Mangaia Vet Trek V
Day 5- Homeward bound
On our last Mangaian morning, before our return to the big smoke of Rarotonga, we met with our local team of assistants and organizers for a final, farewell, pre-flight breakfast. There were rounds of thanks from all and sundry- including the Mangaian island secretary, the Ministry for Agriculture, and the Mayor- all of which were heartfelt and heartwarming. It’s not often you get so much recognition and appreciation for simply doing your job, and it’s got to be one of the most rewarding aspects of taking part in a vet-trek such as this. The large turn-out for our farewell was particularly gratifying … given that most of our co-workers had stayed up into the wee morning hours the night before, drinking, singing and socializing with us to celebrate a successful week’s work!
As it turned out, our farewell was slightly pre-emptive, with the news coming halfway through breakfast that our flight had been delayed by 3hrs. No mention as to the reason for the delay … we could only hope optimistically that the poor, battered emergency exit wasn’t taking another hit …
So with some time to kill we headed for the coast for a bit of R&R, and perhaps a bit of reflection about our time on the island. From the first it was apparent that life on Mangaia was very laid back … almost to the point of unconsciousness at times. The helter-skelter pace of the modern world has yet to reach here (although a little sadly, Coca Cola has); and with a diminishing population things are unlikely to change any time soon. While many residents have left the island to pursue work or training, those that remain are incredibly friendly, welcoming and generous- if our experiences are anything to go by. One of our best afternoons was spent exploring the island on loaned motorbikes, checking out the shipwreck, lake, rock-pools, look outs and many abandoned homes … Incidentally, if you ever wish to learn how to ride a bike in one slightly long, challenging lesson, I can recommend a circuit of Mangaia’s back roads …
Participating in this vet-trek has been amazing, it allowed us to experience a place few non-Mangaians ever get to, and gain an insight into the island way of life. Those of us fortunate enough to have taken part have surely got as much (if not more) out of the past 5 days as any of the locals or animals. As we eventually boarded our plane for the journey back to a place where donuts, corned beef and taro are not the only staple foods, we tried to hold on to a little of the islander outlook. And as the pilots propped up the windshield cover and brought out the laptop (their newspaper having already been borrowed), we tried even harder …
Vet-Trek totals:
45 animals desexed
102 pigs and goats treated for worms
164 animals treated in total
On our last Mangaian morning, before our return to the big smoke of Rarotonga, we met with our local team of assistants and organizers for a final, farewell, pre-flight breakfast. There were rounds of thanks from all and sundry- including the Mangaian island secretary, the Ministry for Agriculture, and the Mayor- all of which were heartfelt and heartwarming. It’s not often you get so much recognition and appreciation for simply doing your job, and it’s got to be one of the most rewarding aspects of taking part in a vet-trek such as this. The large turn-out for our farewell was particularly gratifying … given that most of our co-workers had stayed up into the wee morning hours the night before, drinking, singing and socializing with us to celebrate a successful week’s work!As it turned out, our farewell was slightly pre-emptive, with the news coming halfway through breakfast that our flight had been delayed by 3hrs. No mention as to the reason for the delay … we could only hope optimistically that the poor, battered emergency exit wasn’t taking another hit …
So with some time to kill we headed for the coast for a bit of R&R, and perhaps a bit of reflection about our time on the island. From the first it was apparent that life on Mangaia was very laid back … almost to the point of unconsciousness at times. The helter-skelter pace of the modern world has yet to reach here (although a little sadly, Coca Cola has); and with a diminishing population things are unlikely to change any time soon. While many residents have left the island to pursue work or training, those that remain are incredibly friendly, welcoming and generous- if our experiences are anything to go by. One of our best afternoons was spent exploring the island on loaned motorbikes, checking out the shipwreck, lake, rock-pools, look outs and many abandoned homes … Incidentally, if you ever wish to learn how to ride a bike in one slightly long, challenging lesson, I can recommend a circuit of Mangaia’s back roads … 
Participating in this vet-trek has been amazing, it allowed us to experience a place few non-Mangaians ever get to, and gain an insight into the island way of life. Those of us fortunate enough to have taken part have surely got as much (if not more) out of the past 5 days as any of the locals or animals. As we eventually boarded our plane for the journey back to a place where donuts, corned beef and taro are not the only staple foods, we tried to hold on to a little of the islander outlook. And as the pilots propped up the windshield cover and brought out the laptop (their newspaper having already been borrowed), we tried even harder …Vet-Trek totals:
45 animals desexed
102 pigs and goats treated for worms
164 animals treated in total
posted by tumbleweed at
1:36 AM
