Mike giving his speech. At this point I've been holding the holy water for a while, my arms are quite sore and shaky. Didn't help I was worried I'd screw something up...
Vaka Eiva Canoe Blessing November 14th 2008 The opening day of the Vaka Eiva was today and one of the things that happens is the canoes are blessed. This is actually pretty much all that happens. I thought it was going to be a usual day building canoes and then attending the ceremony. Nope.
At lunch I find out that Mike is supposed to do the blessing. And that I’m to take part. Interesting. My role will be to carry the holy water. ... read more
Oceania » Cook Islands » Rarotonga Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965 residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The e... ... read more
I'm setting this up to show my travels from 2008-2009 for the Watson Fellowship. For my fellowship I'll be kickin around the South Pacific learning about outrigger canoes: how they're built, what makes 'em go fast, and how I can make them go fast. I'm planning on visiting the Cook Islands, Tahiti, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, and possibly the Marshall Islands. If you have any tips please let me know!
This blog includes all sorts of stuff. Some of the entries are like a diary entry, telling what's been happening recently. Some are a little story, a different way of saying what's going on.... full info