Aitutaki Pre Vet Trek

Day 1

With so many volunteers at the Esther Honey Foundation for a limited amount of time the pressure is on to utilize their number and talents. There are several activities that we can undertake to make the most of this opportunity: deep cleaning and organizing the clinic, conducting a census of the local dog and cat population to bring in as many “intact” animals as possible to be desexed, and conducting a Vet Trek to one of the outer islands where we do not have a permanent veterinary presence as we do here in Rarotonga.

With this goal in mind I jumped on a plane to Aitutaki with the idea of making contacts to lay the ground work for a subsequent trek. We’ve been so busy at the clinic however with all the volunteers and a new Clinic Manager that it was a very last minute decision and I had only an hour to get my head sorted before having to check in at the airport. With a few posters and flyers in hand and a few other things to get me through a couple of nights I was dropped off at the airport.

Having organized two Aitutaki Vet Treks in the past, but not actually having had the chance to go myself, I was keen to see what everyone was raving about. Just before I left I sent out a couple of emails telling some local accommodation/cat owners that I was on my way. Arriving at the airport I wasn’t surprised that there was no one there to pick me up and had to think quickly as the small airport would soon clear out. I spoke with a man who was organising a pick-up for the Aitutaki Pacific Resort and was graciously given a ride to the Etu Moana Beach Resort. On the way, the driver told me about five cats who frequent the Pacific Resort that he would like Esther Honey to treat. So, only moments off the plane and I’m getting an idea of what to expect.

As I was dropped off at Etu Moana I promised the driver that I’d come to the Pacific Resort to have a look at their situation before I left the island. I walked into the Etu Moana resort and met with Amanda and Steve Millar, the managers at Etu Moana. They asked how long I would be on the island and offered me a room at their resort. What a blessing. It was a great place to set up base camp and allowed me ample relaxation in the evening. Anything I could say about the accommodations would not do it justice. I recommend checking out their website http://www.etumoana.com. They have two handsome cats, one of which greeted me upon arrival.

About a half an hour later the other accommodation owner I had emailed rolled up in a van at Etu Moana and took me to their place called the Boat Shed. They lent me a scooter for my time on the island which was just what I needed to conduct Esther Honey business! Thank you Allen, Maria, and staff.

So now I was set. I had a place to rest my head and transport to get around. The race was on to demonstrate how Esther Honey can make the most of their support to benefit the island. It was about midday and as I approached the first school I saw a row of classrooms with children inside and out. They all smiled and greeted me, testing the little Maori that I know. One of the students kindly guided me to the principal of Araura College, Enoa Raea, who told me that all the schools were having a half day in order that the island teachers could all get together at another school. Enoa and I chatted about the possibility of my doing presentations for the kids during the VET TREK and he seemed pretty keen. So we exchanged contacts, I gave him a poster, and I was off again to meet the next principal at the school just across the yard.

The principal of Araura Primary School is Gene Bartlett and he too was interested in having Esther Honey offer presentations for all the kids when we return. I handed him a poster for his school and promised to keep in touch to plan for our future presentation to the 150 kids that he looks after. He warned that I could miss the next school on my list if I didn't know what to watch for and told me the landmarks to guide my way. As I was leaving, a few more children walked up to me and again tested my Maori before I scootered off.

Before finding the next school, I stopped in at the Administration Office to see if I could talk with the Agricultural Officers as we worked so closely with their Mangaia counterparts during our last Vet Trek. I was kindly told that they were on a lunch break and that if I returned in an hour I would probably find them here.

Finding the next school was a little more difficult, but thanks to the directions from Gene I quickly back tracked and found the correct lane to go down. Here was the small Vaitau primary school. Two rows of classrooms joined at one corner creating an “L” shape with a big yard surrounding a beautiful large tree and various things for kids to climb on. The children were busy cleaning up the school, sweeping with Kikau brooms and piling up chairs, when I met with Ingrid, the school's principal.

We had a quick chat while she was organizing her students in their cleaning efforts. I spoke to her about the possibility of doing some presentations for the kids to teach them about the needs of animals and the role of the Esther Honey Foundation. She was very keen indeed and suggested that I come back the following day to do a presentation for her class of fifteen. I agreed if she promised to bring her goat and we were set. The kids were curious to meet this strange man who was talking to their teacher and introduced themselves to me.

So off I went to locate the last school. I found it following a dirt road, with its roof caved in and piles of sand and bricks to the side. It had obviously suffered significant damage when the cyclone hit Aitutaki almost two years ago. I decided it was time for lunch as my tummy was rumbling.