The Small Pleasures in Life

Here we are, rolling back and forth a little bit, in the big bay of Taiohae (Nuku Hiva), the capital and biggest city of the Marquesas. The water seems cleaner than in our previous environment and we are anchored off a small beach. We hope to go for a refreshing swim over there later, and assume – based on the amount of Sunday swimmers and beach goers – that the waters are relatively shark-free, despite the rumors. For the first time in a while, we are not the only boat in the anchorage. As a matter of fact, we count about 20 other sailboats, some of them said to be “residents”. We are ready to socialize, hang out with old friends (Kril, Iona and Pitufa are here) and meet some new people.

The beach in Taiohae, seen from Irie

Taiohae bay and "city" ashore

The main reason Mark and I are a bit excited to be here is because we have high hopes of this place. We haven’t been to a “real” town since we left the Galapagos, and it has been 9 months already, since we left Panama City. Our main hopes revolve around convenience and availability of stuff. We are looking forward to some decent grocery shopping and lots of fresh produce, finding a good doctor and dentist, going out for a drink with friends, having dinner in a restaurant again (we have a “mysterious” friend who will take us out to dinner virtually, and we have some postponed special occasions to celebrate) and spending heaps of time online to catch up with the world, our social life, and research. It sounds like we might be here a while and if you consider the following, you might understand why…

It has been:

-        Over a year since we went clothes shopping (Belgium and the US, summer of 2012)

-        Three months since we ate a local meal in a restaurant (Rikitea, Gambier islands)

-        Nine months since we went out for an “international” (worthwhile) meal (Panama City)

-        Nine months since we managed to buy something “marine” like to fix a boat issue (Panama City)

-        Seven months since we visited a bar (Isabela, Galapagos)

-        Six months since I last used a normal flush toilet (Galapagos restaurant)

-        Seven months since we shopped in a decent grocery store (Santa Cruz, Galapagos)

-        Nine months since we shopped in a big, western-style grocery store (Panama City)

-        Nine months since we rode on a bus (Panama City) => there are no buses here either

-        An eternity since we had fast WiFi to do research => we hope this is available here!

-        One and a half months since we saw a bank and used the ATM (Atuona, Hiva Oa)

-        Three weeks since we were in an anchorage with other boats

-        One and a half months since we could – barely – use Skype to call our parents

-        Three months since we took a warm, pressurized shower (Gambier) => no plans to do or find that here

-        Many years since I took a warm bath => definitely not possible here

-        Seven months since I ate a real ice cream (San Cristobal, Galapagos)

-        Three months since we docked our dinghy with ease – no dragging up the beach or using stern anchor or taking tides and local boats into consideration (Rikitea, Gambier) => Hanavave in Fatu Hiva (2 months ago) was quite easy as well, most of the time

-        Nine months since we stepped foot in an air-conditioned building (Panama City)

-        Seven months since we bought produce at a decent vegetable market (San Cristobal, Galapagos)

-        Four months since we last used a washing machine (Gambier) and nine months since we used a washer and dryer (Panama City) => too expensive here

-        Four months since Mark finished his soymilk to eat breakfast => since then, he’s been on dry granola or bread

Time to enjoy some small pleasures in life! Unless we are expecting too much, of course… :-)

South coast of Nuku Hiva

The other side of Taiohae Bay

Peace in Nuku Hiva's Biggest Bay

Irie is peacefully anchored by herself, again, in Anse Hakahaa, the middle and deepest finger of the large Baie du Controleur in southern Nuku Hiva. We are surrounded by green hills and flat water, once in a while disturbed by a manta ray doing a back flip. This happens so quickly that usually all we notice is a big splash in the water. Unlike the dolphins, they only do this once and you never know where another one will follow suit. The only other sounds are of birds, goats or roosters. Yes, it is nice and quiet here.

Peaceful bay of Hakahaa in Baie du Controleur

Life aboard a flat boat!

At the head of the bay is a black beach, where we can land the dinghy, but it is “easier” (= closer) to visit the little town of Taipivai by driving up the river and tying to its concrete dock. To accomplish this feat, one has to wait until it is about high tide, ride the half breaking waves into a short stretch of river bordered by big boulders, get spit out into a brown lagoon without hitting the rock at the mouth, make it to the other side avoiding tree trunks or other debris, follow another stretch of shallow, mucky  river dodging scattered rocks, duck under a black hose carrying water across the river, dock the dinghy, and – important - make sure to be back in time as to not be trapped “inside” for eight hours. It is an adventurous trip, especially with the usual current at the narrow entrance of the river. Heading back into the bay and the incoming waves is always exciting!

