5th stop: Ua Huka stands for ukelele

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Ua-Huka
February 17th, 2009
Alarm set for 5:30 so that we could see a 180 turn of the boat within 2 rock cliffs in the bay of Vaipaee. The sun was coming over the rock cliffs, one side was grey while the other was Grand Canyon red, almost on fire, and changing every moment as time progressed.
Sailors were sent to each side where cleats had been cemented to the rock floor; for the photo opportunity, the men wore white t-shirts and white hard hats and to make the maneuver more dramatic, there was a (staged?) pirogue that came flying by the ship with 4 or 5 muscular male paddlers wearing all white headgear.
Our days usually start around that time anyway. I have a coffee club (real coffee) at that time on the back deck with Pat and Rosalind from California. Then breakfast starts at 6:30, Terry brings me a second cup out on the back of the pool deck and we go to breakfast. Breakfast is eggs any way if you choose if you want eggs, cheese, meats, toast, croissant, many fruits and juices; also cereal and coffee with warm or cold milk. Then back to the cabin for outing preparation,
Today we are to wear walking shoes and cover up for mosquitoes; some are going to trek from one town on the island to another by horse, we chose 4x4s. So sunscreen and repellent are de rigueur as there are Nono flies also called no-seeums that bite like a bee and Genge fever carrying mosquitoes. We also might swim so bathing suits go in the bag- although Terry went into the cool Marquesian sea fully dressed the other day and that has become the Do a Terry with the passengers on the ship.
And off we go to a ….
Glorious day
A caravan of 4x4 were waiting for us at port. When we arrive in town, it is party time: school is let off, families sell food to the sailors and people come to deliver goods or pick some up. I saw somebody had ordered a pink plastic bathroom garbage can. So smells of flowers, cooking and horse manure as this island, Ua-Huka has more horses free ranging than occupants, last census was 476 people. We drove to la mairie where there was a free museum, an arts and craft sale- Terry bought a Hukelele, and a dance and singing show. Then off to up and down switch backs to a second spot for petroglyph museum and again last chance for wood carvings, but we have a marquesian ukulele already. Final stop, again buffet lunch, we are not served wine on these picnics, but enjoy poisson cru, goat, baked plantain and steamed banana, etc. We then walked to the beach of the Hane beach where the Aranui was newly anchored offshore and swam in the delightful marquesian waters(not as cold as we had been let to believe). The open the hatch in the front of the boat was sent to pick us up- and that was a scary experience as the large waves kept coming in and the boat and gate would almost ram into people. As we embark and disembark from these shuttles, we are man handled sometimes by as many as 5 big strong men, the girls and I love it, Terry enjoys it also- he said, when it happened once to him.
Back at the boat, the ship was decorated for Polynesian night: flowers and greenery around the pool. We worked on the computer for a while as we are having problems downloading our pictures from the Canon s230 Powershot, we need drivers or our cord from the camera to the computer is not working. Then I dressed in my black and white new long pareo with colourfull big hibiscus flowers and I helped Terry wrap my orange pareo around his waist(no top), he also wore a seed necklace in matching shades to his pareo and his marquesian ukulele, also part of his costume. He walked in late to the conference on the next day’s activities (usually just before dinner) and received a hand of applause for his accoutrement; it gave the rest of the men on board the courage to also get dressed in the spirit of the islands. Again, beautiful buffet, shrimp plentiful and brie cheese with walnut bread, etc and lovely desserts. There was a show by some passengers and by the activities crew, Manarii and Mila performed. Mila is the intelligent and knowledgeable guide, mother hen and all around boss who takes us around and tells everybody forcefully what we can and cannot do; she danced the most romantic dance I have seen on this trip and very well, she has so many talents; the dance was called Akarongo Mai which means to her mate Listen to me, very very lovely. A band was brought from shore and we danced a bit, then Terry jumped in the pool without his ukulele and thus refreshed, we went home to bed, way past our usual 8:30, it was almost 10. … again, glorious day.

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