We really enjoyed Suwarrow. This island has sporadically been
inhabited by 1 or 2 people, currently the only occupants are the ranger and his
wife that live there for 6 months a year. There is no public transportation to
the island, so you can only get there by private yacht. Even the government and
trade boats don't come by. The government paid to divert a transport boat to
the island to drop the ranger and his wife off in May, but they keep hoping and
asking for any boat that is going to another one of the Cook Islands to take
them, as they are uncertain that the government will come pick them up this
year. So it is extremely unique to get to visit a place in this world that is
so difficult to reach. It is absolutely unblemished by first world priorities.
The reefs were teeming with fish and a garden of colorful
coral, making the snorkeling and fishing incredible. We caught trevally,
emperor fish and goat fish so we ate well. We relaxed on the beach with the
ranger Harry and his wife Vaine. We hung out for hours in the warmest water I
have ever been in. Even Axel did not want to get out of this water. On the far
side of the island we fed the sharks our fish cleanings and got fantastic
feeding frenzies. There are a lot of sharks in Suwarrow. The most prevalent are
the black tip reef sharks, followed by the white tip reef sharks, both of which
are thankfully harmless. Unfortunately, they have some grey sharks, and I did
not like those. We did some school work, which is one of my least favorite
activities with the kids, especially Axel, as it can be like pulling teeth to
get him focused and started on his work.
We had quite a bit of fun and good food, as we celebrated Gary and my
19th anniversary and Gigi's 12th birthday.
For our anniversary we enjoyed a lot of really good food and
wine. We had beef bourguignon and Gigi made a fantastic banana cream pie. For
Gigi's birthday I made hamburger buns, so we could have burgers for lunch. Then
for dinner we had fresh caught emperor fish with lemon pasta and caesar salad,
topped off with chocolate cupcakes with pink custard frosting (that Gigi made).
Before dinner activities included the first time we setup the xbox kinnect, so
we had a rumpus session of just dance. Gigi of course was the best dancer. She
got lots of nice presents including handcarved Marquesean art from Harrison and
a black pearl pendant, but her favorite present was 15 minutes of sat phone
time to talk with her friends.
Gary continued to pick Amiable, the sunken yacht in the
anchorage, clean of any valuable parts. Every time he came back to the boat he
had another piece off the boat. Looking at this boat daily reminds you how incredibly
easy it can be to lose everything you have worked so hard for. On our sail from
Bora Bora to Maupihaa, as we past Maupeti, we saw a catamaran that had run
aground in the pass and was just off the island with one hull almost completed
sunk. Fortunately the crew was rescued, but their home was soon to be at the
bottom of the ocean. Due to the hazards of the pass at Maupeti the boat could
not be towed into the lagoon and it was too far to tow it to Bora Bora. These 2
boats remind us that you cannot be complacent about the reefs or the passes,
there are a lot of hazards out here.
Leaving the Suwarrow pass was exciting as the current pushed
us through at 11.4 knots, I figure the current added about 5.5 knots. Once clear of the Suwarrow atoll, we headed southwest
toward Niue. We had an exhilarating first 24 hours covering about 192 miles,
for an average of 8 knots. The wind was only about 15-25 knots, but the 3m+
waves gave us some good push. Of course that did not last, but the rest of the
passage was pleasant sailing averaging between 5-7 knots. We caught a large mahi mahi that gave Gary
quite a fight. We were excited about this fish as it had been over 2 weeks
since we were in a grocery store and we understood that the stores in Niue are
quite limited.
We arrived in Niue at about 10:30 at night and had to find a
mooring buoy in the dark. Fortunately the immigration liaison and the yacht
club people were still awake and helped us over the radio so we knew what we
needed to do. It took until midday the next day to actually clear through customs,
but it was quite simple. Then we had to check in with the Niue Yacht Club, figure
out how to get cash, since most store only accept cash, get groceries, get
internet,…. Getting cash was harder than you would think it should be. You
can't exchange money or get a credit card advance at the bank, there is no ATM,
so we were told the only place to get cash was at the car rental agency (go
figure). So after getting cash, then lunch, we went to the grocery store for
the first time in 3 weeks. We were quite excited to get fresh lettuce,
tomatoes, cucumbers and lemons. The first lemons since San Diego! Amazing how
these simple food pleasures can make you happy. Although I am extremely impressed
that I have managed to make our fresh food last as long and well as I have. We
still had a few fresh veggies (mainly onions and celery) and fruit and one
large beef roast.
Today we rented a car and toured some of Niue. We all are
extremely impressed with Niue. It may be one of the nicest places to vacation
anywhere. But more about that in the next blog. I am too tired from today.
Julie
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