Leaving the river and heading back into the bay

Looking back towards land. Where is the river mouth?

During the day, we count on the three hours around high tide, to go for walks. There is a farm close by, Taipivai has grocery stores and an interesting site – where the big Arts Festival of 2011 took place - with relics from the past and tiki reproductions. Every four years, the Marquesan Arts Festival draws thousands of visitors, performers (dancers and drummers), and artisans from all over the region and the world. The next edition (in 2015) will be held in Hiva Oa, but this year – and also every four years in between the real deal – a mini-festival is organized in Ua Huka. Mark and I hope to sail back there for this cultural event in mid-December.

Farm near Taipivai – It has been a long time since we saw one of these!

Reconstructed tiki on the old Arts Festival site

There are unexplored (by us) waterfalls in the area, destinations on our future agenda, when Marks elbow has been healed. We did manage to hike a muddy trail up to the Tiki Paeke archeological site yesterday and to the – even quieter – neighboring bay of Hooumi today. And, no, we don’t really know how to pronounce all these local multi-voweled names correctly, but you will have to get used to them just like us. :-)

Paeke archeological site, with two levels of paepaes (platforms)

Decent size stone tiki in Paeke, near Taipivai

The nights are also quite spectacular, especially when the moon is absent. Above us, we see a super bright Venus and millions of twinkling stars, while underneath us all life becomes lit up and visible. The water in the bay is full of organisms and looks totally unattractive and too dirty for a swim or to cool off during these hot and humid days, but at night it provides us with a lovely form of entertainment – better than TV, or in our case movies on the laptop: our own private light show. Because of the massive amounts of phosphorescence in the water, every movement turns into a shiny, glittery performance. We create shooting stars and fireworks with our own hands, or we watch the fish chase each other like comets and greeting each other with bursts of light.

Cute church of tiny Hooumi

Pretty valleys with pretty rivers (Hooumi)

If the sea would be cleaner, we could stay here longer. And, we will come back here the coming months of our Nuku Hiva stay. There is fresh water onshore for a daily shower, as long as we can deal with the overpowering presence of mosquitoes and nonos (small biting flies). But first, the big city of Taiohae calls. We are basically out of food and need to – urgently – do some research and other things online, so we’ll be off to civilization soon.

Shower time, but hurry, before you are eaten alive by the nasty bugs!

Rolling, Rowing and Rambling in Ua Huka

Not many sailboats visit the smallish island of Ua Huka in the Marquesas. The only anchorages are on the south coast and reputed to be uncomfortable, in turn making landings difficult as well. Marks’s first comment “These bays should not be called anchorages!” sums up our time onboard. Even though we planned to be there in pretty calm conditions (NE winds 10-15 knots, swell under 2m), the wind was very gusty and fluky, turning Irie around and around and having her sit on a lee shore regularly, when the wind followed the land and, accelerated, came into the bay from the south. The swell still managed to enter as well, so we rolled and jerked the whole stay. The constant flow of seawater onto our bottom steps turned them green, just like Irie’s water line and bottom! Our recommendation to visit Ua Huka by boat is to wait for a forecast with winds less than 10 knots from the northeast and a swell of less than 1.5m – it will be as calm and comfortable as it ever gets, but you have to get there first…

Rowing to shore and parking the dinghy in Hane Bay

 

Luckily, once onshore, it is comfortable and there is plenty to see and do. But first, with no dock or big sandy beach to land, there is some exercise to be had. Every morning, we dropped our engineless inflatable dinghy and clumsily rowed the half a mile to shore, which took about 20 minutes. Then, we had to haul the awkward thing over some rocks and above the high tide line to a level “parking spot”, where we left it, unlocked, and set out for half a day or a day. The islands of French Polynesia are very safe and the people – especially in the Marquesas – are extremely friendly. They all greet you; some of them shake your hand, introduce themselves or have a chat. Others invite you over to their house or give you a stack of bananas. The result of that is that we have about 100 bananas, all turning ripe as we speak!

