Aitutaki & Auckland
Today marks the second week I am back in the
office for a full week, I have been lucky enough to have traveled around the
country and to New Zealand recently. I had a week in Aitutaki and a week in New
Zealand.
Approaching Aitutaki I realized that I was
fulfilling a childhood fantasy – to be Dr Geoff Standish of the Royal
Australian Flying Doctor Service. I could almost taste the beer from Vic’s bar
and hear Dj’s annoying banter over the radio, in fact I think Rebecca Gibney
was sitting next to me. I am mad but here I was flying to a far flung locale on
a rickety pencil-plane in pursuit of better lives for all. Instead of an arid
outback station, however, I was heading straight for the brightest turquoise
colour that I have ever seen. You can spot the colour of the lagoon long before
you can make out the motu or the reef itself. Aitutaki’s natural lagoon is
beautiful – vast and vivid, ringed by sandy islands. I was amazed before I even
touched the ground. Dr Geoff eat ya heart out!
There are four schools on Aitutaki, three
primaries and the only full high school outside of Rarotonga. I was there to
help plan technology use and to develop funding plans to assist their needs.
The island is to Rarotonga, what Raro is to Auckland – there is a noticeable shift
in the hustle and bustle and a real step up in the laid-back nature. Aitutaki
is small. Smaller resident population than a NZ high school small. Although
tourist numbers do boost the population and ensure there are bars and
restaurants to water yourself at, everyone knows everyone. The schools held
their annual sports day competitions while I was there, think an athletics
competition held in the spirit of an Empire Games circa 1956. Marching on to
music, in lines with arms swinging, pennants fluttering! The pride of your
school is at stake. Egg and spoon and sack races – cuteness overload with the
juniors. All of the track and field events you could swing a stopwatch at! A
deep spirit of competitiveness ran through the day and there would have been
many a pleased parent at the loss of voices by the end of the day. The
community was out in force and there was kaikai aplenty. A really nice day to
see in action.
One small side note – the Sunny Beach. The motel
where all of the advisors stay in Aitutaki. A Formica and Crown Lynn paradise.
It was the most spotless time warp I have slept in for a while, but Papa Rata
and Aroha were wonderful hosts and there was a chair set down on the beach
which made for those ‘Am I actually here’ and sunset moments. I thought my
bedspread was retro-fabulous but have since been outdone by a frilly pink satin
number down at Rino’s Motel, you have got me there Gary!
I was lucky enough to be able to stay and get sun
burned on the Saturday. Dani treated me to the special Cruise that Air Raro
lays on for their guests. A waka cruise around the motu of Aitutaki is a must
do before you kick the bucket. I was lucky enough to be able to do it with
considerable style: Buffet BBQ, cold bottle of Chardie and a smoking deck.
Ahhhhh… The lagoon up-close is even more stunning than from a distance. The
colours are other-worldly, the most unnatural turquoise, simply beautiful. I
was able to traipse in the footsteps of the Coral Route – The flying boat route
across the Pacific and I left footsteps in the sand where Sinatra, Bogart and
Brando felt the sand between their toes. Certainly a spot for the romantic –
there was a chalet on One Foot Island, where after the cruises left you can
happily run around starkers and have the entire island to yourselves – they
resupply you with food and drink every day and you are stranded in paradise.
Well maybe one day!
Contrast the brilliant sunshine and brilliant
natural hues with landing in Auckland at 5am in the middle of an icy rainstorm.
Welcome home. I had the opportunity to spend a week in Auckland with the
Liggins Institute at Auckland University. With a group of Tongans and Cook
Islanders it was the first time that I have been in a situation where I was in
my home country representing the Cooks. The Mamas at work gave some pupu ei
(shell leis) and I wore them with pride. We were there to continue develop the
Pacific Science for Health Literacy Project, an inspirational project working
to use education to improve health outcomes in the Pacific Islands. Jacquie Bay
- the leader of the project has boundless energy and a zeal for making the
project work and the schedule was punishing. Still, we managed to approach the
project from many angles: research, classroom, personal experience and a school
visit. One of the unexpected results was a renewed pride in the NZ education
system, where we are innovative and world leading, but also we are richly
resourced and privileged. If you are familiar with the NZ decile system (10
richie rich – 1 poor) think of a Cook Island school as a decile 1 and then
think of a Tongan school as -10. At Tonga High, the premier academic college in
Tonga, they do not have one data projector. They don’t have paper, most of the
windows don’t work and the ceilings are falling in. Yet, the principal there
and who was on the trip, is one of the most engaging and inspirational leaders
I have met. I was brought to tears by another member of thew Tongan delegation
as she explained that the reason she was involved in the project was the recent
loss of her husband to the disease we were working to build education
programmes around. It was wonderful to catch up with friends and family and
enjoy some fancy kai and coffee. I was worried that I would not want to return,
but I was only a little sad to walk through the departures gate.
Well, I have slipped back into my daily routine
again – scooter, work, lunch, scooter, walk, beach. I am back at home. Most
importantly for me, the trip back to Auckland has shifted my mindset, Raro is
now my home and a rather nice home it is too! It is lunchtime and I am sure
that Vic has my icy schooner waiting at the Majestic. I will say hi to Violet
and Nancy for you all.
