Azure Coconut

Some of the 40 islets that form the atoll of Manihiki   We have departed the beautiful shores of Manihiki after 4 incredible months on this tiny atoll. We are missing it terribly and are trying to soak in the wonderful times we have had there - it still feels like a dream, a period of our lives that we spent floating on a cloud. There is so many people we would like to thank and so much we would like to share about our experience, but where to start? So here is a list of random facts that describe the uniqueness and beauty of Manihiki. Amazing facts that are truly extraordinary to a French Maman and a German Papa with two traveling kids! - There are only 234 inhabitants spread on the two village islands of Tukao and Tauhunu. In the village of Tukao, where we lived: - There are 31 children from 3 to 16 years old at Apii Tukao, with 3 teachers and 1 teacher aid.  Apii Tukao students & Mama Winnie (ECE) and Napa Vaine (Principal) - Cultural Day at Apii Ruamanu in T...

Tukao Village performing their Hymn on Consitution Day, Tukao, Friday 4th August 2017 In Manihiki, you can't just call the guy. Not to fix your bike nor to deliver food! Manihikians would have to be among the most resourceful people in the world, where "do it yourself" is an understatement! Create, make, fix, redo, maintain, renovate, with not much new and few recycled parts. Impressive! Luckily the sense of community in Manihiki is extremely strong which allows everyone to help out and share their knowledge to profit the whole village(s). Though there are a few skills that most of the people have, or are expected to have. And shirt making... is one of them. So when Winnie, the pre-school teacher, dropped off some pareu material I was a bit puzzled. I asked her what it was for and she casually told me that Cultural Day was coming up and kids needed uniforms. The event would take place in Tauhunu the following week, where both Manihiki schools and Raka...

A small part of Tukao's share of Coconut Crabs or Te Kavou Okay, so we have come to love Manihiki as a very special place. The most amazing people, stunning lagoon, beautiful reef and the sweetest drinking coconuts on this blue planet. But yesterday, well, Manihiki has topped it all and put on the most amazing feast for us. A dinner worthy of kings and queens and we are truly grateful that the Manihiki community has shared this with us. So what has happened? All of the Cook Islands have Ra'ui - protected areas where nobody is allowed to fish or hunt in. It is a traditional way of protecting the natural beauty and abundance of the seafood in each island's lagoon. But once in a while, once or twice a year in Manihiki these areas are opened for hunting and gathering. An amazing spectacle begins! I am up, walking the main coral road of Tukao with our youngest at 6am because she is teething and can't sleep. That's when we hear the drums. ...

Things we take for granted – Drinking Water The boys on a mission - ready for a 300m walk to the water station After having spent 3 months on Manihiki we start really operating on island time. It feels so rejuvenating to slow down a bit. Also, and we do apologize for this, it is a natural phenomenon here on the island, we started being a bit complacent with our blog. Finding topics when there are so many to choose from seems like a big task in 30 plus degrees heat. But there are so many things that we could and should write about.   So we decided to initiate the category “Things we take for granted”. Simply because at home (Germany, France or Rarotonga!) there are so many things that we don’t even think about. We enjoy them without truly appreciating how amazing and luxurious certain services are, the ones that we consider normal in our households. How exciting to be out with Papa! You wouldn't believe it when you are comfortably abl...