb stability and Svetlana discussed her feelings about the passage from the tropics to New Zealand.  She and Katerina are flying there because she is afraid of the trip especially with a 4 year old.  I told her we had made the trip 5 times and I was never frightened but certainly tired and uncomfortable and maybe I would fly also next time! She said they lived on a boat for their entire married life, 7 years, and don't know if they could live together in a house but she would certainly like to give it a go.  They have cruised the Med for 2 years, Turkey, the Black Sea, 2 years in the Caribbean, then the usual Panama Canal and the Galapagos.  I taught Katerina how to play Angry Birds but forgot a lot of key points.  As she left she reminded me to check with my grandchildren to see how to play it better.  Her mother asked her if she would rather play games on the iPad or climb a tree and Katerina said she would rather climb a tree.  Her mother was so proud and happy!  I told Katerina that I had a shirt that said "Life is good" and that she should have a shirt like that because she has a good life and  she said yes and that she had many many friends all over the world.  She was very fluent and talkative for a 4 year old for whom American English is her third language.  After a long visit discussing their and our past cruising adventures and destinations and boat stuff, they left and we weighed anchor heading toward the town of Fare on Huahine Nui where there are internet, a supermarket and good restaurants.  In town we saw the first pigeons since leaving Oxnard.  Lunch was coconut crusted mahi mahi with a huge pile of fresh green beans and cheese scalloped potatoes and only $50 instead of the usual $100 for 2 meals in French Polynesia. Upon returning to the boat who should show up but the Goodnights.  They decided to follow us.