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Journal of Wallace Wong: Rarotonga to Hawai'i (October 17-31, 1992) Oct. 17--Did my good-byes and last minute errands. The long awaited trip has come down to a few more minutes before Bruce Blankenfeld [Hokule'a's navigator] comes up the drive way. Every car that passes by sounds like Bruce's truck and makes my hea rt skip a beat. It's a familiar drive to the airport: concrete, traffic, mountains and sea. We almost missed our flight because of the Cook Islands regulations of having a round trip ticket before leaving Honolulu. A few calls and Dutchie bright helped save the day. We a re on our way and everyone is packed and ready to go. Malia is on her way home from San Francisco and was to meet me as I was to board on my flight to Rarotonga, but we couldn't wait any longer. It was a great flight as I noticed just how much water we were flying over and thought about that same amount of water we'd have to cross to get back. It was night when we landed in Rarotonga and we were greeted by a lone musician playing a ukulele with a collection of island classics and many smiling brown faces. Tua Pittman [navigator from the Cooks Islands] was one of those welcomed faces who greeted us and made us truly feel at home. This is surely paradise. After loading and unloading our gear at Tua's home we drove to the ending of the Pacific Island Art Festival opening ceremonies. I really felt at home with the many different island groups being represented. This event was very special and different from anything in Hawai'i. Everyone here was here for a special purpose; and a joyous one at that. Oct. 18--woke up early and went aboard the Hokule'a and did some minor inventory and cleaning. It felt good to be aboard again and she looks terrific. Rarotonga looks beautiful by day. It's so peaceful and simple and the people are friendly and eager to share a smile. Some people in Hawai'i say why travel to the South Pacific islands when you can find the same thing in Hawai'i, but it's really not the s ame - the people here seem more sincere. We attended a cocktail party this afternoon with invited guest, dignitaries and the rest of the Hawai'i delegation. We had a blast. For lunch we were served a Hawaiian luncheon complete with kalua pig, laulau and poi. We got to meet a lot of beautiful peo ple and as I sat and enjoyed the party I couldn't help but think about our journey and how vast the Pacific really is. This was the first of many special days to come. Oct. 19--Had an early breakfast at the local school; canned spaghetti, bread and cereal with coffee and juice. It wasn't a four star meal but it was enough. We then headed for the canoe for more inventory and cleaning. We removed all the food conta iners and began preparations for our supplies. It seems like an endless task but all necessary for a successful voyage. Spent the second part of the day shopping and enjoying the Pacific arts festival held throughout the town. There are people everywhere and it seems like a large Polynesian Cultural Center. I bought some post cards and sent them off. I also got a few t-sh irts and other tourist items for home. It was raining for part of the morning but everything seems to have cleared. Nainoa posted a crew watch because of the shifting winds. My watch was from midnight to sunrise. It was a beautiful night and the wind had calmed down by morning. The stars were out in full force and Orion was up in the early morning. I was fortunate to be on this watch because I was able to catch the performing arts show last night. My only regrets was that I was only able to catch the first half of the Kamehameha performance. W hat I did see of their performance was great but it seemed kind of practiced and not really natural. Oct. 20--The morning turned out great. Our watch was rough for awhile and it was my first experience feeling the wind do a full 360 degree shift while we sat near the canoe. We spent all day loading the canoe with food and water. It took awhile bec ause we needed to divide all our food supplies into daily rations and our water was being loaded at a local water filtering company. It was a very hot day and whatever spare time that we had we visited the shops. After we were done, mike Tongg drove us to vaka village where we were to have our canoe parade ceremony. It was a beautiful lagoon type area with a nice sandy beach and a pretty good surfing spot at the point. I tried to get mike to take us around the island but we didn't have enough time. We had dinner with the Kamehameha Schools delegation at their hotel. It was chili, rice and macaroni salad. I stuffed myself. Their hotel is located next to the vaka village so after dinner we ended up driving around the other half of Rarotonga. It only t ook us about 25 minutes but it was a beautiful drive. This is a really beautiful area and I am glad to be a part of this experience. Oct. 21--We awoke before sunrise and headed for the Hokule'a. We are to sail from the