Seen from the back of a car: Ocean, The reef protecting Huahine, and the lagoon.
After sailing all night we went through the pass of Maroe Bay in Huahine at 6:15AM with a beautiful sunrise. Aedgard on Lariekoek followed close behind. We anchored just off the village of Maroe in crystal clear water with a little reef behind us. Huahine consists of two islands: Huahine-Iti (small) and Huahine-Nui (big). Maroe is on Huahine-Iti.
Each time we visit an island, we have an urge to see "all" of it, rather than just a few bays. This time we set out to see all of Huahini-Iti by hitch-hiking. We split into two teams, each covering the same ground in opposite directions. The teams were:
Clockwise: Ewout and Jet.
Counter-Clockwise: Judith, Hein, and Eltjo.
The rules for the exercise were:
- Take a photograph of each person giving you a lift (Auto-Stop in French).
- Eat an ice cream.
- Collect the following items:
-- 1 Paperclip
-- 1 napkin from a restaurant with a printed name on it
-- Autograph or stamp from a government official (Police, Firefighter etc.)
-- Fresh edible fruit, not bought.
-- Random item that expresses the joy of being in Huahine/a cruiser.
Receiving a paperclip from the hotel manager
Both teams meet at a "magasin" in search of ice cream
It was a fun afternoon. Ewout and Jet completed their trip with just two rides. The other team needed 5 rides. Halfway around the island the two teams met and hunted for ice cream. But the one and only 'magasin' that we found sold no ice cream, so we all settled for a cold drink. After that the counter-clockwise team had some difficulty getting a ride as no cars passed. It was late in the afternoon, they walked for an hour and were starting to think up a plan B, when finally a car passed, stopped, picked them up and took them all the way back to the boat, arriving seconds before the clockwise team.
The local population is *extremely* friendly. Tourism is way down, but they told us that it doesn't hurt that badly: "There is a lot of fish in the sea, fruit in our backyards, people spend little money in the stores, and we do not need to heat our homes." - Anonymous local.
Because of the tourism being down, there is even more fruit than usual. We received an abundance of pamplemouse, bananas, pumpkin, and heads of lettuce. No matter what we said, we were not allowed to pay for these. What an island!
Who is the winner of the treasure hitch-hiking hunt?
The readers need to decide! When you decide keep in mind:
- Neither of the teams managed to find ice cream
- Ewout and Jet had a paperclip and a signature from a government official (one of their rides worked in social security), whereas Judith, Hein and Eltjo did not manage to obtain these (they had so much fun they forgot the trivial stuff).
- Both teams had the required napkins.
- Random joy of being in Huahine item: Ewout and Jet bought a beautiful sea turtle carved from an oyster shell. Judith, Hein and Eltjo picked a bunch of colorful Huahine flowers and took a picture of a splendid green outrigger canoe (they did NOT spend money).
- Fresh edible fruit: Ewout and Jet brought bananas and a pumpkin (fruit?). Judith, Hein and Eltjo brought a coconut and a noni.
- Both teams had pictures from all their rides, of course the counter-clockwise team (JHE) had three more rides so THREE pictures more.
- Even though they had many more rides, Judith, Hein and Eltjo managed to arrive at the starting point seconds before Ewout and Jet. However, Judith was not done saying goodbye to her last ride or taking a picture of the driver until well after Ewout and Jet sat down waiting for her team to be ready to return to Bravado.
PHOTOS OF THE RIDES
Eltjo, Hein, and Judith: Ride 1
Eltjo, Hein, and Judith: Ride 2 (yes we rode in the back)
Eltjo, Hein, and Judith: Ride 3 (yes once again we rode in the back)
Eltjo, Hein, and Judith: Ride 4 (lady went *way* out of her way to drop off at Bravado)
Jet and Ewout: Ride 1
Jet and Ewout: Last ride. (lady is the government official who provided a signature)
TEAM "JOY OF HUAHINE" PHOTOS
Each time we visit an island, we have an urge to see "all" of it, rather than just a few bays. This time we set out to see all of Huahini-Iti by hitch-hiking. We split into two teams, each covering the same ground in opposite directions. The teams were:
Clockwise: Ewout and Jet.
