Day 9 · Tahuata: Hapatoni · 15 April 2007

Some churches are remembered for stained glass.

This one I remember for drums, harmony, and a four-year-old throwing his welcome crown on the ground.

We arrived early in Hapatoni, a small village on Tahuata that had only been connected to the rest of the island by road about three years earlier. Cars were still new here.

Our eight-year-old Dailin had been sick through the night, likely food poisoning from something eaten on the boat, so he stayed onboard with Kirsten. I went ashore with four of the children.

A Welcome Crown Rejected

As we landed, three friendly women greeted us with a Marquesan song and placed woven green crowns on our heads.

Most of the children were pleased.

Our four-year-old was not.

He did not know these strangers, did not trust the ceremony, and expressed his cultural uncertainty by throwing his crown on the ground.

Alyssa rescued it and held it until he warmed up enough to wear it for a photo.

Parenting is mostly timing and recovery.

One Church for Everyone

We asked what churches held services in town.

There was only one: the stone Catholic church.

One man explained that Protestants were there too, but they also went to the Catholic church because there was no other choice.

So we followed the steady stream of passengers and villagers.

Outside the church, a father and his sons beat a drum near the bell, calling people to worship. They played, paused, played again, and finally the bell rang along with the drum. Only then did the villagers sitting outside enter.

A mat was placed in front for the local children.

Then the singing began.

Songs From the Heart

The harmony was breathtaking.

People sang with energy and sincerity, and even the children belted out the hymns with everything they had. The sound filled the stone church in a way that felt deeply alive.

I did not need to understand every word to understand that this mattered.

After the service, we returned to the boat. Dailin soon improved, thankfully, but I stayed aboard to look after him. Orin and Eli stayed out of the sun with me.

Unfortunately, Alyssa and Jaeden got so absorbed in reading and daydreaming that they missed the last boat to shore for the village meal and dance performance.

This is how you know a ship has become home: children can miss an island because they are comfortable doing nothing.

A Village That Gave From the Heart

We were sad to miss the meal and performance. The people of Hapatoni were known for their warmth, and we were told they did not accept even a small payment from the Aranui company for their greetings and fruit.

They offered it freely, in gratitude for passengers buying from local artisans.

The Aranui had only stopped there three times the year before, but in 2007 Hapatoni had been added to the full-year itinerary.

A very good decision.

The morning had been simple: a landing, a song, a crown, a church, and music that stayed with us.

Sometimes that is enough.