One of the boys at the Shed suggested that reading glasses would be welcome in Tonga and Shed members have generously donated over 20 pair for me to take to Niuatoputapu in December. If Pacific neighbours supporters can help with unwanted spectacles any donations will be much appreciated - please drop them into the Shed, or call me on 479 1808 and I will collect them.

pots'n'pans galore

As well as gathering tools and building hardware I have been busy sourcing and accepting donations from all quarters of kitchenware - pots'n'pans, knives, plastic plates, etc.....
Below: some boxes of kitchenware ( four times this many boxes have already gone to storage, pending shipping).....

Many thanks to donors at the Browns Bay market as well as local charity stores.

building boxes

Yours truely at work in the Men's Shed North Shore building boxes from old drawers to pack saws, axes, and other tools in to send to Niua - and other islands as the need arises.

niua infrastructure still devastated

From what I can gather much of the crucial infrastructure on Niua is still not yet rebuilt - the medical clinic (which had just been refurbished & stocked with equipment paid for by Niua expatriates before the tsunami) is reduced to a small room at the high school...the police station was also wiped out and is similarly located at the high school, and other community services have been badly affected and disrupted.
Initial assitance came from the Red Cross, the World Bank, and the NZ Navy via HMNZ Canterbury:

"HMNZS CANTERBURY has been a hive of activity transferring over 200 personnel each day to Niuatoputapu for Pacific Partnership 2011. Amphibious operations begin every morning at 0600 with embarked forces and vehicles on CANTERBURY being transferred ashore via LCM, RHIB, and PUMA helo."
see more at:
www.flickr.com/photos/nzdefenceforce/sets/72157626493491372/

http://go.worldbank.org/5LMM725ME0
Demetrios Papathanasiou
 Senior Infrastructure Specialist
d
papathanasiou@worldbank.org
"Niuatoputapu is one of the two inhabited islands in Tonga’s Niua group, located in the northern-most part of Tonga. The total population of about 1,100 lives in four villages, Hihifo, Vaipoa, Falehau and Tafahi Island. The island is remote and relatively isolated from the rest of Tonga. It is estimated that income levels in Niuatoputapu are among the lowest in Tonga. On September 30 2009, the Niua islands were struck by an earthquake of 8.3 magnitude whose epicentre was 190km to the north east. This was quickly followed by three tsunami waves with a maximum flow height of 16.9 metres and penetration of over 1km inland. As much as 46 percent of the island was inundated resulting in the deaths of nine people and damages estimated at about US$10 million. Of a total of about 255 private houses on the island, 85 were totally destroyed and 56 partially damaged by the tsunami. Most of the public utilities and government buildings were completely destroyed, along with the water and sanitation system. Earthquakes and earthquake-incurred tsunamis remain potential threats in the coming years."

thanks to our donors

I would like to thank all those who have donated goods and time repairing tools for this current Niuatoputapu Project.
Many individuals are involved on an on-going basis. Thanks to: Len, Geoff, Royce, Roger, Gavin, Eric, Gwynn, and others at the Mens Shed North Shore

www.mensshednorthshore.org.nz

As well as my neighbours Gina, John McK, the Holts, and Trisha.

In addition local businesses and charities continue to donate their trash which is our treasure: Bunnings, SPCA, Hospice, and the Red Cross.

trisha sorts some donations

a box of nails & tools from a charity shop

wikipedia "niuatoputapu"