Students carving tikis out of rosewood

 

On our first encounter in the small village of Hane, we met the principal of the local vocational school. He gave us a tour of the buildings and the garden, introduced us to teachers and pupils and encouraged us to chat, in English, with some of the students. After checking out the little store (no baguettes – they had been out of flour for three weeks) and church, and waiting for an hour long rainstorm to pass, we headed for Vaipaee, the biggest village on the island with about 200 people. This town lies only 2 miles away over the water, but, by winding road it is about 10 miles. We started the walk through the barren, but fascinating landscape, enjoying the views and the good, paved street. It was cloudy, so not too hot and the road was leveled against the rocky cliffs, so not too steep. This is my kind of walking!

South coast of Ua Huka towards Vaipaee

 

About halfway, near the airport and the nicely erected structures at the site of the upcoming December festival, we hitched a ride with one of the few cars, hoping to avoid the next rainsquall. A friendly lady picked us up and gave us a tour through the village, before we got out to inspect the narrow, canyon-like bay of Vaipaee. We both agreed that Hane is the better place to anchor. The small town boasts an interesting museum – called “the best of the Marquesas” in a few guidebooks, a nice church with all its statues and scenes depicting facets of the bible carved out of wood, and a few stores. We easily hitched a ride back to Hane in the afternoon.

Church entrance in Vaipaee

Vaipaee museum

 

The following day, we walked the coastal road to Hokatu, passing a viewpoint and some wild goats and horses. These animals outnumber the local people by 10:1. Once in the beautifully located town, we braved the heat and the humidity, to hike up a few hills to see what we could find. We were looking for artisans, willing to sell or trade for their wood carvings. These are known to be the best and most affordable ones in the Marquesas. It was very quiet all around (the Taporo cargo vessel was in Vaipaee, attracting everyone to pick up goods, especially flour) and in the end, we found someone with a key to the artisanal building near the water. After looking around and choosing and comparing some pieces for an hour or so, Mark and I went home – by car – with $100 worth of wooden treasures. It had been a while since we spent some money; believe it or not, but life in the Pacific can be cheap! :-)

Hokatu’s waterfront

 

A day of rest, while rolling, was in order, after barely sleeping at night, and on our last day in Hane (Sunday), we set out towards the hills. One of the church going villagers gave us good directions to reach the local archeological site. The walk was uphill the whole time, but doable, albeit the high level of humidity and the gallons of sweat we had to shed.  We took our time and easily found the ruins on a flat part up one of the hills. Three ancient, weathered tikis stood on the edge of it. Once back in town, we watched the quiet Sunday scene for a while before rowing home, into the wind once more, since it had changed directions… again.

Archeological site in the hills behind Hane

 

One last row and carrying the dinghy ashore on Monday, to pick up some anticipated baguettes, before we slowly sailed to Haavei on the SW corner of the island. We passed two interesting looking islands with hundreds of birds circling around them, before entering the idyllic looking bay. A sandy beach with heaps of palm trees lured ashore and the dry features of the rocks and cliffs around filled our view. It was quiet and attractive, but … rolly and with fluky, onshore winds. Again. Kind of ready for some sleep at night and some chores to be done in a non-moving boat, we decided to pass on this anchorage and – even though it was already 11am - sail on to Nuku Hiva. There, in Baie du Controleur, we found an incredibly flat and peaceful anchorage (no crashing waves!) after a fun and smooth five hour sail. Ah... the pleasures of not bumping our heads and toes anymore!

Haavei Bay

Tikis carved in stone in front of Hane’s hospital

Church in Hane

Stone carved statues in front of the Vaipaee museum

There are tikis everywhere on these islands; here in front of Vaipaee’s town hall

Hane Bay – with Irie – seen from the viewpoint towards Hokatu

Picturesque rock at the mouth of Hane Bay

Interesting looking “bird islands” off Haavei Bay

Dorado (mahi mahi) for dinner, once in Nuku Hiva

 

On to the Northern Marquesas Group

I will (try to) keep this blog short, before we lose some – if not all – of our readers! :-)

In French Polynesia (and maybe even in all of the South Pacific, we don’t know yet), it is impossible to just make plans as to where you’d like to sail and then expect to be anchored there until you want to move on. It is not that easy anymore. The islands are mountainous and the location (= protection from wind and waves) of many anchorages is less than ideal. This means that most bays are uncomfortable most of the time and that the wind is very gusty, fluky, contradictory or accelerated because of the features of the land.

