Opetaia visits samoa and tokelau

ARRIVING IN SAMOA
Opetaia together with his wife, children and parents arrived in Apia, Western Samoa on New Years Eve 2000. This was Opetaia's first trip back to Samoa since leaving the Island at the age of nine. It was a wonderfully inspiring trip, rekindling many fond memories and sparking ideas for songs for the upcoming album.

Above - the dancers at Aggie Greys Hotel on "Fia Fia" night. This is a great hotel, the staff are very friendly and the atmosphere is wonderful. The authentic Samoan carvings and architecture contribute to the uniqueness of the place.

The first day in Samoa - arriving at Alamagoto with cousin Simoe and her husband Efi searching for the exact place where Opetaia was born.

Fatoia - One year before leaving Samoa for New Zealand, the family picked up their open sided house and moved it from Alamagoto to Fatoia. Opetaia stands in the spot where the family house used to be.

Samoa is truly an Island paradise, even if largely undiscovered by tourism. There is every kind of tropical fruit imaginable and the mangoes have got to be the sweetest in the world.

It is a long steep walk to the top of Mt Vaea where Robert Lewis Stephenson is burried but it is well worth the trip. Opetaia and Efi catch their breath before the long and slippery walk back.

Opetaia with the crew from Magic 98FM - from left to right - station manager Corey Keil, his wife, Ursula, Ben and Tom.
THE VOYAGE TO TOKELAU

The Tokelau Islands are comprised of three main Islands - Fakaofo, Atafu and Nukunonu and many many tiny Islets. Finally, after 3 turbulant nights onboard the MV Tokelau and nothing but sea for days Opetaia and the family arrived in Fakaofo. This trip is definitely not for the faint hearted.

The first stop on the way to Fakaofo was the Island of Atafu where Opetaia got the oppportunity to check out the making of a "Vaka" (canoe).

A view from the family house in Atafu.

The traditional canoe or vaka, this used to be the only way to get from Island to Island or Islet.

A day out fishing on the lagoon. The distance between each Island has made the aluminium dingy, complete with outboard motor a valuable addition to Island life.

Family in Fakaofo preparing breadfruit for the evening meal. Even now much of the cooking is still done in the Umu or ground oven.

Opetaia's father gets to see one of the family islands - Matagi tonga for the first time in 10 years. It is a very happy moment.

Matagi tonga is an islet of Fakaofo. The ground is a little more fertile than the main Islands that have no soil at all only pumicy pebbles. The main foods that grow in Tokelau are coconuts, bananas, pandanas and breadfruit. Apart from a variety of Taro there is precious little else due to the lack of soil which makes getting a balanced diet fairly difficult.

A moment of great satisfaction - Opetaia stands on Matagi tonga which unlike other parts of Tokelau is completely untouched by human hand.

A slice of heaven.

Te Namo (the lagoon) The children play for hours in the lagoon checking out all the fish as they brush past.

Olivia, plants her own coconut tree.

Manase rather nervously climbs his first coconut tree.

Luavasa and Opetaia feast on coconut crabs.

The three cowboys - Opetaia, Lorenz and Luavasa. Lorenz, from Germany, enjoyed his visit to Tokelau but insisted it wasn't a trip that your average tourist would expect - there was more water than land incredibly hot weather but great fishing.