[password] pilot25041
[position] 27 61.48s 144 33.1w
[status] Rapa - after yesterdays adverse weather throughout the day, by 4pm the winds started to abate, the waves in the bay disappeared and 'normal' service returned, it even started to feel a little warmer. The roast chicken dinner was another huge success and we all retired fairly early ready for our walk up the hill today!

Today was another nice sunrise, after breakfast it was time to don 'walking' footwear, fill up the water bottles and head for shore. We had a brief look around the church, seeing as how we missed out yesterday, a spotlessly clean and functional establishment. We walked past the shop that was again closed at just after 9am and proceeded down the 'high street', a few houses down a lady came bounding out of a house, we exchanged greetings and "cheek kisses" and she asked if we were going up the hill to the old fort ...... to which we said yes. After much gesticulating and talk of "plastic" she disappeared to shortly return with a plastic bag and a frozen punnet of guava, telling us we could pick them up the hill, she then disappeared again as we didn't each have a plastic collection bag and as she didn't have enough promptly went to her neighbour for more .......... anyhow, we were now on our way, each with our own plastic bag and then confirmed the start of the walk up the h
ill with the local municipal worker who was strimming the road verge!

A long, steep and winding route on a very warm/hot day certainly gets you breathing hard, but the views were fabulous and from half way up we could see right over the top to the bay on the western side. The path became increasingly difficult, but we persevered and eventually after about 2hrs reached the top and the 'fort' ........ a stone edifice perched on high! After a few photos, a drink and a breather it was time to come back down, obviously stopping along the way to pick our guava, as previously directed, the fruit is very plenty on each side of the track and it didn't take us long to pick 4 plastic bags of guava. We felt obliged to give the plastic bag donator 2 on the way past her house and kept 2 for ourselves, which will shortly be in the freezer!

We got back to Surreal just before 1pm, had some lunch and then a siesta for the next few hours, to recuperate from our earlier exertions ....... this 'cruising' is such a hard life! We've ordered more bread for tomorrow, when we'll also fill up with water again ready to depart North Eastwards on Wednesday, destination tbc, possibly Tubuai or more probably direct to Papeete as the wind direction forecast is against us.

[END]