Approaching Ua Huka

Even though Mark and I picked the perfect weather window to explore the north coast of Hiva Oa, the anchorages were still very rolly and therefore uncomfortable with no place to go ashore certain times of the day. For this reason, we packed up and left a day earlier than planned; the predicted light ENE winds promising to be as good as possible to visit Ua Huka’s south coast. We prepared Irie for a night crossing, which – with Mark’s continuously painful right elbow and the bumpy sea state - entailed a bit of inventiveness, especially while taking the outboard engine off the dinghy and hauling it onboard. We picked 10pm as our time of departure, which allowed us to do any speed between 3 and 6.5 knots to get to Ua Huka during the daylight hours. A light 10 knots out of the east was forecasted, but we have learned to expect anything, so left (mentally) prepared.

SW coast of Ua Huka

It was dead calm when we left Hanaiapa in Hiva Oa and the land shadow had us motor for the first hour. After that, the wind filled in and we had a pretty perfect sail, doing 4 to 6.5 knots, all the way. The sky was bright with an almost full moon, the sea state was relatively mellow and we only had to dodge one giant squall. I did most of the work (as usual :-)) and we decided not to fish in the morning– Mark’s arm has to rest. The fish in the Pacific are too big and strong for me to handle. At 9am the following morning, we were settled in Hane Bay, Ua Huka. After a day of rest and catching up on sleep, we planned some walks along the scenic shore and to stay as long as we could endure the gusty winds and incoming swell…

Mouth of Hane Bay

Head of Hane Bay

The Challenging North Coast of Hiva Oa

Mark and I can only sit so long in a pretty and comfortable anchorage, like Hanamoenoa Bay in Tahuata. At one point or another – if not chased off by the weather – it is time to explore new territories; in this case the challenging north coast of Hiva Oa. Despite the valid warnings of our friends on SV Iona, who had a dangerous experience with heavy onshore winds in Hanamenu Bay, we were willing to give it a try. The weather predictions were as benign as they could be: 10 knots of wind from the ESE and little swell.

Calm conditions heading into Hanamenu Bay

We took everything we heard and read about this uncomfortable coast into account and left Tahuata first thing in the morning, being able to sail, gloriously cutting across the channel between the islands. After an hour, when we reached the west side of Hiva Oa, the wind dropped completely – that’s how calm conditions were – and we had to motor the rest of the way, some five miles or so. It was a bit choppy around the corner, but nothing like what Iona had to deal with, which meant we had “made it in time”. Once settled in Hanamenu Bay around 9:30am, the water was flat and no wind was present. What was all the fuss about?

Hanamenu Bay with onshore winds

Realizing that things could change on a whim, I wanted to go to shore as quickly as possible to see what the place had to offer, before we would get stuck on the boat. Mark opted to wait until 11am, to see what the weather had to offer. 11am is the time when the land has heated up and sucks the wind in, at least that’s the case in San Francisco, which guarantees the magnificent sailing in the bay. We didn’t have to wait that long. At 10:30am, someone flipped a switch and the wind started blowing from the ocean. We were on a lee shore (no sailor’s favorite), the waves started building and white caps appeared. We had lost our chance to safely land the dinghy ashore and all there was to do was wait. Wait to see whether conditions would deteriorate and become scary or improved and calmed down.

We were lucky and the onshore breeze never exceeded 20 knots, meaning wind chop of about a foot or so. Around 2:30pm, I became antsy. The sun was already getting low near the tops of the mountains and conditions remained pretty much the same, which seemed doable to go ashore. Mark gave in and a bit later we found ourselves jumping out of the dinghy in the shallows and pulling it as quickly as possible onto the black sand beach, without anything or anybody getting drowned. That wasn’t too bad!

The small settlement of Hanamenu

This out-of-the-way place – only reachable by boat or foot - was used by locals to train horses and to “vacation”. Well lubricated with bug repellent, we walked past a few wooden houses and explored some of the dirt paths amongst brush, plants and (empty) mango trees, before taking a bath in the cool waters of a waist deep pool, created by a small waterfall. Its setting was very tropical and tranquil; the guidebooks called it “Hollywood Pool”. When we arrived back at our dinghy, the wind had been turned off. This meant a dry ride back to Irie and no more worries. The land had cooled off enough and we shouldn’t be in a hurry to leave the next morning. The left over swell did not keep us awake, but the creaking engine boards did.

