S 17° 34.266
E 178° 40.601

I started the day before making dough because I thought I’ll bake 20 l’epis as a contribution from our side. Thus, Friday morning I got up early to start forming and baking.

We left MaRe at 1700 with 20 l’epis in my backpack. This time, the tide was still high and crossing the reef in front of the village as possible.

When we arrived a few young men and boys helped us to carry the dinghy up on the beach out of the reach of the high tide.

We went to Reni & Vecu’s house and found them there. I gave the l’epis to Vecu. He and Reni loved them and ate one immediately, sharing it with a young lady who came Levuka for the festival.

Coming for a village festival is an important part of the culture of a Fijian village. Normally, there are about 20 adults living in the village but for the festival around 50 people came to island. They all had a kind of family connections to someone in the village. Meme, who is connected to Reni & Vecu, came all the way from Nadi, on the west side of Viti Levu, the main island. Thus, the village was pretty crowded. We talked to people at every corner.

While strolling through the village, we had a closer look to a group of young men pounding dry yaqona roots for making kava. It’s quite heavy work. They had to do It using an at least five centimeter thick and at least one meter long metal rod as a pestle. The counterpart of the motar was made of a stem of a tree, about a meter high, about 40 cm in diameter, and carved out.

The festival started with a dinner in the community hall, a large, simply built house to accommodate a lot of people. To make sitting on the floor softer, it was covered with plenty of loose palm tree leaves underneath the ‘ibe’, the palm tree leaves mat.

For the dinner, there were two long rows of, what I would call “table cloth” spread over the ibe. On them, plates for every one. The dinner doesn’t start with all people the same time. In a certain time frame people came, sat down and had their dinner. Bowls with cooked fish in coconuts milk, cassava, bread, fruits, rice where brought. We were asked to join a group of people and have our dinner. It goes without saying, it was delicious! Step by step we learned who around us was from the island and who was not. Most of the people around me came to the island for this event only. The openness and friendliness of the people is fascinating. Thinking about how foreign people are often treated in Europe or other rich countries, I always feel ashamed. How lucky I’m being able to meet these wonderful people and others in Fiji. The poorer the people in terms of money, the richer they are on warmth of their hearts.

After having dinner every one left again to sit somewhere outside on small groups for conversations. A lot of stories needed to be shared.

Joe was sitting on the grass with Vecu and group of men who came to the islands for the festival, and called me to join. Again the questions about where from and where to. Then someone started smoking and passed the “smoke” around. I first thought they are smoking marijuana. I was wrong! It was only a normal cigarette being shat shared with everyone around who wanted a smoke. Another element of sharing. Sharing goes so far as to share even a cigarette. I should see this later the evening very often.

There was very low Fijian music to be heard. A singing, which I connect to south pacific islands. For a moment I thought the wind carries the music from further away. Then I saw a green LED beside one of the guys sitting downwind of me. The music came from there. I enjoyed hearing this, what they called ‘old Fijian music’. The very low volume gave the impression it’s blown to here by the wind.

After a while, we were asked to come along into the community hall. The hall was pretty full already. All were sitting in groups of close to 10 people. We were asked to join a group of already 3 – 4 people sitting already around a bigger plastic bowl as it is used in kitchens. There were 3 – 4 half coconuts shells beside the bowl. That’s for drinking kava. Others joined our group. Among them Meme and Sova. Sometimes also Reni and Vecu came by.

Behind us there was a huge speaker. Music must have been streamed to it via Bluetooth from someone’s mobile phone. Modern Fijian music. For me the volume was too loud to have a conversation. I just can’t hear what my neighbors say. As a consequence, my conversations were limited to the short breaks in the music. A pity, but I don’t hear that well anymore.

On the other side of the hall there was a bigger group of young men sitting and preparing kava. It’s quite a lot of work, which continues through the night. The pounded routes are filled in a strainer bag, and placed into water. After few minutes, the bags are squeezed, dipped into water again and then the bags where treated like ‘handwashing’ them. Doing so the fine parts of the pounded roots pass through the fabric and become the part which is drunken. The young men worked on that all night long. The ready to drink kava is distributed into the bowl in the center of each group in a small bucket. There was always plenty of kava in the bowls for drinking.

I checked with perplexity AI about the effects of kava in mind and body and got the following summary: ‘Kava primarily relaxes the mind and body, reduces anxiety, and promotes a calm social state with mild sedation. While generally safe in moderate traditional use, heavy or combined use with alcohol and certain drugs poses health risks, especially to the liver.

