Azure Coconut

Tobia & I, with Yann all eyes on Excalibur  “I don’t even know how many blades we broke!” Says Tobia Tobia first born son of Papa Tobia Kaitara while we are sitting in front of his home overlooking Manihiki lagoon. His father lives by himself in one of the bird houses or shelter built by the New Zealand government after cyclone Martin hit the atoll in 1997. See our blog entry about the shelters for more details. Straight in front of us are the remains of Tobia’s family house. The roof is almost gone but the walls are still solid. The four fishing boats tell the story of how this beautiful place has once sheltered a family and was their base to support the many mouths that needed to be fed. Papa Tobia Senior and his kids mostly lived off fishing. Still to this day the younger generation comes to ask Papa Tobia Senior for advice on what fish will bite with the next moon. What’s the best way of catching it? Papa Tobia answers with the confident smile of a man who simply...

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. ...