harbor to vaka village for the ceremonies. We were towed out of the harbor and we raised our sails and the canoe began to move. There were a lot of hands on deck so I went below to catch up on some sleep. I forgot to bring my camera on one of the best day for photo opportunities. As we lowered the sails there was a giant double hulled paddling canoe at the entrance to the bay. It was an awesome sight to see that c anoe as well as the rest of the canoe contingent from around the South Pacific. The beach was filled with people as we marched to the stone altar to place our ki'i from Niu Valley. It took us awhile to get there because we first had to secure the Hokule'a . There was a brief ceremony then we were led off to lunch at the local marae. Lunch consisted of kalua pig, chicken and taro and coconut. It was a delicious meal and very filling. The entertainment that followed was great and complimented the meal. The C ook Islands dances and costumes are similar to Tahitians to the untrained eye. We later moved all of our gear out of the tents at Tua's house to the luxurious Pacific resort. We should have moved here first. Oct. 22--We may sail on Saturday depending on the weather. Nainoa wants a favorable wind to help us with the whole trip. We did more loading on the canoe then we had some free time. It was another scorching hot day and it felt good to take a swim. I caught a ride into town with Steve and Ka'au. Ka'au just finished a foot race carrying two bunches of banana's around a sizeable field. It was a Tahitian sport and Ka'au finished sixth. When I got to town I borrowed some money from Kathy Kam-Ho for a pa ir of badly needed sandals and more souvenir shirts. I called Malia and it was good to hear her voice and her funny sense of humor. I can't wait to begin our voyage and get back home. The phone company is right down the street from Tua's house and I walke d over and caught a ride back to vaka village to watch the maori canoe welcoming. The Maori canoe, Teaurere, was supposed to have sailed in with us but they were delayed by storms and escort engine trouble. The beach was equally crowded and I was envious of the Maoris as they were doing their haka or ceremonious welcoming chants to each other. Canoe to beach crowd and beach crowd to canoe, combined with the Cook Islands welcoming contingent of chanters and dancers as well as the Hawaiian contingent welcom ing Clay Bertelmann home. It made proud to be standing on the beach today and gave me a good feeling for my voyage back to Hawai'i where my family is. Oct. 23--Everyday there is a little more work to be done on the Hokule'a to prepare it for its journey home. Everything is checked and rechecked to ensure a safe journey as I slowly get acquainted with this beautiful sailing vessel. Nainoa checked the weather forecast and says we may leave on Sunday or Monday and he's hoping for good sailing winds to get us up to the equator and out of the southern hemisphere where we should be cleared of the southern typhoon season. We are all ready to go, but the safety of the crew and canoe as well as the success of this voyage is the main concern for now. With our free time today, Carlos, Archie and I rode bikes around the island. Carlos took us through the back roads where there was less traffic and more island life to explore. Carlos is a wealth of knowledge and I was glad he was with us. He taught about Cook Islands customs and helped us a little with the language. He told us that the Cook Islands people as well as other people of the South Pacific are easy to talk to and approach because they are into people and not much material things. It was a great ride with beautiful scenery as well as people. It took us awhile but it was worth the ride. We met a lot of people along the way as we stopped to shop and enjoyed the arts and craft programs. After a swim and a delicious spaghetti dinner we headed for the night performance at the park. Western Samoa, Cook Islands, Maoris, Hawaiians and Tahitians performed till the cold early morning hours. It was an excellent show which was a great cultural an d uplifting experience. Oct. 24--We made final preparations on the canoe then we all went to town for a luncheon in honor of all the participants of the arts festival. The people of Rarotonga put in a lot of work to make a feast for everyone. I hope this festival doesn't put a dent in the' economy of Rarotonga. These are a very giving people. If this festival was in Hawai'i you'd be on your own and spending a bundle. I didn't feel to well today. Had a slight fever and a touch of diarrhea. Went to see doctor Sharman and he gave me some medication. I later went to dinner and had a t-bone steak. It was the first time in a few years that I've eaten any meat, but I needed the protein. I called Malia later and talked to her about our trip. I miss her and we haven't even started yet. After the call I stopped at the fashion show and caught a few of the latest Pacific I sland fashions. The best that I saw