Kiritimati (Christmas Island), Kiribati

Posted on November 29, 2024 by richardcedwards

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 1 – the view of the atoll from our Zodiac landing spot at Tabonteke Beach Park, where were greeted by many locals who wished us “Mauri” (“hello” in the Kiribati language)

From Samoa (on the west side of the International Dateline, I.D.L.) and then American Samoa (on the east side of the I.D.L.), we sailed several days northeast to reach the small island country of Kiribati (pronounced KIRR-i-bass), where we anchored off Tarawa Atoll – the largest atoll — for a one-day visit. Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati – formerly the Gilbert Islands when under U.K. [Commonwealth] rule, from 1892 until independence in 1979 — is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is around 120,000, with more than half living on Tarawa atoll. The country comprises 32 atolls and one remote raised coral island.

Geographically, “the islands’ spread straddles the equator and the 180^th meridian, making Kiribati the only country in the world located simultaneously in all four hemispheres: the Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern hemispheres… Kiritimati (previously Christmas Island) in the Line Islands [one of three groups of islands making up Kiribati] has the largest land area of any atoll in the world.” – Wikipedia

“Copra [the flesh of coconuts] and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. Kiribati has the lowest GDP out of any sovereign state in Oceania and is considered one of the least developed countries in the world. In one form or another, Kiribati gets a large portion of its income from abroad. Examples include fishing licenses, development assistance, workers’ remittances, especially the seafarers issued from Marine Training Centre, and a few tourists. Given Kiribati’s limited domestic production ability, it must import nearly all of its essential foodstuffs and manufactured items; it depends on these external sources of income for financing.” — Wikipedia

[Kiribati is] “home to the South Pacific’s largest marine reserve. [While] many of the atolls are inhabited; most of them are very low-lying and at risk from rising sea levels as a result of global warming. With the Fijian government’s permission, Kiribati [in 2012] bought land in Fiji for food security and as a possible refuge. Kiribati’s economy is weak and is largely dependent on exports of copra and coconuts. Fishing licenses, foreign aid and remittances from workers abroad also contribute, as does a trust fund set up with revenues from phosphate mines on the island of Banaba, whose depletion in 1980 hit Kiribati hard.” — www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-16431122

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 2 – some of the shoreline of London village at the western edge of the ocean entrance to the atoll

From our ship we took Zodiacs for a beach landing at Tabonteke Beach Park in the village of London on the north side of the Kiitimati atoll’s western opening. London is the administrative capital of Kiritimati. We were greeted by many locals who wished us “Mauri” (“hello” in the Kiribati language). With a population of nearly 2,000, London village is the second most populous of the four villages on the island (behind Tabwakea, located a little to the north of London on the atoll’s western side).

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 3 – dancers welcomed us at our beach landing at Tabonteke Beach Park

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 4 – a close-up of one of the dancers

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 5 – local youths playing PVC pipes with flip-flops (yes, flip flops!)

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 6 – local shell bead jewelry for sale at the beach landing site at Tabonteke Beach Park

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 7 — a coconut tree (with lots of nearly ripe coconuts) partially hiding a home in London

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 8 – the happy and friendly proprietor of the JMB Mini “mart” store on the main street in London

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 9 – homes along the shore of a small section of the lagoon that appears to be a lake, but is all lagoon ocean water

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 10 – we met a lady who was sun-drying and hot smoking local fish that the local fishermen had just brought in and cleaned and filleted

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 11 – two happy local children

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 12 – by the lagoon beach, the family of one home was raising pigs in their back yard

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 13 – local kids were playing trampoline on a giant ball before they posed for their portrait

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 14 – a lagoon beach-front thatched-roof home

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 15 – a home-made swing hung from a tree provided this young boy with lots of entertainment

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 16 – a small thatched-roof home surrounded by coconut trees; coconuts and fish are the main exports of the islands

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 17 – we were saddened to find this junked car and a lot of “garbage” in an empty lot adjacent to the lagoon shore in the center of town

Kiritimati, Kiribati, photograph # 18 – Betty Trading is one of several general merchandise and “grocery” stores in town

PHOTO

Note that we all found it somewhat ironic that we celebrated American Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November each year) on the ship while visiting Christmas Island (Kiritimati’s former name).

History of the Kiribati Islands in World War II:

From 1941 to 1943, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, during World War II, Butaritari and Tarawa atolls were occupied by Japan. 1943 saw the Battle of Tarawa. The heavily defended Tarawa Atoll saw some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific when U.S. Marines invaded to drive out the Japanese. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, and Americans died in just four days of fighting, mostly on and around the small island of Betio, in the southwest of the atoll. The battle was some of the bloodiest fighting of the Pacific campaign. The battle was a turning point in the Central Pacific for the United States and its Allies.

