Fanning Island, Kiribati

Fanning Island is an island around 1,000 South of Hawaii. It is part of the Kiribati Republic. It is an atoll. An atoll is an circular ring of coral that is above the water. Coral is the shell of a living organism. In the center is a shallow lagoon or pool. The water outside the island is very deep. Where the Norwegian Wind stood the water was around 3,000 feet deep. Below is the main inlet to the lagoon called "English Harbor". Some ships can go into the harbor. Our ship was too big. In the distance you can see the back side of the island.

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fi-12.jpg (14276 bytes) We came in to the island by tender. We were welcomed by a group of natives singing. The children were delightful. The island was very beautiful as we walked around. fi-13.jpg (14212 bytes)
fi-24.jpg (12775 bytes) fi-14.jpg (12074 bytes) fi-15.jpg (10048 bytes)
fi-16.jpg (12828 bytes) Homes were simple open platforms with a thatched roof. Linda bought a basket from a lady making it. It turned out to be a hat! fi-18.jpg (11066 bytes)
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fi-22.jpg (13951 bytes) Natives climbing the coconut palms pick coconuts. This is a part of the diet of the natives. They also fish and eat other fruit grown on the island. fi-17.jpg (11337 bytes)
fi-23.jpg (11537 bytes) I visited with many of the natives.

Then we visited the elementary school on the island. The school is called the NCL Primary School.

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fi-09.jpg (11970 bytes) fi-08.jpg (12042 bytes) It is named in honor of the cruise line NCL. They have donated many supplies to the school. It has a separate building for each grade. There is no glass in the windows.
fi-04.jpg (13108 bytes) I was a hit with the kids. fi-01.jpg (12052 bytes)
Bob told stories to the class. The official language is English. They teach English in the school but Most don't speak it well. The teacher had to translate as Bob told his stories. fi-07.jpg (13576 bytes) fi-06.jpg (11857 bytes)
fi-05.jpg (13077 bytes) We met dancers at the school. They went to the ship to entertain the passengers before we left the island.
fi-26.jpg (11085 bytes) I hated to leave. This was such a nice place. We could see our ship waiting for us. We took the tender back to the ship. Then we headed back to Hawaii. fi-25.jpg (11143 bytes)

All pages and pictures © Bob Shimer 2000 

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