CLOSED ON SUNDAYS
Raiatea Island was our next destination, a.k.a. the religious capital of Polynesia.
We had to motor our way there because winds were so light; this year the trade winds were not as consistent as usual. Big low-pressure systems were blowing wind in from the west and knocking out the usual south east trades.
The boat’s engine needed some work doing to it so while it was laid up in Raiatea we explored the passes around to try to find some surf. We found a fun little left close to a beautiful private little island. There I met a local guy, Tutaina, also a sup surfer, and he told me a lot of fascinating stories about the island and invited us to check out the ‘Marae’. The Marae was a religious place where Polynesian navigators would go to get blessed, human sacrifices would even be made ahead of their big journeys through the Pacific. The place definitely had a lot of energy. The time to up-anchor had come to but Tutaina will remain in our memories as an example of a true Polynesian.
