 |
| Nimata - Freshly harvested and resting on Black Pearl oysters |
Life in Manihiki is well
paced. Steady but there is always something to do. When you walk through
the village and stop to have a little chat you here this one quite a
lot: how are you? Oh, busy. Thanks!
With no supermarkets (two small corner shops), restaurants (a snack bar open 2 nights every fortnight) or
other food suppliers (except for the community sharing their catch), providing the everyday meals becomes a never
ending task. Life follows the cycle of going fishing, catching, cleaning
and enjoying the fish for dinner!
There are other tasks like sweeping
the floors with Kikau brooms, the best and most efficient broom I have
ever used! But this task also takes a lot of time and has to be done
daily if you don't want to have half the beach in your bedroom at night.
And so the weeks in Manihiki unfold in the same beautiful rhythm week
in, week out.
My
favorite task is preparing the drinking coconuts for
the week or how the locals call it "making nimata". Nimata is probably
my favorite thing about Manihiki. The young coconuts are full of
refreshing, sweet coconut water. And their supply here in the northern
group is basically limitless! Nimata is super healthy, full of
electrolytes and vitamins, definitely better for you than our western
synthetic sibling Powerade. If you feel slightly dehydrated on a hot day
in Manihiki, grab yourself a nimata, young coconut, and you'll feel
re-energized as you drink it. That's what we call instant gratification!
Nimata is nature's gift to the people here in Manihiki and we will be
enjoying them chilled after church and after work!
STEP 1: COLLECTING NIMATA FROM THE TREE
 |
| Frederick & I with our stainless steel hook - Ready to get the Nimata down from the tree |
 |
| In full action...A man and a stick |
 |
| My little helpers collecting the fallen Nimata - Yann, Muriel for the female touch and Frederick |
 |
| Proudly showcasing the first step of "making nimata" - the harvest |
STEP 2: HUSKING
 |
| Husking with a view - in our "backyard" |
 |
| Step 1: plant the "ko" in the husk |
It's all in the technique, not the strength. Lucky otherwise we'd go thirsty...
 |
| Sharp "ko" or stick |
 |
| Step 2: pull the husk |
 |
| And keep going until all the husk is off. It takes about 5 times. |
True story... There is this local saying: A Manihiki nimata a day keeps the doctor
away!
 |
| This Nimata cracked when it fell on the ground. That's ok, the flesh called "kiko" will be eaten instead of drunk |
Have a fantastic week everyone and enjoy a chilled nimata if you
can get one near where you live. Though it won't taste the same as
here... and that is probably why the Rarotongans had to use there own
word for the drinking coconut. They call it nu and it is just not as
sweet as a nimata!
 |
| Well worth the effort!!! |
Comments
Post a Comment