Earlier in the day, I drove past a small shop with a few locals eating some fairly large plates of grub so decided to head back there to try what the locals enjoy. They were now busy installing a new floor but told me they were open and invited me in. I ordered the special and sat down with a local who told me his story: about the shop and the new burger place; about his family and Australia; and about the SDA Church and the Baha’i Faith. He also mentioned that after the cyclone, the school on the hill was moved to a site just up the road from where we were eating. So there was my next step.

As expected, the school was pretty quiet as the teachers were attending the retreat on the other side of the island. There was one person on the grounds who told me about a "kids day" they were holding the following day and asked if I would like to join them and meet the principal. I agreed I would be there to help with face painting and to set up a little Esther Honey Foundation stall. I was looking forward to talking to all the people who would be coming and bringing their children. What an opportunity!

After this conversation, I raced up the hill again to talk to the Agriculture Officers who were sitting in the cool beneath a mango tree putting soil into plastic bags to grow noni trees. We talked about how they had helped with Esther Honey Vet Treks in the past and discussed the upcoming trek. They were keen to help. Fred Charlie, the Senior Ag. Officer was also eager to come to the following day’s presentation at the school to see what we were up to. He told me about some of the problems I might face if I wanted to conduct the trek in two weeks. There was the upcoming Bonefish Fishing Competition, the CICC Aitutaki gathering of all the churches that are spread throughout the Pacific, and the Royal Sailing Regatta from Rarotonga. Lots of activities which needed to be taken into consideration in choosing a date for the trek. With so much going on, it could be difficult to generate community support during the trek. Fred also volunteered to help find a location for operating the clinic and we promised to meet in the morning before the school presentation and after the event find a good place to conduct the surgeries.

Leaving the Agriculture team to their work under the mango tree I was off to the hospital to speak with orderlies, nurse, and doctor about the possibility of using their small autoclave during the trek. They agreed given enough notice. The generosity of the island people here in the Cook Islands is truly heartwarming. We chatted a bit about their facilities before I left.

After all this racing around I decided to return to my home base to prepare for the next day's presentation. Fortunately, I had recently given a presentation at St. Joseph’s in Rarotonga so felt somewhat prepared. In the late afternoon I joined the other guests at the resort around the pool for a brief island culture lesson on the various types of coconuts and a bit of Pareu tying and dancing. I showed off a few of my dance moves. I also learned a lot about the coconuts and one of the staff showed me how to make a hat out of the palms on the coconut tree. In the evening I went back to the Boat Shed as my bike had a couple of nails in the tires from somewhere and they kindly gave me dinner on the house while we chatted about life on Aitutaki and the various animals. It was a great evening to wrap up an awesome day before falling asleep in a comfy bed.