The Adventures of McDuck Part 4

Part IV


Work commenced today, after the usual chores, on the rebuilding of the front beach. We breakfasted on hot toast and Nuttela to give us the energy we would need while we mentally re-designed the area.



Lisa decided the first job was to clear the area.



She clambered in amongst the rocks collecting wood, leaves and debris



while I investigated the accumilated bits.



I manned the wheel barrow to trundle it all to the far end of the garden. Dark clouds gathered overhead giving us the shade we so badly needed for this sort of work.

Despite the overcast sky we were soon perspiring freely as barrow after barrow was wheeled up to the growing pile at the far end of the garden.



Coconuts had lodged in amongst the rocks looking a bit like the stones themselves.


These needed to be collected and moved to the pile under the large palm in the middle of the garden. Kerriann didn't want to add them to the fire as the dogs had developed an unhealthy habit of pulling out the charred cooked coconuts and ripping them apart all over the garden. Having covered the grass with charred remains they would then come bounding back to her covered in soot and stinking of the fire pit!


The coconuts, once piled and stored around the tree, could be relocated to areas around the garden when needed, sprouting ones would be split not only for the dogs but for their spongy insides that was suppose to be delicious!


Over the years the large rocks around the point had moved, embedding themselves into places where there really shouldn't be a rock. Bit by bit the girls dug around the offending chunks of stone and relocated them to better positions.



Lisa carefully rescued the the tiny inhabitants as she came across them.



I tried to do my bit to help of course,



but I found I couldn't do much so I went off to play with Rascals for an hour until Lisa arrived to ask for my help with the next part of the days activities.


The pile of relocated wood and bits had now grown to quite a size. Kerriann had added a lot of the mornings leaves to the pile and I had the pleasure of striking the match to set the whole thing alight.


I have not had a lot of experience of lighting fires so my first attempt went out! Lisa took over and under her guidance we soon had a roaring fire blazing away.


I tried to help pile the bits onto the fire but Kerriann said it was too dangerous for a small duck and I was sent to sit by the beach 10m away.



The fire roared away and Lisa was reluctant to leave it unattended so we sat together under the nearby tree while it burnt down until it was small enough for us to rake together.



With the fire now smouldering nicely we all returned to the beach to assess the situation. Tupa holes littered the area around the root systems of the trees. Huge holes formed craters along the slope.


Lisa set to work collapsing and raking the area until it was smooth and ready for phase two.


The large stones that we wanted to move had now been positioned into better locations, the gaps between them had been filled with smaller stones. The area was now ready for bucket after bucket of coral that Kerriann was raking from the front beach. Lisa helped carry the large heavy bucket into position and then raked the coral into its final position.


By mid afternoon the place was looking transformed. The area had been raked and cleared, all the holes were now filled, (for now), coral and sand now lay where coconuts, wood and seaweed had reigned. Lisa had received a small but deep cut beneath her toe during all the activities and this was immediately washed and covered as any cut, no matter how small is prone to infection in this humid country!


The girls took a well earned swim and then collapsed onto the decking to play Backgammon. Well that was the plan, but when Lisa took a shower to wash away the salt, Rascals had other ideas and while Kerriann dozed away on the one lounger Rascals took over Lisa's chair and decided to have a rest herself!!


Lisa's arrival garlands had been put into a bowl to decorate the table, each morning as we walked into the main lounge the smell of the blossoms filled our senses, it also made a wonderful place to have a mid afternoon nap. Once Lisa returned, Rascals was firmly put back in her place and everyone settled down for mid afternoon naps to be ready for the evenings Tupa Hunt.


The sun set was once again breathtaking, the moon was now getting quite big in the sky, in a few more days it would be full but already it was lighting up the garden with its brilliance. The girls waited patiently until they thought the Tupas would be out of their lairs and we set off into the night armed with the torch, a rake, a big bucket plus two dogs!


As we passed under the big tree at the bottom of the garden Lisa noticed a flower in the tree. So far we had only seen these flowers once they lay littered on the floor each morning. This was our first experience of seeing them bloom in situ. Lisa raced off to get her camera.


