Manihiki Magic - Yeah, it's Boat Day today


Lady Moana in Tukao, Manihiki

Supplies in Manihiki are very limited, as mentioned previously on the blog. With 2 or 3 little shops in Tukao, there's no way to purchase meat or vegetables, baby foods nor fancy things like cereal bars or plunger coffee powder. When you live on a small remote island like Manihiki, you have to ship most items in. Making sure all necessary things arrive demands meticulous planing and crazy organizational skills. Once the boat is seen on the horizon, Manihiki goes into Boat Day mode. The island comes to a stop and you'll meet everybody down at the wharf! It's Boat Day. 

Lady Moana

It starts with a rumour. Tapi's boat will be coming in May. The rumour becomes more concrete and precise by the day. Lady Moana will be sailing to the Northern Group the third week of May. And then there is an actual date. The ship will be leaving Rarotonga on Thursday. So we ask friends in Rarotonga to do the shopping for us. Baby items, snacks for school, Dettol and plasters, coffee by the carton, a bit of chocolate, cereals for breakfast, flour, sugar and oil, potatoes and onions by the sack, a few bottles of wine and cartons of beer. Then comes the real stuff, the frozen goods! Vacuum sealed meat, frozen vegetables, frozen fruits, cheese and other bits and pieces. The supermarkets in Rarotonga are used to delivering goods to the wharf, to the one shipping company that sails to the Pa Enua, the outer islands. They offer this excellent service that allows you to order via email, over the phone or directly at the supermarket. No need to carry the large and heavy goods, they will be kept fresh at the shop until the boat is ready to set sail. It is extremely exciting to be delivered your groceries (ordered 3 weeks prior) to your door, on an island 1,200km away! 

So after leaving Rarotonga two weeks past the initial departure date, the news spread on the island that she would arrive in beautiful Manihiki the following week. Everyone was getting ready to unload the ship and receive cargo. The island comes to a pause when it is Boat Day. Every resource is allocated to this task that is a very well orchestrated show of man power, boats, tractors and other heavy machinery. 

Vaine Tukao taxiing between Lady Moana and the wharf

We make our way to the wharf a first time with no success - the boat was still in Tauhunu, the southern village in Manihiki. Just a few hours later we see one of the two red tractors drop off a couple of boxes at the dive shop, and drives further to continue the personal deliveries. Our excitement is high, as much to receive the goods ordered earlier in the month as it is to see the logistics of Boat Day. 

Digger in full action

As we arrive for the second time, the wharf is at its peak of frenzy - it is an incredible spectacle to watch especially for Yann our little man. Lady Moana awaits past the reef, with its engine on. The ocean (Moana in Maori) seems to be a bit too rough for the ship to anchor. Vaine Tukao - which means the Girl from Tukao - sails back and forth, from Lady Moana to the wharf. The crew on land helps to load the cargo from the boat to the digger. The digger then brings the hanging cargo to one of the tractor's trailer or to the ground, depending on what it's carrying. In the meantime, the other red tractor is delivering the previous load of cargo, and the fork lifter re-organizes pallets at the wharf or delivers them directly to their happy recipients.

Yann enjoying the spectacle

While most of the boys on the island attend to the loading, unloading, driving, organizing, delivering, Reni and Jane from the Island Council account for each parcel and tick off the manifests. We are truly amazed at the smooth system in place. The thing that we are less impressed with though... all frozen goods are missing!!! That means no meat and no vegetables until the next boat comes, who knows when! Oh well... We will have to become the world champions of spearfishing in Manihiki! 

Yann, Rachel and Moeroa looking for crabs

Courtney, celebrating the wine & champagne delivery

The boys carrying 4-month oil supply 

Check out our Instagram - Azure Coconut

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