Here is the wikipedia entry for "Niuatoputapu", with a couple of my own amendments:
"Geography:
The central top of Niuatoputapu, just beside Vaipoa, is a hill of only 157 meters in height. It is the eroded remnant of a large volcano, which erupted about 3 million years ago. The island is almost entirely surrounded by a large reef, uplifted and largely covered with volcanic ash, which has yielded it a fertile soil.
Niuatoputapu consists primarily of three villages: Hihifo (meaning 'west' in Tongan), Vaipoa ("fishy smell") and Falehau ("house of wind"?). Hihifo is the largest village, and, as its name suggests, lies in the west of the island. It contains the majority of the govemmental faciliies of the island, including the post office, telecommunications, police station and a high school (there are primary schools in all 3 villages). Vaipoa lies in the middle of the island. Falehau, which is east of Vaipoa, fronts on the island's only harbor, on the northeast coast.
History:
The traditional line of lords of the island is the Ma'atu dynasty. According to the legends, an early member of them became the fish god Seketo'a.
Niuatoputapu was put on the European maps by Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire during their famous circumnavigation of the globe in their ship the Eendracht (Unity) in 1616. Alter successful bartering with the inhabitants of Tafahi, but not finding a suitable anchorage there, they preceeded to its neighbour. There their reception was less peaceful. Natives boarded their ship and attacked the Dutch with clubs, until they found out what muskets were and could do. After that an uneasy truce existed, enabling the barter of more coconuts, ubes roots (probably ‘uii (yam)), hogs and water. A 'king' of the island came along, but not on board. 'He was equally naked with all the rest", only distinguishable by the respect the islanders paid to him.
The next day the Dutch felt that something was in the air, and indeed when the king came again along he suddenly ordered his people into an attack. There were about 700 to B00 of them in 23 double canoes and 45 single canoes. But the Dutch fired their muskets and 3 cannons, and the islanders then quickly made themselves scarce. Schouten and LeMaire continued their
westwards trip, leaving Verraders (Traitors) island behind.

a look at niua

Here's the island from above (some five miles long)

A closer view of the village of Falehau where I will be staying, note the wharf projecting into the lagoon:

 

 

Here's the house where I will be staying:

...and here is Niua's location on the edge of the Australian Plate - right on the subduction zone with the Pacific Plate. = the Tonga Trench.....that chain of dots are volcanoes - looks like mega tectonic activity is par for the course here....

serious hardware

I have boxed-up 8kg of rafter staples - these should help hold someone's roof on

which should prevent this from happening again:

niua tsunami 2009

tools/nails/screws for niua

Currently I am gathering hand tools, nails, screws and other construction hardware to send to Niuatoputapu. The isolation of the island means that supplies of any sort are difficult and expensive to obtain.
The Men's Shed North Shore ( www.mensshednorthshore.org.nz ) is assisting me to collect these materials, and I am extremely grateful for the support of the Shed and it's members. I am also honoured to be obtaining donations from the public as well as local businesses and charity stores here on the North Shore - thanks to you all.
The plan is to send the goods by private yachts when they leave NZ in May/June/July after the hurricane season. As before, the yachties will deliver the boxes to Kieni's family in Niua, and the cargo will be personally distributed to those need.
Currently I have over 100kg of nails & screws boxed-up, as well as 30 hammers; 20 saws; 60 screwdrivers; 2 socket sets; various files, pliers, gardening tools, planes, nail plates, metal strapping, clothing, books, pots'n'pans, knives......and a whole lot more.....

Donations are welcome - call me on (09)479 1808 and I will collect.......

john mck with donations

15kg of "scrap" from a hardware bin

hammers for niua

knives for niua

history - niuatoputapu tsnami sos

My second Pacific Neighbours project was in response to the tsunmai of 2009 which not only caused damage and deaths in Samoa, but on the northern Tongan island of Niuatoputapu (Niua). The two villages of Hihifo and Vaipoa were almost completely washed away by the waves along with most of the islanders’ possessions - including cooking pots and tools.
 My fellow environmental artist Laurie Santell and I gathered some 40 banana boxes of pots, pans, knives, tools and clothing which were kindly delivered directly to those in need on Niua by two yachts which called in on their way to Samoa in 2010, aided by our friend Keini Tollemache who is from Niua.

tsunami damage

devastation

distribution of goods

"atutaki" crew

See my Niuatoputapu Island blog for more info:

http://www.niuatoputapu.blogspot.co.nz/