Hollywood Pool

“Get up! We have to leave! The wind is already picking up and there are white caps outside of the bay,” Mark shouted at 7am the following morning. Impossible! This was too early… Then, I noticed the rain squalls around us and realized what was up. The expected flat ride to the next bay east would not be so flat! For almost three hours, Irie banged into the wind and seas to cover the 9 miles to Hanaiapa Bay, the best anchorage in this area, according to the cruising guides. Sailing would take all day, against an increasing eastern wind following the coastline and accelerated by the capes.

Crappy 3 hour trip to Hanaiapa

Anchoring in Hanaiapa took three tries. The trick is to stay above 40 feet (anchor in 45-50ft) or your chain is on rocks and can (will!) get wrapped or stuck. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, Irie did not stop moving and we barely slept. There was no wind to speak of – when there was a breeze, it was, again, onshore – but a swell permanently rolled into the bay. Laying sideways to the swell was especially bouncy. It was doable and we were glad to be on a catamaran, but, as far as we are concerned, the only reason to spend time in places like this is to see amazing things, which we didn’t. Sure, the bay was pretty, the town enchanting and the people friendly, but you find that elsewhere, without “suffering” through being anchored there.

Where do you leave the dinghy to go ashore?

On the day we arrived, we managed to put our dinghy at a crappy concrete dock, with a stern anchor caught on a rocky sea bottom and a line to shore determined to chafe through over time. (Why don’t they make these places more convenient for boats? The locals are dropped off in the shallow water and have to wade ashore, because the dock is too dangerous.) We had a pleasant walk through the village consisting of two parallel streets surrounded by tropical plants, beautiful flowers and an abundance of fruit trees. Charles, a local guy living next to the church, invited us in for coffee and gave us a bunch of bananas. Amongst the boulders along the bay, we found a spot of beach, which looked suitable to leave the dinghy for a longer period of time. Goats bleated in the hills and greeted us back at the dock. It was all very nice, until we had to return to the bouncy boat.

Main street in Hanaiapa, a small, well-kept village of 100 people

The following day, we planned a big adventure. We would go ashore around 7am and try to hitch a ride to Paumau, 2 hours east, and visit this amazing archeological site with the biggest tiki in the world. We had packed a bag and anticipated a welcome break off the boat, hoping to somehow hitch back before dark. (We had only seen a couple of cars the previous day.) We motored the dinghy to our new found beach, only to notice that it was very low tide and that the access to this small stretch of sand was blocked by massive rocks. Now what? With nowhere else to land the dinghy, we headed back to the concrete rope chafing “wharf”. The walls were too high and too slippery this time of the day (and there was nothing to hold onto while attempting to climb on), so we had to abort our mission and exciting prospects. Instead, we stayed on board and bounced around a bit more, until leaving for Ua Huka, 54 miles to the northwest. This interesting island – with three tricky anchorages along the south shore - is also little visited…

Hanaiapa church

 

Trying to Leave Tahuata

A few days ago, Mark and I were finally ready to leave the island of Tahuata and the weather predictions looked favorable for a visit to the north shore of Hiva Oa. We prepared the boat for the 12 mile trip to Hanamenu Bay, lifted anchor and pulled the sails up. The main winch stopped working, so I hung my whole weight on the halyard to get the sail as high as possible. It ended up being a bit baggy, but it did the job.

From the moment we pulled out of Hanamoenoa Bay, we received a call on the VHF from our friends on SV Iona, who we were going to meet at our destination. They were on their way back to Tahuata, after having a scary experience in Hanamenu. In the afternoons, when the land heats up, a strong onshore breeze enters the anchorage, kicking up the waves and trying to push you towards the beach, on a lee shore. When they told us about the 3 foot white breakers rolling in, we decided to play it safe and abort the mission to get there. Instead, we went for a little sail along Tahuata’s west coast and fished.

Before long, we hooked a decent size mahi mahi (dorado), which was a pain – literally and figuratively – for Mark to pull in with the hand line. After we successfully landed the pretty creature, finished the hard task of killing it and cleaning up the bloody mess, we had some tasty dinner prospects. It had been a while since we enjoyed a freshly caught fish! The avocados Teii picked for us formed a nice and rare accompaniment to complete the treat later that evening.

