Cast Away

A few weeks back we spent the weekend on the tiny island of Monuriki. Famous of being in the Tom Hanks film Cast Away, we went along to help out a BirdLife project to remove unwanted goats and rats which were threatening the native seabirds and iguanas that are found there.

Before landing on the island we had to visit the clan who owned the islands first and present a Sevusevu. this involves saying who you are, what you intend to do, and the offering of a gift of Kava. Then we made the short crossing to Monuriki and landed on the beach with a bump. As the photos show it was very rough and tricky to get shore.

With no running water, shelter, electricity, pants (I forgot them), we camped on the beach as a group and had a fabulous time. The work involved watching a helicopter spread rat poison across the island using a specialized bait-sprinkling-bucket. It started at 7am and was over by 9am - just in time for relaxing and snorkeling...

The island was full of seabirds breeding in burrows on the floor. The wedge-tailed shearwaters come in after dark in their thousands to excavate burrows in the sand and make an eerie "baby-crying" call.

Anyways, pictures speak a thousand words so here's some slideshows of the fun. Enjoy!