Mercredi (Wednesday) 16 May 2012 on the hook at Rairuia, Raivavae Wind NE 10 kts Boatspeed 0 kts Sunny and calm
Raivavae has been a very sleepy and pleasant, subroptical port of call.
Not much seems to happen around here. There are no hotels, bars, or restaurants. There are a 3 villages, a couple pensions, 3 stores, 4 churches and a post office. It's a good anchorage and a very pleasant climate, with temps in low 70s, and not much rain. The biggest events this month are the church feasts. Each Sunday a different church hosts a gargantuan feast, broken up by church services (not the spirited dancing of the other islands). We don't even see children playing in the water like on other islands. We see their school buses passing by.
Today, we finally got out our folding bikes and rode around the island. Most of the way, the road is paved. There's pretty good airport, with one flight a week from Papeete.
Food: people give us grapefruit, coconuts and papaya. A French resident sells tomatos and bok choy. There are chickens running around, but nobody gathers eggs to sell or trade. We found a little mint and basil growing along the road. But apart from taro, staples and the local Hinano beer from the stores. that's about it for provisions. We still have some mahimahi and NZ meat in the fridge. Thank goodness the fridge still works (despite a coolant leak). The cool temps help.
Yesterday, another yacht arrived. Yay! a French guy & his Malaysian wife 5 years into a circumnavigation that started in Malyasia in 2007. They are very lively and good company.
The semi-monthly cargo ship left with our erstwhile crew Mark aboard, bound for the bright lights of Papeete. We'll catch up with him next week in Tahiti.
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