Cruiseship finds

Headlines

Cruiseship finds century-old wreck

AS part of its cruise to Pitcairn, Henderson and Ducie Islands, the World Discoverer planned to raise the anchor from the long-sunk Acadia near Ducie and present it to the people of Pitcairn Island.

The Acadia’s anchor, due to arrive in Pitcairn in March, was to be mounted next to the anchor of the Bounty which is placed just outside Pitcairn’s little wooden court house in Adamstown, the

island’s only village.

The World Discoverer, on a previous voyage last November, found the wreck of the sailing vessel Acadia lying in 40 feet of water near Ducie, an uninhabited dependency of Pitcairn, some 350 miles east of that island. Expedition leader and dive master Jack Grove made the discov ery while checking out appropriate snorkeling locations for his passengers.

The Acadia’s dead eye (part of the rig ging) had been located lying on the atoll’s leeward shore on an earlier cruise, but the wreck itself had not been located at the time.

According to the ship’s owner, Seattle

based Society Expeditions, they con

ducted a search through Lloyd’s of Lon don and confirmed that the wreck is that of the Acadia which ran aground off Ducie while carrying a cargo of wheat from San Francisco to Queensland, Ire land, on June 5, 1881. (Sounds like they were well off course at the time). Cap tain S. George and all the members of the crew of 21 survived the experience, making the trip to Pitcairn in lifeboats.

The World Explorer planned to raise the one-ton principal anchor of the Aca dia (they were to leave three smaller ones in the water) by using air-filled lift bags to bring it to the surface. The whole event coincided with the 200th anniversary of the settlement of Pitcairn by the Bounty mutineers. Pitcairn, and its dependencies, constitute the only re maining British colony in the Pacific. □ Successor for Pa Ariki Pa Tepaeru Ariki’s eldest daughter Marie Napa has been chosen as the suc cessor to the title of Pa Ariki, one of the ariki (chief) titles on the Cook Islands.

Pa Tepaeru Ariki died on a visit to New Zealand last February.

Marie Napa’s family say she is the rightful successor in accordance to his torical precedents, as she is the eldest of the nine children and the only one living

in Rarotonga. The Takitumu tribe’s leaders the rangatiras and mataiapos have endorsed Marie Napa’s selection.

However another party has now de clared their challenge to the role. They

are asserting rights basing their claims

on oral traditions that say the More family created the Pa Ariki title in pre contact times. At this stage Marie is still considered to be the rightful successor and formal investiture will take place September this year.

Marie is 43 years old and has four children. She is married to the son of an ariki from the Arorangi district where she lives. However in accordance to the wishes of the Takitumu people she will move back to her tribal area this year.

She says that although her new re sponsibilities will not change her life style too much, she has a lot to do says she: “I will continue with my mother’s work especially with her dream of re building the Takitumu palace. I am thankful to the Takitumu people for accepting me. My mother was a very clever woman but I will do my best to follow on from her.”

Succession according to the senior family line and Marie Napa is the eldest child of the previous Pa Ariki. The title was one of primogeniture succession be fore Christianity. □ Closer ties FIJI and New Zealand are working to improve relations after their traditional links were strained after the military coup of 1987. Fiji Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara said relations between the two countries should improve from now. He made the comment while speaking at a lunch in Suva which Fiji hosted for a New Zealand taskforce re viewing New Zealand’s South Pacific policies. Mara said the visit should help New Zealand understand the aspirations of Fiji’s various ethnic groups. But he

emphasised the protection of indigenous

Fijian rights was absolutely fundamental.

Consular reopened

FIJI has announced it will reopen the consular office in Auckland and has appointed Radio Fiji general manager Ahmed Ali as the new consular general.

The office was closed three years ago.

Ali was Information Minister in the Alliance Government of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara which lost the 1987 general elections to a coalition of the Fiji Labour Party and the National Federa tion.

Foreign help

ARMY commander Major General Sitiveni Rabuka, who visited China last month, said French aid was being sought for a US|7.7 million maintenance work shop in Suva for the Fiji Military Forces.

Said Rabuka: “We are forever grateful to some countries that are prepared to cooperate with our government such as the French government who are pre pared to go into a joint venture with us in the establishment, construction, man ning and running of a proper mainte nance unit. 1 believe it’s a very current topic in the Prime Minister’s agenda of work.’’

Rabuka left for China on April 22 for a nine-day official visit. The invitation came from the Chinese Government and it gave Rabuka his first overseas trip since staging Fiji’s first military coup on May 14, 1987. He was accompanied by his wife, Sulueti, and three army body guards, one report said.

Healing Move

FRANCE is expected to renew relations with Vanuatu by appointing a new ambassador in Port Vila in time for the South Pacific Forum in July. A diploma tic row in 1987 resulted in the expulsion of the French ambassador in Port Vila.

Joe Natuman, who is secretary to Vanuatu Prime Minister Waller Lini, voiced “strong possibilities” of the appointment of a new French ambassa dor before the Forum. He explained as “pretty encouraging” talks with the French government and said “things should move fast from here”. The French Embassy in Port Vila has been headed by a charge d’affaires in the abs ence of an ambassador.

Constitutional review THE Federated States of Micronesia will review its constitution during a conven tion scheduled for July in Pohnpei. The convention will be attended by 31 dele gates, including tradition leaders, from the four states of Kosrae, Chuuk (formerly Truk), Yak and Pohnpei. The constitution, which was promulgated in 1980, is subject to review every 10 years.

New relations SOLOMON Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia established formal diplomatic relations on April 5. FSM’s ambassador to Fiji, the Suva-based Alik Alik, will be accredited to Honiara.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands and Chile have also established formal

diplomatic relations.

Guilty verdict

THE 24 villagers charged with the mur der of six people on the remote atoll of Fa’aite in French Polynesia were found guilty. The accused were charged with the burning to death of fellow church members in a bout of religious hysteria.

All were jailed with group leader Fran cois Mauati getting the longest sentence of 14 years imprisonment. The six de

fence lawyers pleaded for acquittal on

the grounds of collective insanity, saying

the atoll, known as “Little bit of Para dise”, went mad with fear after a Roman Catholic lay preacher said the end of the world was near. An appeal has been

lodged.

Vitamin deficiency

CHILDREN in Kiribati between the age of six months and six years are some of the most defficient in Vitamin A, shows a survey by the Kiribati Ministry of Health and the United States-based Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific. The survey was carried out on six of the country’s most populated is lands. It found that of more than 4000 children examined, 15 per cent had one or more active signs of Vitamin A de ficiency. The deficiency could cause

night blindness.

Games venue FRENCH Polynesia will host the 1995 South Pacific Games. This was decided by the South Pacific Games Council in Port Moresby, on a vote of 16-12 last month. The unsuccessful bid came from Guam, which hosted the games in 1975, and the Solomon Islands, which hosted the Mini games in 1981. Next year’s South Pacific Games is being held in Papua New Guinea with the venues being split between Port Moresby and Lae. French Polynesia hosted the games of 1971.