Kerriann and I stood silently in the dark, while Lisa clicked away with her camera and added some wonderful shots to her already growing 'flower-close' up file. Pepsi suddenly started to bark from the far end of the garden, she had found a Tupa and the hunt was back on!


Lisa by now was very comfortable with picking the creatures up.


Our new neighbours in the holiday cottages next door had questioned as to what lived in the holes around the place so we gave them a surprise visit with the evenings catch. One of the boys, Leon was a chef and was very curious about the edibility of said Tupa!



As vegetarians neither Lisa nor Kerriann could advise him but we did find out the next day that some local people put them into a cage for a few weeks and 'purge' them with coconut and fruit before eating them.

It was decided however that these creatures would be released in the usual way and having said our good-nights we returned to our garden for the 'Great Escape' over the fence!

The Adventures of McDuck Part 3

Part III

Sunday evening Kerriann and Ron sang in Luciano's (The BEST Pizzeria on the Island according to some!!) Sunday morning after the usual 2 hour routine of clear up was completed Kerriann ran through some of the ideas and projects that she wanted to achieve around the place while Lisa was here to help.

She had already re-built the Jetty but there was still a lot to be done.

The front beach, although now clear of debris was in need of some TLC plus a few rock relocations.

The Tupa holes needed some heavy duty demolishing along the rocky beach, the BBQ area was in need of a total refit and the storm drain was a frightening site.

We wandered around the garden looking and discussing ideas until the lure of bananas and Ice cream drove us to the decking and the day was once again dedicated to backgammon.

The regime of bananas that had been harvested from the garden the week before Lisa's arrival was ripening at a speed too rapid for the occasional or even daily bowl of Banana and Ice-cream, some were allocated to the solar dryer while Lisa tried an experiment and put a few into the freezer!

The results were amazing, although it was decided to peal the bananas first next time. Frozen banana, in the humble opinion of a poor Duck, is something the world has seriously been lacking.

Sliced over Cookie Ice-cream and sprinkled with crushed biscuit it became the mainstay of our diet, being served not only for breakfast, after the Nuttella on toast, but also as a mid morning snack, a mid afternoon post swim reward and an evening sun set accompaniment.

Plans were drawn up as the two girls consumed their necessary consignment of fruit, dairy and grain. Work, they decided would commence tomorrow!


They set up the board for yet another game as I settled down for a nap under the shade of a palm


Luciano's is indeed a wonderful place, small and compact, with the aroma of garlic and fresh baked dough, it is the social meeting place for everyone with a hunger for Pizza. Kerriann and Ron set up their equipment in the corner while Lisa and I settled at the nearby table.

Luciano made me jump with his crazy cat impersonation but Kerriann assured me that this was just normal behaviour. The evening passed in a haze of music and comings and goings.

I met a few local people, saw a load more, was pointed at by some children too shy to chat, and totally enjoyed myself.

Lisa got to put on Ron's 'signatory' hat and we all laughed when it was decided it looked better on her than it did Ron!


The evening finished in good time for the nights Tupa hunt. Lisa tried to video the release moment when the bucket full of scrabbling bodies was deposited on the other side of the fence but when one of the larger Tupa ran back towards her feet the whole filming expedition deteriorated into a screaming mass of hysteria and laughter as we tried to see where the huge creature had actually gone.

The fact that we had only one light between the three of us plus two dogs brushing sporadically against our legs or stepping on our toes did not add to the relaxed calm reassurance that Tupa hunting really needs!!


It was with relief and total exhaustion from the evenings excitement that we returned to the decking for a calming bowl of frozen banana and Ice-cream, sprinkled with crushed biscuit! That evening Lisa swore she could hear scrabbling outside the door as she slept, but every time we all got up to look we couldn't find a thing so we put it down to her dreams!!

The Adventures of McDuck Part 2

Part II

Our days start early in Moorea. At 5am it is dark, at 5.15 it is dawn, at 5.30 it is light. It is also cool at this time in the morning and so the chores of the day can be done in relative comfort. Each day begins the same with Kerriann first seeing to her Deities and prayers. Krsna and Radharani have a special place in the house and look out over everything, protecting with their presence.



