And the Whales Make Free in the Harbour
The humpback whales are here! Each night we see them around the boats, yes around the boats. Friday night they were around Toketie and Madeline (a young American couple Jeremy and Megan). Saturday night they were around us. We were sitting below after dinner and we heard them blowing right next to the boat. Kind of freaks you out.
We went for a bit of a walk on shore on Sunday and explored a few of the sea tracks from the road down to the cliff edge. The last one we went down we sat and watched a pod of humpback whales slowly work their way north along the coast. I hope to see them during the day around the boats as the water is so clear you can see over 35 meters to the bottom. It would be fantastic to see them swimming. The whales continue to amaze us. Sunday night we listened to them underwater as they swam beneath the boat. They are calving here so lots of noise and activity.
We continue to have a great reception from people here. Sunday, we hitchhiked down to the south end of the island to the Washaway Café, the only self serve bar in the South Pacific. It is on the "Must Do" list here. Willie, the owner/cook/host is great. During a slow time he came over and we talked about the island, the culture, the people, what was happening and why. He had spent a number of years in New Zealand as a mechanic and came back to Niue recently. Like everyone else here, he has a number of things on the go to earn a living. He has the café that is open on Sundays, he is a fishing guide, and he is the local mechanic. His experience with cyclone Heta was a bit different. There used to be trees in front of the café that you could see through to the water. The cyclone wiped them out of course and now, there is a panoramic view of the shoreline and people can watch the whales from shore. Willie described it as a three million dollar view, courtesy of cyclone Heta. I call it urban renewal courtesy of nature's fury. We caged a ride back with an Australian couple who are here for a week on holiday that we had met the day before at the yacht club. Monday morning was laundry day. Part of the facilities provided by the yacht club is a shower/toilet block on the pier. It is kept immaculately clean and has this nice, large, stainless steel sink for doing your laundry in, a treat after doing it in buckets in the cockpit. Cathy and I spent the afternoon on shore walking around, arranging for a rental car and generally getting to know a few more of the locals. We went the local backpackers as they have a book exchange and met the owner Illa. Her family is from Niue but she was born and raised in New Zealand. Her father always wanted one of the daughters to return to Niue and a couple of years ago, Illa and her husband decided to do just that. They, again like everyone else here, have multiple jobs and are slowly making a living here. You won't get rich but everyone seems pretty content with things. We pick up a rental car today for the next three days to explore the island. There's a lot to see!
We went for a bit of a walk on shore on Sunday and explored a few of the sea tracks from the road down to the cliff edge. The last one we went down we sat and watched a pod of humpback whales slowly work their way north along the coast. I hope to see them during the day around the boats as the water is so clear you can see over 35 meters to the bottom. It would be fantastic to see them swimming. The whales continue to amaze us. Sunday night we listened to them underwater as they swam beneath the boat. They are calving here so lots of noise and activity.
We continue to have a great reception from people here. Sunday, we hitchhiked down to the south end of the island to the Washaway Café, the only self serve bar in the South Pacific. It is on the "Must Do" list here. Willie, the owner/cook/host is great. During a slow time he came over and we talked about the island, the culture, the people, what was happening and why. He had spent a number of years in New Zealand as a mechanic and came back to Niue recently. Like everyone else here, he has a number of things on the go to earn a living. He has the café that is open on Sundays, he is a fishing guide, and he is the local mechanic. His experience with cyclone Heta was a bit different. There used to be trees in front of the café that you could see through to the water. The cyclone wiped them out of course and now, there is a panoramic view of the shoreline and people can watch the whales from shore. Willie described it as a three million dollar view, courtesy of cyclone Heta. I call it urban renewal courtesy of nature's fury. We caged a ride back with an Australian couple who are here for a week on holiday that we had met the day before at the yacht club. Monday morning was laundry day. Part of the facilities provided by the yacht club is a shower/toilet block on the pier. It is kept immaculately clean and has this nice, large, stainless steel sink for doing your laundry in, a treat after doing it in buckets in the cockpit. Cathy and I spent the afternoon on shore walking around, arranging for a rental car and generally getting to know a few more of the locals. We went the local backpackers as they have a book exchange and met the owner Illa. Her family is from Niue but she was born and raised in New Zealand. Her father always wanted one of the daughters to return to Niue and a couple of years ago, Illa and her husband decided to do just that. They, again like everyone else here, have multiple jobs and are slowly making a living here. You won't get rich but everyone seems pretty content with things. We pick up a rental car today for the next three days to explore the island. There's a lot to see!
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posted by Brian Ackles - S/V Cygnet at
10:54
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