Tira wood

In Rimatara we visited the local technical high-school, where they teach handicrafts. I was very impressed with their wood-carving. They are using traditional Austral Islands motifs and hand carving some amazing pieces, mostly using tira wood, Melia azederach commonly known as Indian lilac or Chinaberry in english. It's a tree related to mahogany and has attractive, fragrant lilac flowers and poisonous fruits.

I'd never noticed it around in Rurutu much, but it is pretty common in Rimatara, it is clearly a nice wood for carving, but it is also used to make head-dresses out of the pith, Matotea is very obligingly modeling hers here....

Work in progress.....

 Here's a  breadfruit  bowl that  we're working on at the moment. It 's not quite finished, but I think it already looks quite nice.

Our new hobby

 We've both been playing around with various arts and crafts since we've been back in Rurutu. Viriamu made some penu (taro pounders) out of limestone for the salon de tourisme in february and more recently he's been focusing on woodwork.

 For this year's heiva we made some umete (bowls) in miro (tahitian rosewood) and purau (wild hibiscus) with carved motifs, inspired by traditional Rurutu and more generally polynesian designs. Viriamu shaped the bowls and I did the carving - I'm by no means an expert, but I have been enjoying it a lot and am getting better.....

We sent five bowls along to the heiva, and have already sold three. I think we may have hit on something .....I've always fancied myself as a sculptor, so maybe we've both found our callings.....

Rain, rain go away!

May has been as wet and cold as April was hot and sunny. It's not actually raining now, but it's been pretty unsettled this last week, with southerly winds, mara'amu, which all Tahitians know, blow nobody any good!

 (not the mara'amu but Heimana's raspberries)

The advantage of the bad weather, and quiet season, is that Viriamu has been busy working in the house, and bingo we have a new set of shelves made of purau (wild hibiscus) and a beautiful clock made of miro (tahitian rosewood).

All the cold weather has been giving Heimana an appetite!

And Matotea's back in her NZ boots....