Next comes the dog energy burning routine as Pepsi arrives and the two dogs race around the garden. Lisa decided that a bit of control was needed to their sometimes violent tumbles and set about putting both dogs onto leads to march them around the place until they calmed down.

She explained that the rough and tumbles were all well and good but they still needed to listen to what was going on around them. Once they had been marched back and for a few times, she released them to continue their games but there was a marked calmness about their boisterous tumbles and each time she called them they stopped what they were doing to look at her.

One of the biggest chores around the place is the daily collection of natural debris that is blown from the trees and washed up by the sea. Each morning, before the sun clears the huge mountain behind the house, Kerriann rakes and gathers all the leaves together to be put in her large bucket. From there they are spread along the fence or placed around the bushes building up a layer of thick mulch. Coconuts are picked up and placed around the big palm ready for either splitting for the dogs or relocating as they sprout to other areas of the garden.

Incredible delicate while flowers that seem to only bloom at night fall from the enormous tree at the bottom of the garden each day.

As Kerriann continued to collect the leaves Lisa got out her high powered camera and took a series of photos of these delightful flowers.

It took over two hours to restore the garden to its cleared beauty. The breeze blew the occasional leaf down to litter the grass but Kerriann was happy to let them fall. There would be a second collection later that afternoon if too many fell, for now she was happy with the place.

The sun was just coming over the mountain flooding the garden with a hot brilliant light, the air itself took on a warmth that seemed thick and heavy, the promise of another fine day spread across the garden as Lisa and Kerriann came indoors for breakfast.

Plates of Nuttella on toast were consumed on the balcony as we looked out over the tranquil sea. The dogs lay at our feet anticipating what was coming next. Lisa had to firmly instruct Kerriann that giving the dogs tit bits only encouraged their scrounging and that she was to eat all of her toast herself. Rascals could have her food after breakfast was finished. The dogs looked longingly as Kerriann ate the last piece of toast, their usual morning titbits were to be no more.

Neither Lisa nor Kerriann had made it to Ron's the day before and so it was decided over breakfast that they would cycle over that morning. Lisa would be able to send some messages to home to say that she had arrived safe and they could pick up some tomatoes from Ron's garden at the same time. Kerriann had already borrowed Ron's bike for Lisa to use while she was on the Island. She had cycled around the Island a few times alone was hoping that Lisa would make the trip with her during her holiday. Both bikes lay in the corner awaiting their attention.

Rascals was put on her running wire, again Lisa took control and made her sit quietly until she had her full attention before she attached the wire. Her bowl of food was put next to her kennel and she was told to wait. Once relaxed, Lisa instructed Rascals to 'take ' her food and turned away. As Rascals tucked into her breakfast Lisa, Kerriann and I set off for the 4km ride to Ron's.

The sun was shining brightly as they peddled me up the one slight, but definite on route incline. I sat in the basket enjoying the breeze as they relaxing onto their seats, having reached the brow of the hill and enjoying the free wheeling ride of the rewarding down side. I gazed out at the passing scenery as we cycled towards the tiny shop by the public beach where Kerriann picks up her morning Baguettes.

We paused in our journey to pick up two still warm and crispy ones for the day, one to eat along the way and one for our lunch. As we continued to cycle along the road Kerriann pointed out to Lisa that she didn't have to eat the entire half of her baguette now! She could pop it back into her basket until they got to Ron's if she wanted?? Lisa laughed and replaced the half eaten chunk of bread back into the front of the bike to the finish later.

As we cycled past the Hilton Kerriann pointed out the big trees where she had gathered the flowers for Lisa's welcome necklaces. White flowers littered the ground and Lisa remarked that the trees hadn't seemed to have suffered for their de-flowering as the branches were still full of blooms.

The breeze blew firmly against us as we reached the final kilometre, the road deteriorated and I hung on tightly as we bounced our way from one pot hole to the next. Kerriann pointed to the green roofs ahead of us, 'Nearly there' she called. I for one was very grateful as my poor bottom was being bounced around the place and the sun was incredibly hot by now.