We turned Irie around and put two reefs in for the tack back to Hanamoenoa. The wind had picked up and we had a fun and invigorating sail, doing 7.5 knots at times, back to our comfortable anchorage. The afternoon was filled with taking the winch apart, without breaking anything, and cleaning all the parts, without dropping anything overboard. At least we were in a pretty place with clear water, if something made the jump. Tomorrow, Sunday, we will try to reach and explore the north coats of Hiva Oa again!

Cruising is fixing your boat in beautiful places

Irie’s garden: basil, mint, spinach, sweet potato leaves and 2 little geckos to eat the bugs

Explorations around Hapatoni, Tahuata

Teii is a Marquesan man from Tahuata, who lives in Hanatefau Bay, the place where sailboats anchor to visit Hapatoni and surroundings. He lives in a little hut onshore. It is a beautifully located wooden structure with two walls and a roof. The only things inside are his mattress with a mosquito net draped around it, some neatly folded clothes on a shelf and some utensils. He has an outdoor kitchen area, a fire pit and a fresh water spring with an unlimited supply of lovely tasting water. Apart from the hordes of mosquitoes it is a cool place indeed, facing the onshore breeze. “Do you get wet when it rains?” was one of the questions we had for him. He does, but then he just moves further away from the part that gets wet.

One afternoon Teii invited us and some other cruisers over for lunch/dinner. Since he is located on a lee shore with massive boulders bordering the bay, landing the dinghy and ourselves was a wet and slippery affair. But, we made it and he had plenty of fresh water to rinse off. The afternoon was social and pleasant, with tasty local food – fatty pork boiled in salt water and coconut milk, bananas boiled in water and rice. We brought some homemade alcohol and a precious box of wine, which he and his cousin were very happy about. By the time we clambered the rocks back to our dinghy, the sun reached the horizon and the tide had dropped. Waves had been crashing into our little inflatable, which had been pushed back and forth onto the boulders. Not a great scene. The dinghy was half full of seawater, the fuel tank floated upside down and the stern anchor was stuck in the rocks. Luckily, the engine did start and we made it home safely, with our rusty stern anchor. We vowed never to visit Teii this way again.

The following day, the family of SV Iona, and Mark and I put the dinghies at the protected dock of Hapatoni, about ¾ mile south of the anchorage, and walked to Teii’s place through the cute village and over the hill. He was awaiting us and led us to well-hidden petroglyphs in the humid forest.  A big stack of bananas became ours, when he hacked the tree down above the ancient rock. An easy way to get to the fruit! Afterwards, he whacked the tree in pieces with his machete and shoved it into the forest to clean up the mess. Since every banana tree only carries one stack of bananas, this is the way it is done. He joined us into the village, where we met one of his cousins, a traditional dancer and artist. Together we gathered some avocadoes, coconuts, limes, a breadfruit and soursop. The day proved to be another good example of the hospitality and friendliness of the Marquesans, and I got to practice my French.

After a day of rest and boat chores, it was time again for more exercise. Mark, Chris, Katie, Leili and I (Chris’ son Dylan stayed home, tired after all the hiking from the previous days) followed a different rocky road out of town and kept climbing until we reached the crest of a big hill. The views were nice and, despite the heat and the humidity, we all felt good after the effort. Another stack of bananas was retrieved the local way to guarantee our vitamin intake and to replace the pamplemousses and oranges from Hanamoenoa. Once our fruit is finished, we’ll have to head back there!

Irie in the Hanatefau anchorage

Irie facing sunset and the ocean – on a lee shore

Cemetery of Hapatoni village

Church of Hapatoni

A neat path out of Hapatoni village

This landslide recently took place and – unfortunately – colors the bay brown

After a snorkel along the edge of the Hanatefau bay

Tricky landing and dinghy parking to visit Teii

Lunch at Teii´s place: Teii, cousin Mark, Pierre, Liesbet and dog “Mon Chien”

Pierre starts Teii’s grill

Chris, Katie, Leili (on Katie’s back) and Teii before our walk to the petroglyphs

Marquesan petroglyphs in the forest

Ancient spot to mix natural paints and sharpen tools

Katie and Leili visiting Irie for some fresh pretzels

View of Hanatefau Bay and the sailboats from the hike up a hill

One of the roads out of Hapatoni village