MARAKEI-KIRIBATI
Tuesday 9th December was sunny,it was mid tide and the seas smooth. From the northern end of Marakei Atoll, unexpectedly, huge waves wrapped around the coastline and rolled towards Rawannawi Village. The time approx 11.00 am . Nothing like this had ever been seen before.
Thirteen year old Kairirieta Timon had started surfing, with his friends, off the copra shed/landing stage, but the current took the boys south west along the coast, a hundred yards or so. It was there that Kairirieta picked out the first of the huge rollers, paddled furiously on his plywood belly board, and hurtled down the monster towards the coast. That’s what you do if you’re an I Kiribati kid from Marakei, you give it your best shot.
Somehow Kairirieta managed to turn and paddle back out again, but the second wave was ontop of him, caught on the inside, he was thrown in the air, and dumped mercisously deep into the water. His knee, he explains, felt numb, but somehow he reached the shore and scrambled up onto the coast road, awash with rocks, tree branches and assorted debris. It was there he discovered his right inside leg, close to his crotch, had a deep gash.
Most people in the village that morning raced to haul up their canoes and boats, away from the huge waves which continued to pound their coastline till 3.00 pm. The waves took out many traditional houses (x 17 families) , slammed into the rear of the ice making plant, and completely destroyed the substantial sea wall in front of the local Catholic maneaba (traditional meeting house) They washed across the main road damaging Nikierere Primary School, flooding fresh water wells, and, eventually destroyed the many big breadfruit trees linning the fore shore.
Through this mayhem Kairirieta threaded his way home, whereupon his Grandmother found him and gave him a wallop for being in the surf in the first place! (Meanwhile local police had a job on their hands stopping other kids from trying to go out into the surf!) It was then his Gran saw the gash and blood on his leg, which led to x 14 stitches, and eventually a plaster cast, as a boy like Kairirieta doesn’t keep still, and managed to loose, over the ensuing days all the original stitches. He walks with a small limp now, and seems to accept his “notoriety”, as the only Rawannawi Village “casualty” with much good humor.
Kiririreta, his adoring Mum, adoring friends, fans and relatives relived that day in the little kiakia (traditional raised hut) near the roadside in front of the beach. Does he want to surf the big waves of Australia or Hawaii? No! Was he frightened? Yep. His Mum reakons her brave little son will make a great bodyguard, or even a soldier! We talk of the planned “photo shoot”. We need his board of course, and the shorts he was wearing at the time. Silence. Well er, he wasn’t wearing any shorts!! Oh my God, to the delight and peels of laughter from all, he could have lost his little willy!
One brave I Kiribati boy gave that monster wave his all. It will be too late, according to all future predictions, for the Republic of Kiribati, to remain habitable 30-40 years from now. The waves, like that of “Big Tuesday”, tidal surges, salination, storms etc cannot be stopped. Kairireta may well reflect, years from now, living in a host country, away from his language and traditions, on the day the monster waves appeared out of the blue Pacific, and caused such immense damage to his village, and frightened them all. You don’t find Climate Change sceptics in Rawannawi Village. Something is happening here, and it appears we are powerless to stop it; many though ride an ever increasing groundswell of outrage and audacity, that our generation, in the form of government and industries, continues to foul up the world environment, and the rights of kids like Kairireta to inherit something pristine, with his beautiful country intact and habitable.
No doubt the I Kiribati will tackle the looming waves of Climate Change, like their most famous son, Kairirieta.They have little option, and all the spirit in the world.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR
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Thank you very much Jon for this recommendation,,,I know that there’s a probs happened in Marakei for the last few weeks but not a fully completed report! so now I read and very wonder how come that its a low tide and the big wave exist?..its a miracle:DDD but its good that you saw it in your own eyes rather than hearing from other’s story..very Interesting story JOn!
wow…great story jonny…what a kid! he wasnt seriously riding that little piece of plywood was he?? total madness…
yep Jason, thats his board! (some of which was found in his leg!) I sent the Blog to SURFER Magazine to try and get some interest in sponsoring some Boogie Boards Marakei way? Here in Kiribati it is called “karebaba”= belly board surfing. The surf break looks excellent, so could be “developed” as an eco/surf destination?
Best, Jonny
Oh Fixed Wing if only I did see it with my own eyes! What a scoop! I arrived a week latter, by Super Cat. I didnt know about little Kairirieta’s big wave ride, or many other things such as the breadfruit trees and contaminated wells.Many thanks for you interest.
Jonny