By 1030 I left MaRe to go to the tiny harbor where I wanted to start my walk and do errands.

First I stopped at Magasin Leille to buy some raisins and cookies. The shop assistants, all family members, are very friendly and helpful. If it only would be possible to walk through the shop and look at the products they sell…

Next I went to the place where I got recently bananas, shaddocks, and breadfruit. Wanted to bring them a small present from Japan, which my OBM left on board for such occasions. The man and the son where not there, but his wife and a mother. So I left my little present with the wife. I will come back next week or so. Or I meet him at the shuttle ferry for the airport. It seems he works there.

Then I kept on walking towards the SW end of the village. First I reached the grave of the last king, who got a little chapel like building for himself, the ordinary people just got a normal grave outside. What I observed was two things. First I recognized the people passed away pretty early. Most of them in their 50s or 60s. Second, I saw only 2 graves with people who died in 2022 and nobody in 2023. This with an island population of about 2000.

From lady of the French catamaran ZaiZai I learned that close to the Meteo weather station there is man called Leon and a lady named Moniqua and they have plenty of bananas, shaddocks, etc and happily give away because they do have so many.

I looked if I can see someone at a house nearby, but there was nobody to ask.

So I continued my walk. I wanted to go to the ruins of the former convent of Rouru. Father Cyprien Antoine Liasu, with building and medical skills, started 1836 with the building. 8 years later the convent’s buildings were completed. The Cluny sisters took over the task of teaching
native women and children how to live as good Christians as well as running a kind of medical station. I wonder why it should be better to live as Christians then their own native life?

On the way back, I saw at one house a lady and asked her for Leon and Moniqua. It turned out she was the sister in law of Leon who is currently on Tahiti. While I talked with her in my broken French, her husband Olivier looked for shaddocks and brought me a bag of shaddocks. On board I counted 16.

Then Olivier took me with his car to an area with plenty of fruit trees and looked for bananas. At the end i received about 50 bananas and 20 lime.

At the end he brought me with his car to MaRe’s tender, docked in the tiny harbor.

What a generous person!!!

It’s a pity that I don’t have any small presents anymore on board.