I didn’t feel anything in particular. Maybe I was too relaxed.

In each group there is always one person who serves the kava in half coconuts shells. First the kava liquid is stirred with a coconuts shell to ensure the active ingredient, a beige colored powder, is properly dissolved. Then some is poured into another coconut half and given to a person. This person drinks it immediately and returns the empty shell. It will immediately filled again and given to the next person.

Already a bit later in the evening Reni came by and had some kava and cigarettes with the people of our group. Then she tought me what needs to be done when drinking kava: When someone offers you kava, you clap once in your hands, take the kava and drink it immediately. While you drink at least one other person claps twice in the hands, after returning the empty coconuts shell one claps 3 times in the hands. The clapping has to be a lower, damped sound. Thanks Reni for teaching me this.

Later the night a brother of Reni announced the result of the fund raising event. Almost 3000 FJD (roughly 1500 EUR) where collected for a solar project in the village.

There was often some dancing to the music. No special place foreseen as a floor. Just where there was a bit of space.
Suddenly the man, who distributed the kava in our group, asked me if I would dance with a lady from the other side. Sure, I said yes, but was wondering why I got the question through the man sitting beside me.
Quite a while later we danced.

The evening, or better the night was long. At a certain point, maybe 0200, I went back to Reni & Vecu’s house. In the big room, where I could place my little bag pack when we arrived, there was a kind of mattress placed beside my backpack with a pillow on it . Joe slept a few meters away and there were about 3 people more sleeping in this big room. I felt asleep instantly.

My end of the festival and night full of things I could enjoy. How lucky I am.

S 17° 18.776
E 178° 13.667

After a very nice day at land yesterday – a catching up will follow – we left the bay this morning as usually at around 0900. Destination is Nananui-i-Cake island’s bay on the west side.

While writing this text, we approached the entry of the Navolau Passage and I could not continue writing. When you look at the track (https://share.garmin.com/P435) you will see that I had to change directions very often. The tracking intervall is set to every 10 min, which is the shortest one. I just checked the Garmin link and saw that the 10 min tracking interval is still a bit coarse.

At this entry point I furled the genoa to have better directional control in the narrow parts of the passage. Bevor that I need to trim the genoa too tight to slow down MaRe so we could stay behind SV Dina Helena.

In the meantime we at anchor in the destination bay. 15 m water, 60 m of chain, bottom looks and feels like sand. Prefect!

SV Dina Helena is about 50 m on our STB side. We might meet later for a cup of tea/ coffee and some coconuts cookies, which we got yesterday in a tiny supermarket.

In about an hour I will bake fresh bread.

S 17° 34.266
E 178° 40.601

Already next day, shortly after the bread for our new family was ready, we took off to the village. The tide was good.

We only wanted to bring the bread as a thank you gift for the lunch the day before.

Reni and Vecu liked the little present of 2 freshly baked and still warm breads. It made me happy being able to give them a small token of our appreciation.

We ended up having another lunch with other people of the village coming for lunch to Reni & Vecu’s place. The same place, where Sova is living as well. It was special for me experiencing this sharing community.

Fresh fish in coconuts sauce but today with boiled breadfruit was what I ate. Needless to say it was delicious like hell. Just want to mention that the breadfruits are of smaller type than in French Polynesia. There breadfruits are grilled and here they are boiled. Both ways they taste good. I have to more way to eat them: small cubes and pan-fried and even raw when they are too ripe for boiling or frying.

Today, there was another Fijian islands speciality on the table. Freshly made lemon grass tea. Vecu, just went behind the house, cut a few leaves of lemon grass, bundled them and put it into how water. Minutes later the lemon grass tea was ready to drink.

Then came another surprise.

They invited us to the village festival, a fund raising event for solar equipment on Friday night. Although we wanted to leave Thursday by latest, we quickly changed our plan and took the invitation with a lot of pleasure but also a lot of curiosity of what we will experience.

Because of the night and the tide it was immediately clear to me that we need to spent the night until next day in the village. We quickly understood that there will be a place under a roof in this village.

On the way back we met again Birgit, the German lady being married to a Fijian men from this village. I mentioned her already in the first narration about this village. She will not be on the island on Friday as she has to be with her husband on main land.

We left the village with the plan to come back on Friday. Until then I had to do some work.

S 17° 27.131
E 178° 14.858

This morning Joe came out being sick. She caught a cold the other day. Thus, after breakfast she went back to her bed to sleep, while I went over to Henk & Marija for a cup of coffee and a delicious piece of cake, Marija baked and an attempt to go to the village.