Even the breeze was a breeze of warm air that did very little to cool us and as we turned into Ron's driveway even this limited relief from the sun's intense rays ceased. In staggering heat we climbed the steep driveway, pushing the bikes as we went, up to Ron's house.


Lisa paused briefly to look at the well laid out garden below us. Purto's garden is an inspiration as to what can be done on a piece of scrub-land infested with Tupas when one really tries. His tomato trees fed the entire area when they were in full production, his egg plants hang with fruit and pumpkins litter the floor.

We left the bikes at the top of the driveway as Ron's dogs came to say hello to us,before we entered the relative coolness of Rons house. I quietly settled myself as everyone chatted and Lisa was shown around. Ron has designed his house to suit his needs, everything has a place and a reason for being there. The view out over the lagoon is wonderful and I was happy to just sit and stare out at the blue blue water from this vantage point.

Once the pleasantries and gossip had been exchanged Lisa, Kerriann and myself moved downstairs to what had been Kerriann's flat until she had moved to the Darr House. Pictures of Lisa adorned the walls, Kerriann's long dresses still hung from the rail, food was still on the shelf. As Lisa called Steven and checked her mail Kerriann made us a second breakfast of honey and fresh warm Baguettes.

Lisa and I stayed down stairs sorting the internet out while Kerriann popped back upstairs to confirm the final plans for the evening. Ron and Jan had asked if they could take us all out to the Sofitel Hotel on the far side of the Island to see the Saturday evening show of local dancers. Ron and Kerriann sang every other Saturday and even though Lisa and I had only just arrived, this was a none singing weekend and the only opportunity we would have to go out to see this show.

With a promise to relax for the afternoon and to be ready at the designated hour, we re-mounted the bicycles and headed back to the Beach House. I relaxed on the way back under the cooling cover that Kerriann had placed over the basket but Lisa was looking extremely hot as they passed the public beach. Kerriann promised her an ice-cream if she just kept going for the next kilometre but when we reached the top of the rise, the ice-cream shop was closed!! Bitterly disappointed Lisa free wheeled down the far side of the rise and it was with grateful relief that she pushed open the gate to the house and wheeled her bike back into its corner.

Rascals was released from her wire and everybody headed for the sea including myself. The water was crystal clear and I happily played in the shallows with the dogs as Lisa and Kerriann swam out to the huge drop off just past the coral reef. Their masks and snorkels allowed them to view the millions of brightly coloured fish that swim all over the shallow outcrops. Kerriann dove down to peer into one of the many caves that litter the wall while Lisa identified as many of the fish as she could.

The cooling water refreshed everyone, we all showered the salty water from our skin and feathers and then Kerriann got out her Fish Recognition Book so we could identify what they had seen.

The Backgammon Board was soon placed back into position and the two of them spent the entire afternoon playing game after game. Lisa had strung her hammock for me to enjoy

but I found great difficulty in relaxing on it.

I even fell out a few times as I dropped off to sleep.


Kerriann offered me the use of her hammock but I said I was quite happy in the company of Rascals and we chatted happily on the decking as they played their games.


Our evening out was great. The girls dressed in the bright colour so familiar on the Island, they put flowers in their hair and looked totally wonderful.



We were picked up as the sun slid behind the mountain across the bay and driven to the hotel, Milkshake cocktails were ordered all round as we settled to watch the evenings performance.



Rom, a friend of Ron's who had played music with him for a few years was playing incredible guitar in the bar so we sat there to listen.


When the main music started we moved closer to the dinning room and enjoyed a very pleasant hour of music and dance with the other guests.



The theme was more Hawaiian then Tahitian but it was very good and extremely entertaining.



When we returned home the girls immediately changed and we spent the next hour Tupa hunting.



Lisa was by now getting very brave and was picking them up as we caught each one. I agreed to have my photo taken with them but


I will confess to being incredibly nervous as they all gathered around to look at me. We caught 17 that night a record Kerriann said.

Each one was put in the bucket until the bottom was covered and then the whole lot were re-located to the far side of the South fence and encouraged with long sticks to run in any direction away from the garden!

We retired to bed that evening very very tired. Today had been our first full day on the Island, we had done so much and there was still a lot more to do, but for now it could wait until the morning!