Photo Gallery - April 2005
Pictures can be clicked to see a large
version of the image.
Tracy and her son Beau. Tracy's family (her husband Ken, daughter Rani and son Manu) have been living on Kapingamarangi for about 3 years. Their boat "Magic" (a sloop built by Ken) is anchored just off the beach from their
shore side home.
The
big tree in front of Tracy and Ken's place is a popular place for kids to swim
and play. Jonah spent many hours there during our visit.
The
skipper under the swimming tree.
Coconut
storage area. Each family has a similar pile of unhusked nuts which they must
collect periodically to keep up the supply. Coconuts are used for both the meat
and for drinking, and for feeding the pigs. It's quite clear that without the
coconut palm life on these atolls would not be possible.
Another
staple food on these atolls (and most others in the Pacific) is the Breadfruit.
Here Tracy is cleaning one in preparation for cooking. They can be cooked in a
wide variety of ways including boiled like a potato, sliced and fried as chips,
fermented underground, pulverized and dried in the sun in big sheets (a photo
showing this is further down on this page).
The
beach as seen from the front porch of Tracy and Ken's place.
One
of three motus at Kapinga where people live, this one being the largest, is
called Ueru and is connected to the main village motu with a concrete bridge.
Jonah
doing one of his favorite things. Reading.
Jonah
and Jordan lounging in the pool. The floating toy is meant to be dragged behind
a fast boat (see photos further down on this page). We also enjoy just tying it
off to the stern of the Queen Jane and reclining in it.
Tracy
in one of their canoes with her son Manu. They had just come out for a visit and
are seen here heading back to shore. Their boat "Magic" can be seen in
the background.
Jonah
on the skerf toy being pulled by Kate. The Queen Jane can be seen in the
background.
The
wharf at Kapinga. Weather instruments can be seen on the left side of the photo.
Kapinga contributes to the US NOAA weather service by stationing these sensors
here. The information they collect is radioed each day to Pohnpei.
Looking
toward the village from the end of the wharf.
Looking
North from the wharf village homes can be seen crowding the water's edge.
From
the same position, looking the other way.
Also
looking North, you can see how close to the edge some of the houses sit. Walls
made of coral rubble are common here as water breaks. When the wind blows hard
from the West (as it often did during our visit) these walls help protect the
homes from water ingress.
The
main street in Kapinga village.
Looking
the other way, the building at left with the overhanging awning is the dispensary/infirmary. Equipment and services are minimal.
The
village at Kapinga is very compact and orderly. It is more like a small town
then any Pacific atoll village we have ever seen. This is the result of the size
of the motu the village was originally settled on (many generations ago when the
population was much smaller). Homes on the main village island (called Soho) are
often so close together as to abut each other like row houses in a city.
This
village home, with woven mats to provide sun protection and some privacy, is
right on the main drag. One of the results of the compactness of the village is
that privacy is quite rare on this island.
Thu
church in the Kapinga village. It is set back from the beach down a narrow alley
between the dispensary and the home next door. Just to the right (off the photo)
is the village office where the council meets and conducts business.
The
office has several offices, a large conference area in the center and a
"radio shack" in the corner.
The
chief magistrate's office. The village recently got its first computer. Sakius
(at left) and Namath Joe (yes, Namath is his first name) are teachers and appear
to be the only two on the island who have used the computer. The captain was
attempting to show them how to make DVD copies (Sakius has a TV, DVD player and
generator at his home and hosts movie nights several times a week - his children
living in the US send him new DVDs).
While
the captain was assisting with the computer, a group of kids congregated outside
to watch. Jordan suggested to the two teachers that they were interested in the
computer. They politely informed him that it was he they were interested in.
Perhaps.
The
radio shack in the corner of the village office. The SSB radio is powered by a
12v battery and solar panel. The computer, on the other hand, is run off a 5kw
diesel generator. The radio is used daily to communicate with island
representatives on Pohnpei (the capital) and to transmit weather data each day.
A
group of kids playing ball. It seemed to me the gave they played was a
combination of soccer and rugby.
A
very cute little girl. A tiny piglet can be seen between the bushes on the wall.
As
is common in many Polynesian cultures, individual homes often include a grave
site where the families ancestors are buried. Here you can see decorative flags
draped on lines around the perimeter. I asked this woman about the flags and was
told (vaguely) that the flags were only put up on special days. Perhaps on the
anniversary of the death. They remind me a bit of Tibetan prayer flags.
The
shore as seen from our anchorage at Kavieng on the island of New Ireland in
Papua New Guinea. We arrived in Kavieng after a 3 day passage from
Kapingamarangi late on the 24th of the month but had to stay aboard until the
26th since the 24th was a Sunday and Monday was a national holiday ("Remembrance
Day").
Another
view of the shore from our anchorage at Kavieng. The powerboat close to shore is
owned by a local Aussie who uses it for fishing, perhaps as a charter for
tourists. Just to the left of the boat is the Malangan Beach Resort.
The
headland at the opening to the North Entrance to Kavieng Harbor. This view from
our anchorage faces North and shows the way we came in.
On
our first day, Monday the 26th, this boatload of handicraft dealers came
alongside to try to sell us baskets, bags and other crafts.
Although
we didn't exactly invite them aboard, before we could speak they had scrambled
onto the deck and laid out there wares for us to examine. We have since seen
these three about town almost every day. They were a bit agressive on this visit
but since then have been very friendly. The workmanship of the baskets is quite
impressive and we bought one right away and plan to buy more before we leave.
Kate
is doing some heavy bargaining for baskets in this shot. The skipper stood high
up on deck shaking his head at each price mentioned until they agreed to a lower
price. They had us at a disadvantage seeing as how we had not even been ashore
yet and didn't know the proper exchange rate. We ended up paying them in Aus$
much more then we can get them now that we have Kina, the local currency.