Then we took off in my dinghy to explore the village. However, we could not reach the shore at almost low tide; not even with the outboard motor tilted. We also had a look at the other village. No access at low tide.

Henk, proposed to go into another bay. A few NM further north. It looks good.

Thus we prepared for departure. I thought Joe is too sick to come out thus prepared for single handed departure. When the engines ran, she came out and took over the steering part, whereas I lifted the hook. She did the steering pretty well. Thereafter she went on the sofa in the salon where she sleeps now again but told me I can wake her up when needed.

Thanks for good steering, but now I want you to become healthy again.

At 1515 we were at anchor in the Viti Levu Bay. The bottom of the bay is extremely flat, which indicates that is a sandy bottom. The hook is down at 7 m with 45 m of chain. Prefect hold.

SV Dina Helena is about 100 m in front of us.

S 17° 34.266
E 178° 40.601

Two days after our first visit we went back to the village. We wanted to see a bit more and talk a bit with people to learn more about the village and life on the island.

Pretty soon after walking up the beach we met Sova, who seems to be always around when needed.

Sova told us were to find the path to the former resort in the other side of the southern part of the Naigani Island. We took off. First we crossed an almost dry stream. While standing on the stone and concrete built dyke, harald a young guy came and we had small chat. As he had two halves of an open coconut in his hands, he offered us one. Because there are more coconuts on the islands than can be eaten, I took his offer.

We continued on the trail which brought us into the jungle with plenty of light coming in along the trail. It’s to be seen that the trail is used often.

Then we saw the first houses of the resort. Some where heavily battered by cyclone Wilson (2016), some went through the cyclone better. However all were abandoned.

We met a man from the village. He and four colleagues from the village have the task to keep the surroundings between the house clean. They do a good job.

It seems the owners are not really interested in reviving the resort for whatever reason so. 9 years no repairs etc, this doesn’t look as if someone wants to invests money.

For the people of the village this means a hardship because there were quite some jobs for them. These are all gone. Jobs in the resort means cash in the village for things they need to buy.

We walked to the sandy beach which is actually a nice one to relax. It was strange that there were 2 two boats in the water.

One of them was aluminum built and designed for bringing divers to a spot. The other was a smaller one. Why are they in the water? Maybe the people from the village used them to go to Ovalau, or even Viti Levu. Shore access by boat was on this side easier than at the village side an also possible at low tide.

Back in the village Joe and I strolled on separate ways through village to look at things which appeared interesting. After a while I saw her sitting under a tree talking with a nice couple, Reni & Vecu, and I walked over to them.

The conversation continued for while. Sova also came by.

Suddenly Reni invited us for lunch. We hesitated a bit but then took the invitation. But then we accepted. Crabs and fish in coconuts sauce as stable food of the day it was cassava (maniok).

There were already 4 – 5 people sitting around the big table for a dozen people. It’s a coming and going the once with filled stomachs left and other came in. Days later I talked with Sova and it seems there are 2 – 3 houses in the village where food is cooked and shared with other. It’s a sharing community.

I carefully watched how other were eating. When eating crabs, fingers are the main tools and the end of crab leg is a perfect tool to get the met out of legs etc.

But fish was eaten with the fingers which is as easy as it looks. I never forget that a Filipina friend who taught me how to eat properly with fingers told me that it looks awkward… Thus, I was a bit afraid of eating with my fingers.

Somehow I made it, and the meal was incredible delicious.

At the end tea was served and ‘babakau, a kind of bread made of yeast dough and deep-fried in oil. Delicious as well.

It turned out that Vecu, Reni’s husband, is the baker of this excellent bread.

While watching a young guy during sitting across the table eating this bread, I got the idea to thank Reni and Vecu for their hospitality with two freshly baked breads the next day.

When we needed to say goodbye it was for the day only, Reni gave me a big, warm hug and said, “You are now part of our family; we are your family here.” What a wonderful gesture.

Then we really needed to leave the village before the tide was too low to cross the reef.

We made it back to MaRe by going around the 2 other reefs on our way.

What a wonderful day it was, filled with surprises I could not even dream about.

S 17° 32.441
E 178° 22.851

At 1600 we had the anchor down at 15 – 16 m. Pulling back it felt like sand or mud. 60 m of chain are out.

We could sail for most of the part of thee day. Only the last 2 NM the wind fell asleep and we had to use the engines.

At the anchorage it’s sunny again. No rain anymore. No wind. Peaceful.

Henk & Marija will come over in an hour for a glass of wine. We will also talk about what to do tomorrow.