Garove (Ile des Lacs) Island, Vitu (or “Witu”) Islands, West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea

Posted on September 13, 2024 by richardcedwards

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 1 — Garove (Ile des Lacs) Island is a large volcanic caldera island with a narrow channel to enter the “doughnut hole” lagoon from the south; it is the caldera left after a major eruption almost 300 years ago

From a prior expedition visit, our expedition team recalled that some of the best SCUBA diving in the world was on Garove Island. Garove (Ile des Lacs) Island is a large volcanic caldera island with a narrow channel to enter the “doughnut hole” lagoon from the south. Garove Island is the caldera left after a major eruption almost 300 years ago. The caldera’s crater is about 5 kilometers [3 miles] wide with 100 meter [330 feet] to 150 meter [500 feet] high walls around it. Because those walls are breached on the southern side of the island, the caldera is flooded and forms a superb natural harbor. We anchored in the lagoon for the day. Technically, Garove Island is one of several Vitu Islands – a volcanic group of eight islands located in the Bismarck Sea, located 40 miles [64 kilometers] north of the New Britain (island) coastline, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The Vitu Islands are administratively part of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Generally forested, the islands produce some copra and cocoa and the islands are popular with SCUBA divers. Note that copra is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out.

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 2 — we took Zodiacs to a landing on the western interior coastline of the lagoon to visit the island’s small native Melanesian village

We took Zodiacs to a landing on the western interior coastline of the lagoon to visit the island’s small native Melanesian village. For safety reasons, no swimming or snorkeling took place, as there have been crocodiles sighted in the lagoon. About ¼ mile from the landing spot (the old jetty is broken down, so we had a beach landing) we walked up a concrete sloped walkway ramp to the village, where everyone was very friendly and most people, particularly the younger adults and the children, spoke English. One lady at her home, near the center of the village, offered visitors a whole coconut, whose top she cleaved off, exposing a small hole, enabling us to drink the coconut water, which was extremely refreshing in the warm humid environment. (This was the first day we really felt the humidity, because the forests on the outer rim of the caldera, above the lagoon, blocked the strong trade winds that blow through this region at this time of the year. With calm air, the humidity was very noticeable!).

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 3 – this mother and child were part of the locals’ “greeting committee” to welcome us (warmly) to their village

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 4 – a family that we talked with, in front of their house — as we walked on the trail along the shore to the ramp for the uphill walk to the main village

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 5 – a family at their home that was part of a multi-home compound

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 6 – the communal kitchen building for the families in the compound shown in photograph #5, above

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 7 – outrigger canoes along the shore of the lagoon

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 8 – homes in the main uphill village

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 9 – a young carpenter who was building a new door for a home in the village

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 10 – a rooftop solar panel (the only one we saw on our walk in the village)

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 11 — one lady at her home, near the center of the village, offered visitors a whole coconut, whose top she cleaved off, exposing a small hole, enabling us to drink the coconut water, which was extremely refreshing in the warm humid environment

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 12 – this woman was home shredding fresh coconut meat for cooking

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 13 – happy boys on the walkway to the upper main village; note the mother’s teeth are orange from chewing beetel nuts (areca nuts)

Betel nut chewing, also called betel quid chewing or areca nut chewing, is a practice in which areca nuts are chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves for their stimulant and narcotic effects, the primary psychoactive compound being arecoline.

“The seed is separated from the outer layer of the fruit and may be used fresh, dried, boiled, baked, roasted or cured. The most common method of using betel nut is to slice it into thin strips and roll it in a betel leaf with slaked lime (powder) or crushed seashells. This leaf package is known as a betel quid, betel nut chew, betel chew, betel pan or betel paan (India). Betel quids may also contain tobacco and other additives such as cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, aniseed, coconut, sugar, syrups and fruit extracts, to enhance the flavour. Betel nut chewing is an important cultural practice in some regions in south and south-east Asia and the Asia Pacific. It has traditionally played an important role in social customs, religious practices and cultural rituals.” — https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/betel-nut/ (website of the Australian Alcohol and Drug Foundation)

Garove Island, Vitu Islands, Papua New Guinea, photograph # 14 — the “stairway to heaven” stairs to the primary school and the local church, situated on top of a hill

After visiting the village, we walked downhill, back to the Zodiac landing spot and continued on to reach the “stairway to heaven” stairs to the primary school and the local church, situated on top of a hill. Everyone climbing the stairs was conscious of the fact that there was no handrail and that, years ago, so the story goes, author Peter Benchley (Jaws) had too much to drink and lost his balance and fell off the stairs – breaking an arm.