Counter-Clockwise: Judith, Hein, and Eltjo.
The rules for the exercise were:
- Take a photograph of each person giving you a lift (Auto-Stop in French).
- Eat an ice cream.
- Collect the following items:
-- 1 Paperclip
-- 1 napkin from a restaurant with a printed name on it
-- Autograph or stamp from a government official (Police, Firefighter etc.)
-- Fresh edible fruit, not bought.
-- Random item that expresses the joy of being in Huahine/a cruiser.
Receiving a paperclip from the hotel manager
Both teams meet at a "magasin" in search of ice cream
The local population is *extremely* friendly. Tourism is way down, but they told us that it doesn't hurt that badly: "There is a lot of fish in the sea, fruit in our backyards, people spend little money in the stores, and we do not need to heat our homes." - Anonymous local.
Because of the tourism being down, there is even more fruit than usual. We received an abundance of pamplemouse, bananas, pumpkin, and heads of lettuce. No matter what we said, we were not allowed to pay for these. What an island!
Who is the winner of the treasure hitch-hiking hunt?
The readers need to decide! When you decide keep in mind:
- Neither of the teams managed to find ice cream
- Ewout and Jet had a paperclip and a signature from a government official (one of their rides worked in social security), whereas Judith, Hein and Eltjo did not manage to obtain these (they had so much fun they forgot the trivial stuff).
- Both teams had the required napkins.
- Random joy of being in Huahine item: Ewout and Jet bought a beautiful sea turtle carved from an oyster shell. Judith, Hein and Eltjo picked a bunch of colorful Huahine flowers and took a picture of a splendid green outrigger canoe (they did NOT spend money).
- Fresh edible fruit: Ewout and Jet brought bananas and a pumpkin (fruit?). Judith, Hein and Eltjo brought a coconut and a noni.
- Both teams had pictures from all their rides, of course the counter-clockwise team (JHE) had three more rides so THREE pictures more.
- Even though they had many more rides, Judith, Hein and Eltjo managed to arrive at the starting point seconds before Ewout and Jet. However, Judith was not done saying goodbye to her last ride or taking a picture of the driver until well after Ewout and Jet sat down waiting for her team to be ready to return to Bravado.
PHOTOS OF THE RIDES
Eltjo, Hein, and Judith: Ride 1
Eltjo, Hein, and Judith: Ride 2 (yes we rode in the back)
Eltjo, Hein, and Judith: Ride 3 (yes once again we rode in the back)
Eltjo, Hein, and Judith: Ride 4 (lady went *way* out of her way to drop off at Bravado)
Jet and Ewout: Ride 1
Jet and Ewout: Last ride. (lady is the government official who provided a signature)
TEAM "JOY OF HUAHINE" PHOTOS
Eljto, Hein's Joy of Huahine: Riding in the back of a truck in a tropical island
Eljto, Hein's Joy of Huahine: A green outrigger canoe waiting to be used
Jet's Joy of Huahine: Wind blows through your hair as you tour an exotic island with your dad
Jet's Joy of Huahine: Discovering new places
Jet's Joy of Huahine: Trying on an *orange* Pareo
Jet's Joy of Huahine: Fizzy water to quench your thirst.
Jet's Joy of Huahine: Peaceful boating scene
Jet's Joy of Huahine: Quiet anchorage with Raiatea in the background
Jet's Joy of Huahine: Wandering down a country road at sunset.
Which team won? What do you think?
Dear Mante Family,
ReplyDeleteI think that WE are the winners of your hitch-hiking contest. It's such a joy to read of your fantastic adventures and to see the beautiful photos that you include. Thank you!
Ginny Young (friend of the Chans')