S 17° 34.109
E 178° 32.277

We started delayed because of rain, which creates a very poor visiblity under the sea surface.
Thus, we left only at 1130.

About half an hour ago we started sailing. No top speed only a bit less then 4 KN SOG.

SV DINA HELENA is a bit faster in the light wind have. About 8 KN TWS with an AWA of 160 deg PRT.

So will have a slow sail day.

S 17° 34.251
E 178° 40.615

After a great time in the village of Naigani Island, we will sail again. I will upload two more narrations on the wonderful time in the village ASAP.

Together with the Dutch SY Dina Helena of Henk & Maria, we will sail today over to a bay on the main island. It’s only 20 NM.

I met Henk & Maria the first time back in Hiva-Oa. That small is the world when sailing in the south pacific islands.

You can follow me using the Garmin link.

S 17° 34.266
E 178° 40.601

These days my narrations are more catching up stories then real time or same day written.

The reason is simply the wealth of things experience and the normal boat work. Planning ahead, contacting marinas, answering emails, and talking with loved ones over Signal, my main and safe messenger. In the evening I’m simply a bit tired and sometimes fall asleep before my head hits the pillow.

I started my daily fitness program again. Altogether it takes an hour every morning. However, it feels so good.

As mentioned in my “250828 Naigani Island at Anchor” blog, I’ll now catch up with story about the village.

Let me add that the next day 3 cats and a monohul dropped their anchors in the bay. We said hello to them before we took off for the village. They also wanted to come to the village doing their ‘sevusevu’.

It takes about felt 15 min to go by dinghy to the village. The first time we had enough water to make it over the large reefs at 3 corners along the shore line. Thereafter I went further outside around the outer edges of the reef. A safety measure.

I knew already in advance that the bay in front of the village is filled with a huge reef. However neither the Navioncs map nor satellite images indicate where the pass through that reef is.

This final reef I passed very slowly while standing in my dinghy to have a better view into the water. At a certain point I tilted the outboard motor to have less draft but still enough propulsion. Close enough to the beach that we can stand in the water, I anchored the dinghy with a stern and bow anchor. This way it was safe.

Kids playing with an old surfboard and a sea kayak or just swam in the warm water, watched us coming in.

Walking up the narrow sandy beach we met immediately a Fijian lady. It almost seemed she was waiting for. It was Sova, with whom we had our first chat. “Where is your boat? Where do you come from?” Etc. These conversations are good because they built a feeling between us and the people of the island. It’s their island and we are only ‘intruders’ because we want to see their island and their village for curiosity of a life so different to ours back home in European and Japanese cities. We want to peek into their lives in a natural paradise.

While talking to Sova, the people from the other boats arrived as well. Sova explained that the head of the village is in Levuka but she will bring all of us to an elder of the village who will do the ‘sevusevu’ with us.

Before that, Sova brought a piece of cloth for Joe to wrap it around her body as a skirt, needed in Fijian culture. How thoughtful and helpful.

Then all of us foreign sailors were sitting in a circle with the elder of the village on the ‘ibe’, the palm tree leaves mat, which is the normal floor cover in all Fijian islands. The material, leaves from the pandanus palm tree also ‘screw palm tree’ called, is abandoned here, and there are always people around who have the skill to weave such mats and other things for daily use.

We foreign sailors placed the yaqona roots in front of the elder and asked for permission to anchor in the island’s waters and walk on the island.

He asked a lot of questions about our countries, where we were before and where we want sail next, etc. He really was interested to learn about us, but also talked about the island. At a certain moment he changed to Fijian, to me it appeared like ceremonial phrases in which he welcome us to his island. It’s always nice** to be part of a sevusevu.

During the sevusevu Sova and another lady where sitting in a corner of the big room in the background.

After the sevusevu the elder asked me not to wear my cap while walking in the village. I removed it immediately and thanked him for his advice. Later I went to him again to thank him again for his cultural advice. It ended up in an longer conversation and I could take pictures of him and his granddaughter.

With the group of the other sailors, I walked up the hill hoping to get a great view down to the village and the bay o maybe even into a neighbor bay. I got the view.

On top of the mountain there is an about 50 – 60 m2 solar power plant with storage batteries and a diesel generator as a back up system. However, it’s not for the village but only for the mobile phone antennas as well as radio link antennas. The village doesn’t get power from there and the mobile phone network seems not to be that stable.

The houses have only rather small solar panels on their roofs. With them they can charge their mobile phones and have one LED light for the night. It’s a pity that the government doesn’t equip the villages with proper solar systems and maintain these installations.

