It really is tough to keep track of the date and days, I suppose because there are no deadlines or schedules to meet. So Saturday, we took the whaler (tender) in to Niutahi (the water is too choppy for the dingy) and tied up to the nice concrete wharf using the parking lanes that are there. The pearl guy wasn't visible at the meeting place so we continued to wander the village until we found our English speaker, his name is Atana (spell??). He and two of his brothers were sitting in the shade with a big pile of coconuts, trimming them for the church. The church makes community food for sale to everyone to support the church - much like our bake sales I guess. So Glen and I bought a big bowl of rice, beans, cabbage and pork, enough food for three people each, it was very good. We chatted with the brothers while we ate. These islands are very exposed to tsunamis because their elevation is so low. In 1966 this town was wiped out and has been rebuilt since then. They are busy building a tsunami wall right now. As we returned to the boat, we passed by a house/shop sitting apart from the village on the water where some people were working, we stopped to talk and discovered that we were meeting with the Mayor, Jacky. He is very proud of his community and was very welcoming of us. We asked what they were doing and he explained the fishing and gave us some nice fat fish. This will be on the BBQ tonight and I might add, they were very very good. Glen and I dove the Pass Pakaka in the afternoon. What a beautiful dive, like being in an aquarium, there were so many fishes and different types. We came across many lion fish and two very large green eels. The coral life is all hard body and limited to a few varieties. Everything looked very healthy, probably due to the currents that flush by during the tide changes. Russell was our bubble watcher and was right there to pick us up when we surfaced.
Sunday, we were up early and all three of us headed in for Mass at the Catholic church. This is a great way to meet and mingle with more of the people. Back at the boat, we upped the anchor, tied the whaler on behind to tow and headed for the motu Totoro. According to our guide books, this is where a very friendly family have a pearl farm. Alfred, the owner, came out in his working boat to guide us in to the best anchorage. It is probably as much for the security of his pearl nets as anything, as they are all over. He and his family have recently started a boat service business, so several boats and their owners were there. One couple from Australia/Italy, one couple from Finland and one couple from Belgium. Alfred, his wife Pauline their son Toni and his girlfriend Caroline, showed us around their business, then showed us their pearls - very beautiful. Alfred and Pauline chauffeured us to the fabulous outer reef by means of the front-end loader tractor, we three in the bucket. It was just easier than walking. In usual tourist fashion, we snapped many pictures and had tons of questions. Pauline speaks very good English and though Alfred says he does not, we got along very well communicating. Very nice people. We made arrangements to go diving with Alfred and Toni the next day to see the workings of a pearl farm, below the surface.
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