was a tapa made dress fashioned in the Cook Islands. Mr. Hoe and his family was there and I caught a ride home with them. Oct. 25--I felt a little better this morning and I was glad we didn't sail today so that I could recover completely. We all attended church today and though I couldn't understand most of the mass the universal language of music was present. Mass seemed to have made us all more relaxed and prepared to leave. The people of Rarotonga are by far the sincerest people that I've met so far. Coming here has really left a positive impression on me about life in general. Just sitting on the beach and talking to a local named Tautira was very enlightening. He told us a bout the people, their attitude and their way of life which was beginning to change like everything else in the world. Oct. 26--We got the word from Nainoa to leave today. Spirits are up and everyone is ready to go. We had missed the fronts passing late last night so we'll try to catch up on its tail end. The beach was filled with well wishers. There were speeches and prayers and the Kamehameha Schools students sang some beautiful songs for our departure. It was sad leaving Rarotonga and its beautiful people but we are all looking forward to the trip and r eturning home to our loved ones in Hawai'i. The canoe is moving well and the conditions are excellent for our first day at sea. We caught our first fish; a 25 pound mahimahi; it was beautiful as well as delicious. Oct. 27--On our morning watch the wind was blowing strong out of the southeast. It began to weaken when we came on for our evening watch. The highlight for today was catching two mahimahi at the same time. I'm glad we caught those two because it wa s my turn to cook and I didn't have a clue of what would be on the menu. I didn't want to start on our dinner supplies yet. For dinner I fried some mahi and Terry made mahi soup. We served it with rice and a tossed salad. I didn't eat much. Can't seem to hold anything down right now. I took a shower up front in the net and it felt good to wash my hair. It's so cloudy tonight that you can't see any stars to steer by. Steering is done with the feel of the wind. Oct. 28--Today Nainoa spoke to the space shuttle astronauts. Everyone was excited and it took awhile to get everything coordinated. The wind has been pretty mild at times and the sun is hotter than ever but I'd rather have these conditions than stormy conditions. We didn't catch any fish today so we settled for our food boxes. On the menu for today was stew and rice, corned beef and c abbage with a nice tossed and fruit salad. There wasn't many stars in the sky due to all the cloud cover so we just sailed with the wind. Oct. 29--The winds were pretty mild for most of the day as we slowly inched our way across the Pacific. Carlos is helping us with our Hawaiian language as well as teaching me a few chords on the ukulele. The group practices its song that Carlos pic ked up in Aitutaki and hopefully we'll sing it when we get into port. Things were moving pretty slow until the ono hit one of our lines then the cooking/feeding frenzy began on board. Everyone was moving and cleaning and cooking and cutting that it was amazing we had enough room on deck. We ended up with ono sashimi, ono so up, rice and tossed and fruit salad. It was ono! The beginning of our shift was cloudy but the wind began to pick up which cleared a path in the sky for the stargazers. Oct. 30--The wind seems to be out of the east and our direction is more of a northerly one. I thought we would start heading for Hawai'i until Nainoa changed the tack and started heading in more of a southerly easting direction to gain more eastwar d progress. The change in tack made me quiet because I didn't feel well and needed to get readjusted to the motion of the ocean. We ran into a few squalls during the night but the only major thing was pulling down the jib. Earlier, during the day we pulled in two more ono which we served up for lunch and dinner. The left overs may even carry into breakfast. We kept a watch out for birds and debris which would indicate signs of land because Nainoa says we are near the northern Cook Islands and we wouldn't want to run into them at night. Oct. 31--We woke to find ourselves in the Society Islands. Ra'iatea to the north with all the other islands around. The winds are mild and the word from Nainoa is that we may end up at Papeete if the winds keep coming out of the northeast. A hot commodity on deck during the day is shade but you need to be careful when sleeping on deck during the day. I fell asleep in the shade and woke up in the scorching sun with my speedos on. My legs were totally burnt and if Malia finds out she is going to lecture me about the uses of sunscreen and dangers of skin cancer. We had tuna and cabbage with rice for dinner and it was delicious. Scott came out as the great pumpkin for Halloween and passed out candy to all of us. It was a warm night and the stars were out. It's amazing to be out here. |