The village has 2 churches, a catholic one and a methodist one for about 20 adults and their children. The latter one is still under construction, the catholic church was the refuge when in 2016 the cyclone Winston hit the village.

While I talked with Birgit, a German lady who lives in the village with her Fijian husband. She met him on the island when she traveled as backpacker in Fiji during the that time coupe d’état and took refuge in the resort on the other side of the island. The two of them live mainly in Germany but spent every year longer times on the island. Her husband, unfortunately, was for business on the main island Viti Levu.

Joe in the meantime found a group of young people to whom she talked under a big tree. A young man called Solo and two young ladies. They are on the island because of school vacations. Normally they live in Levuka and Suva, where they get their education. It was again nice to sit on the ‘bose’, a community platform under the big tree and talk.

Suddenly, Solo asked Joe and me, if we want to have a popo, a papaya. As we did not have much left, I said yes. When he came back, it was not only one Papaya, but 7. One we ate immediately altogether, the others we took back to MaRe.

Then it was time to leave the village because the tide was rolling out and the water gets too shallow over the reef. Solo and two other younger guys helped us to get the dinghy in the a bit deeper water. Solo also explained my their pass through the reef. It is marked with 2 floats as they are used for pearl farming on other islands.

Happy and filled with all we experienced in the village with its wonderful people living a simple and happy life in their paradise we arrive back at MaRe.

The final walk to Tom’s farm, as he calls it, was quite long because it’s in the Draubuta village.

First we passed the house of another cousin who was just cooking a meal in the kitchen outside on the terrace. Very common in warmer area like in Fiji. Her husband was working on coconuts milk. A not that simple procedure. Short greetings and we continued our walk.

When we passed the school of Draubuta village, to which Tom’s farm belongs, a group of boys and girls played rugby, the favorite game in Fiji. Tom called them and gave them candies. It’s Tom’s way to make children happy.

We kept walking and soon left the main road for a gravel road before turning into a dirt road leading to Tom’s farm.

A soon as we reach his farm the children came running towards him. It was obvious that they love him. Especially Una, who lived with him and her mum for a while on a boat. I Una later again on the boat, and one can see’s a boat girl.

All kids became candies an they liked then as a special treat.

There are three generations living in the house and Tom takes care of them. A great human attitude.

The farm is house in the middle of a rich nature with vegetables and fruits. An area of about 300 – 400 m2 was freshly plowed up to plant vegetables.

I had a freshly baked bread with me as a present and gave it to Kara, Tom’s partner and Una’s mother.

The other ladies, Kara’s older sister and mother stayed in the background until we left and then they waved Good Bye.

The oldest boy brought drinking coconuts for Tom and me. What a delicious drink!

Tom showed me a historical place closed by. It was a ford in what was in the past a deeper, and I assume, wider river, which protected the core of the village. This ford was the only place into village, thus, as Tom calls it, a killing field for defending the village. Like all over the world there were in the past many wars and people were killed for their stupid leaders. It was a sad atmosphere there and we soon turned around.

On the way back to the house, we looked a bit at the larger cassava fields. Cassava (English: manioc, tapioca) is a main stable food in Fiji. It grows very quickly. Pull a root out cut, the root and put an about 20 cm – 40 cm long part of the about 2 – 3 cm thick stem into the ground and in 12 – 18 months another root is ready for being pulled out. The roots can be kept in the ground until needed; it’s a pretty good way to preserve the vegetable in the warmth of these tropical islands.

I took a picture of Tom standing in the late afternoon sunlight in one of these fields. He looked happy and content. Although he’s a fisherman and sailor he feels connected to the countryside life, the life he grew up with.

Then it was time to say good bye and we left Tom’s farm. We had quite a way back home.

First we stood at the street to Sausori just waiting for a car to stop. As Tom explained me, there will always be car coming whose driver wants to earn some money by giving us a lift. It happened pretty quickly that we got such lift; 10 FJD (about 4 – 5 EUR) to Sausori where we took a bus to Suva. From there back to the place where the Tom’s tender was moored.

Bevor we got into the tender, we had a small dinner. Tom, being very familiar with the place, brought a meat dish with lots of onions for me and for himself a fish. It was delicious. After cleaning our plates, we took off with the tender and Tom brought me back to MaRe.

Tom, vinaka, thank you so much for this wonderful trip into the village of your childhood and youth, and to your farm. In both places I could meet incredible friendly Fijian people linked to you. It was a trip into a world rich on nature and happy people.