We had read that it’s possible to hike from Cucuvou across the island over to the village, and so we decided to give it a go. The fact that we had no idea where the trail was and that it was a gray drizzly day wasn’t stopping us. It turned out to be quite a long hike, three hours in all, but I’m pretty sure we weren’t breaking any speed records. Other than the dampness, it was an enjoyable hike, mostly along a ridge with views of the different bays around the island.
The people of the village were pleasant and they appreciated our effort to come all that way to present Sevusevu. The chief wasn’t there, so we presented our Yaqona to his son. We ended up getting a ride back to our anchorage in one of their small fiberglass fishing boats. Quite a ride, and it sure beat another 3 hour hike back.
The primary source of income for this village is selling sea cucumbers for sale in Asian markets. They were doing that as well in Matuku, and there they told us they had a Korean buyer. Not sure who the specific buyer is here at Yadua, but they dive every day, and while we were in the village they were filling all their dive tanks. It is unclear what the sustainability of this operation might be. Tim told me that in Matuku they said they keep having to dive deeper and deeper to find the sea cucumbers, so that seems to indicate that it may not be a long-term endeavor.
Gresham Family Exodus 