7/19/09 We're so sorry to have taken so long to get this posted! I actually had typed most of it a LONG time ago now, but couldn't get it sent out through SSB, HAM, and... internet?!! I keep forgetting we are in a 3rd world country!!! Sure hope we didn't make anyone worry about us - if anything should ever "happen," we're sure someone else would let you know sooner than we seem to be able to get new entries made for ourselves! :) ****************************************************************************************************************************
Original Post Date was 7-6-09
I think I had mentioned that there is a WWII airplane sunk in one of the lagoons near Naviti Island. Well, we skipped seeing it the first time, but on our way back south, we stopped at Naviti again and made the hike across the island to see it. It ended up being a reunion of sorts - we hadn't seen friends from Warm Rain or Baraka since leaving New Zealand and they were in the same anchorage when we got there. We were still traveling with Destiny, so all 4 boats (well, I mean the crews!) took the hike across the island to see the old Spitfire. The hike itself was somewhat of an adventure. First we had to find the entrance from the beach into the jungle-like terrain - luckily someone had been nice enough to mark it with a big stick because otherwise it would have been tricky to find. Upon entering, we were on a narrow path that wound through dense foliage. There were lots of coconuts on the ground, so we stayed alert to noises above to make sure we didn't get hit by new falls. Some of the ones we walked over were very odd shaped - like snowmen! Instead of just the normal one round ball, they had two (okay, to be honest, no one else was impressed by them, but I thought they were cool!). The canopy atop the jungle area made it shady and cool, so we didn't mind the long walk. The path finally led us out of the foliage and into tall grass a couple of feet over our heads. Like the "Going On a Bear Hunt" song, we swished-swished through it, wondering if we would ever be able to find the same path on our way back. We finally came out of the grass into a beautiful garden complete with a scarecrow. It belonged to a Fijian family who have perfectly manicured their property. We met the 70's something couple and marveled at how great they looked for their age. Because the guys had taken the hike on our first trip to Naviti, we knew the family was there and we brought them gifts of tea and sugar (they had made it clear they didn't want kava!). They welcomed us onto their land and gave us directions to get to the Spitfire. We were now on the other side of the island and walked down the beautiful beach until the reef ended, then donned our snorkel gear. We swam out beyond a buoy and started looking. Glen found the propeller pretty quickly and we all took turns diving down to take a closer look. We then set out to find the rest of the plane - easier said than done! All 8 of us were swimming around the lagoon but couldn't spot it. Most of the others had given up and were almost back to shore, but I had gone off on my own, following a cuddle fish and... it led me right to the plane! (I think it was good karma from letting it's brother live after hooking it while fishing!) Anyway, it was pretty neat to see the plane laying there half buried in sand in about 15 feet of water. It was much smaller than we had expected. The guys had fun diving down and pretending they were sitting in the pilot's seat. Dave was even amusing us with an imaginary machine gun - until he noticed a lion fish lurking inside, that is! Unfortunately, my pictures of the plane didn't turn out, but did get a good shot of the prop. Back on shore, we again visited with the family and heard the story about how the plane ended up in the bay. It went down in 1943, when an American pilot out on patrol clipped a coconut tree and lost control. The elderly man's grandmother was there and saw it happen. The pilot was fine and the family gave him dry clothes and fed him while he waited for a float plane to come from the mainland of Fiji to pick him up. The family told us that in 2003, the pilot's grandchildren all came to visit and see the plane they had been told so many stories about. We had a very nice visit and loved hearing the stories about who all has come to see the spot (they said Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas are regulars on their own yacht!). I had noticed the lady (can't begin to say or spell her name!) had a big, infected looking sore on her leg, so when we asked her about it, she said she would love some medicine for it. Her husband made the long walk back with us so we could give them some medicine and bandages for her. Pretty embarrassing that I was huffing and puffing while this almost 80 year old man was smiling and chatting the whole way! As we said our good-byes, the family gave us all coconuts and lots and lots of lemons.

The next day, the 4th of July, we awoke to a patriotic concert from Destiny. It was fun to think about "the 4th" and all we've done to celebrate in the past - most of which included all of you back home and made us feel a little homesick. We kept thinking how it couldn't possibly be only a year since we picked Denise up at the Pape'ete airport - we've seen and done so much since then! Yikes! Anyhow, we want you all to know we were thinking about all the wonderful 4ths we've spent at home - BBQ's at so many different homes and beaches, harbor putts, fireworks at the lake in WA, a parade in Wilsonia, and the huge flag we flew as a mainsail on our beloved Dorothy Marie (thanks again Ray!). It was a nice warm, fuzzy feeling recalling all the fun in the past and a bit exciting to think we will be back in San Diego for the next 4th. No matter what we do next year, it will have to include corn on the cob - we have so missed that wonderful "American" treat!

Although we only got to spend a little while together, we said farewell to Warm Rain and Baraka and then headed a little further south to an island called Drawaqa. The Tokatokauna Pass goes between Naviti and Drawaqa and is famous for its visits from giant manta rays. We tried to find them when we first anchored, but learned they usually only come in during high tide. That gave us a little time to visit the Manta Ray Resort (and I proudly wore my patriotic flipflop t-shirt!). Now, they use the word "resort" a little differently than we would back home, but it was a beautiful spot and the beer was really cold! It was a perfect spot to celebrate the 4th because there were quite a few young Americans who were staying there in the backpackers' dorm. They loved hearing about our trip and it was fun to hear about their adventures as backpackers - its amazing the amount of courage and money these young people have! We ended up going back for a nice dinner (only $10 FD!) later that evening. Our high tide trip back to the pass was incredible. We jumped into the water with our snorkel gear and had been looking around for only a couple of minutes when we spotted these huge dark shapes coming toward us. Now, we knew the mantas were going to be big, but holy-moly, they were enormous - even bigger than our dinghy! Four of them swam right under us - all in a line. They are so majestic looking as they glide through the water. The current flows through the pass pretty quickly, so we had to swim hard to try to keep up with them. Glen held the dinghy by the painter as we were being pushed backward, so we finally jumped back in and motored back up the pass to do it all again. I swam toward the side of the pass to try to be out of the main rush and two of the lovely creatures were swimming right with me. It was almost as if they were keeping an eye out for me because when I would get tired and stop swimming, they would circle back around and then under me. At one point, I reached out both hands to gain a better distance perception and one of them raised up until it's back touched my hands. It will be one of those things I'll never forget. It felt like a wet vellux blanket. Glen said that it looked like I was being circled by sharks because of the way their wing tips break the surface. Anyhow, it was an amazing experience! The picture isn't the best, but wanted you to be able to see what they looked like. We were surprised at how thick they were, especially their heads. We were expecting them to be more like the sting rays in French Polynesia. (Sunday, we hope this will make up for not feeding the sharks for you! It might not have been as dangerous, but was way cool!)