a productive day!

'tis the season! it's been raining for what seems like weeks now, with no end in sight... but work on the job site is certainly not coming to a halt! we actually had a most productive day despite the intermittent rain squalls. ben finished laying the bbq base, billy dug the trench for the restaurant floor block retaining wall and the hole for column number 6, we moved six coconut logs from Ofu to Fetoko (as you see in the next post), ben bandaged up a couple cuts on his feet and is therefore now wearing really attractive black socks! and we enjoyed a beautiful squally sunset on the beach, for a couple minutes before the rain hit again. a good day!

Tonga Teamwork

what does it take to move four 18' and two 23' coconut tree logs from Ofu Island to Fetoko in the rain?

well, first you have to cut them down with a chainsaw.
then when one gets stuck in the 'y' of another nearby tree, ben has to climb up said tree, covered in pricklies, and cut the limb holding the coconut tree with a bush knife.
then a number of Ofu guys, who have been busy building a house on Ofu all day, drag the trees to Ofu's beach.
ben then tows each log from the beach on Ofu, in the sea, behind the boat, to the beach at Fetoko.
and then we naturally let the guys take over again.

at this point it definitely takes twelve strong men to get them up the hill, obviously some rope, plenty of perseverance after a hard day's work, and a few chuckles!

(the video below shows a bit more detail altho quite pixelated due to our slower internet speed)

these logs are heavy! but they made it and they're now resting on the ground next to the location where they'll be holding up the tree house!
job well done, how exciting!

and onto the bbq!

what's a restaurant on an outer island without a bbq? well we're building a big one. it'll be able to rotisserie, bbq, and umu lots of food at once. we'll be collecting some special black lava rocks that retain heat and are perfect for the umu pit. this bbq will be piped for gas as well if necessary and will also be a campfire pit when it suits. we'll still have the campfire on the beach as well, but the more the merry as far as we're concerned. we didn't think we'd get much done today with all the rain squalls we've been having, but they guys got the form off of column number 5, dug this hole, and are moving on!

house in the trees...

how we've loved staying in tree houses whenever we've had the chance! why not have one on Fetoko? right in the center of the island there is an area not used for much other than a bush-walk, the perfect place for a house in the trees! it'll be approx 16'x16' with the floor at 11' high, 2 big ironwood pine trees in the rooms as columns, stairs going up around a tree to get in, and a magnificent 360* view. first we'll dig 4 holes for additional support columns, which we'll wrap so they blend in with the surrounding trees... hard work with all the tree roots! let the digging begin!

startin' number 5

number 4 column is in and that leaves 3 to go! the hole for number 5 is being dug. it's on the hill side. we're pouring in between rain squalls, but at least we've got a nice northerly breeze. planning for beach and hillside landscaping and pathways is in the works!

geni house

here's more on the building of the generator house that also houses gardening tools. there will be wooden doors on both sides and the blocks will all be slurried, shaped, and painted to match the bunker and house and soil will be sloped up the sides of the wing walls and planted as well. no more rain on the generator or attractive tarps hanging about!

bunker building

the underground portion of the bunker is done, covered in plastic and buried in soil. the exterior floor has been poured and will eventually be tiled in Mexican-style pavers. the side half-walls will be shaved and shaped to a Grecian-style sloping roll, following the slope of the island. the half-walls and beams will be slurried and painted, the ceiling lined in varnished bamboo sheeting, and the 2 skylights will be finished with stained-glass window hatches. half of the arched roof has been poured, which will eventually be covered in soil and teeming with plant life so you can barely see the structure from on top of the island. underneath the roof is where we plan to have a full outdoor kitchen to service the restaurant area. and soon, moving out toward the sea, we'll add a large bbq/Tongan umu-pit and a living earth-roof covered restaurant table area and woven pola covered bar. don't worry, we'll be sure to include the fire-pit out toward the beach! should make for some relaxed entertaining during future evenings!