Home - Sail Blogs - Adventures of Solace: Manahi

Adventures of Solace: Manahi

Posted 2 months, 5 days ago

Adventures of Solace: Manahi
We anchored outside the main village of Manahi in about 70 ft with a nice stiff easterly breeze. The village was very simple with 2 stores and even some fresh fruit and vegetables. We obliged ourselves to ice cream again. We were greeted by Fernand, one of the locals who offered tours of his pearl farm. We joined him the next morning and he very nicely picked us up. We went with a total of 11 people from 3 other boats. The tour was wonderful and the best 2000cfp we have spent in a long time. Fernand spoke some English along with a niece that came with him. His was a family run pearl farm. It was very interesting and he took us out to the lagoon where the baby oysters are started and where the adult oysters are grown long strings that reach down into the water. He took some of the grown oysters and we ended up back at his oyster shack. He showed us how the pearls are implanted and how they are harvested. He also explained what the difference was between a valuable pearl and what was not. It was incredibly interesting with him showing us every step of the process. He took us outside to the motu and shared coconut milk and fresh coconut with us. For a price we then got to partake in the pearl lottery. FOr 11,000 cfp he would give us 20 oysters and guarantee us at least 12 pearls. It was like a shot at slot machine but with better odds. We decided we wanted a go and I got 14 pearls, of which 2 where reasonable quality. AFter we get to Tahiti and compare the prices, we will really see if we got our moneys worth. At any rate, it was certainly a whole day of entertainment. Fernand was also the local baker and we were able to arrange bread delivery to our boat the next day. Some of the other boats wanted a pig roast so Fernand offered to order a pig and cook it on Saturday. This was to take part at the end of the lagoon, some 26 kms away. Even though the channel is well marked, we just didn't want to travel that far so Fernand offered to pick us up. All we had to do was to move to the anchorage about a mile east. This would be well worth it. ... On Friday we went to town to track down George, the English teacher and were told he would be back on Sunday so we would stick around till then. After getting some eggs in town, we then decided to up anchor to move. It took us over one hour to get all our chain up and finally free it from around the coral heads. Henceforth an introduction to anchoring on coral atolls. We then decided to put out as little chain as is possible in the future. We did better than another boat that had to wait till the next day for Fernand to dive on it to clear it. (Yes he is the man about town). The next morning, Fernand came to pick us up for the pig fest and in his boat was the pig that was to be enjoyed,. He was sitting quite comfortably, looking like he was enjoying the ride. It was a hoot really. We ended up going down to the end of the lagoon in another sail boat and we all thought that the pig would have been dealt to while we were motoring there. When we arrived, the end of the lagoon was rather idyllic, very calm with nice sandy beaches and the pig was sitting in the water cooling himself off. He had no idea. We got to work digging the pit and helping prepare the bread, rice and other delights for the feast. Fernand had brought his family down so we enjoyed the company of the locals and we got to partake in preparing the feast. One thing of note was there was a definite demarcation of roles. When I started to help dig the hole for the pig, I was told to go help make the bread. Who was I to complain. ... The pit was dug, the fire was laid, the coral rocks placed on top to heat up and left for the fire to burn down. Fernand killed the pig by cutting the jugular and letting it bleed out. This saved him having to hang the pig. He did make a lot of noise in the process. It was about this time that a boat load of tourists (from the resort) came along side and some of them were quite disgusted as the pig made his usual racket as he was bleeding into the water. They eventually left, none too impressed. The pig got gutted, skinned, marinated, and laid out on the hot rocks. He was covered with large leaves, damp sacking and sand. Some flour bread and regular bread was made, placed in folded leaves and placed beside the pig before he was covered. There he cooked for about 3 hours. In the meanwhile, we ate rice, fish, different breads cooked on the open fire. We just kept eating it seemed but the food was good. Plates are made by weaving coconut leaves together and we use our fingers. No dishes and hand washing is in the sea. We got to enjoy fresh bananas and coconuts. The guys got to have a go a shelling coconuts the easy way and we played bacchi ball in the sand. When the pig was cooked, it was very enjoyable. we got to eat even more food as the shell fish was cooked, the fish grilled and the bread hot. We even had a desert: Tapioca based with coconut milk. Fernand even played music for us. They then light a big fire to burn off all the coconut husks and leaves they did not use so the island was left in a similar state to when we started. It started to rain at dusk so we packed up and made a hasty getaway. All in all it was a wonderful day to enjoy with Fernand and his family. That he would take the time out to share his time off with us was amazing and appreciated by all. This guy was amazing and truly made our stay on Manahi well worth it. He allowed us to partake in his way of life and show us how they live. ... After Fernand delivered our bread the next day and took away our trash, we were visited by George, the English teacher. He had worked with our daughter in London last year and had been following our travels. When we were close to the Tuomotus, he contacted us and invited us to visit him. He invited us for dinner the next evening and we were glad to accept. We spent the day doing some boat chores and enjoying the company of other cruisers. Tarun and Cats Paw had joined the anchorage, making for a Canadian invasion. Prairie Oyster were already here. ... When dining with George we ere able to gleam a little of the way island life works and some of the interesting politics. He was also generous and fed us some very good NZ roast beef. Him and his wife Fabian were very interesting people and had worked and lived in many places around the world. We learnt a lot about how French Polynesia works. We were more than glad to share with them the inevitable Lemon Meringue Pie. It was long dark by the time we made out way back to our boat and we decided it was time to move on the next day. Manahi to us has been one of the highlights of all of French Polynesia and we would gladly visit again. Fernand and George are the 2 people that really made it so enjoyable for us and both gave us the ability to really look at the way people live on these isles. Full Story »

Comments are currently disabled