Tuaikaepau

Tuaikaepau was a twenty ton cutter, 51 feet length, clipper bow, keeler, built by Bailey Yards of Auckland, New Zealand and launched in 1902.

The Tuaikaepau was launched as the Ilex and sailed around Stewart Island before returning to Auckland where she was raced on the Waitemata Harbour, later returning to coastal sailing around New Zealand. By this time she had been under several owners.

In 1946 she circumnavigated New Zealand, at the time the yacht was owned by Mr. N.W.Thomas, who also raced Tuaikaepau in the Sydney Hobart yacht race.

Shortly after the Sydney to Hobart yacht race the vessel was sold to the Free Church of Tonga, where she was relocated and renamed the Tu'uakitau for a period. During this time she was used by Missionaries to service outlying stations on the Tongan Islands. It was also during this time that the yacht was neglected and began to deteriorate.

In 1957 she was sold to Tofa Ramsay and renamed again to Tuaikaepau, in English: "Slow but sure". Tofa sailed the Tuaikaepau to Auckland where he had repairs carried out to restore the ship to her former glory.

March of 1962 Tofa Ramsay decided to take Tuaikaepau to Auckland, New Zealand again for repairs. He called Tevita (David) Fifita, who held a foreign going masters certificate to Captain the ship on the 1050 Nautical Mile voyage. This was the second time Tevita had Captained the Tuaikaepau to New Zealand, and with Tevita's reputation for have excellent seamanship, Tofa had no qualms about putting Tevita in charge.

The crew were:

Tevita Fifita (Captain)
Tevita Uaisele (Carpenter)
Fine Feuiaki (Engineer)
Ve'etutu Pahulu (Mate)
Sateki Fifita (Deckhand) (Captains son)
Talo Fifita (Deckhand) (Captains Illegitimate son)
Sione Lousi (Deckhand)

Tongan boxers were keen to visit Auckland where they could find new opponents to fight and most of the ships passengers were boxers.

Passengers:

Fatai Efiafi (Widower)
Vaiangina Unga (Copra Planter)
Viliame Fa'onuku (Carpenter)
Teiapa'a Bloomfield (Taxi Driver)
Soakai Pulu (Boxer/Coach)
Fetaiaki Pulu (Boxer)
Sione Sikimeti (Boxer)
Sipa Fine (Boxer)
Finau Laione (Boxer)
Saia Peni (Boxer)

On 4 July 1962 they set off for New Zealand. Shortly after leaving harbour they discovered they had no torch and returned to shore until someone threw them a torch. Then they discovered they did not have the correct chart.

Tevita checked the charts they had and decided they could make it anyway, and they continued.

They stopped briefly at the Island of Ata, south of Tongatapu, before continuing on to New Zealand. At about 10pm on the 6 July 1962 Tuaikaepau hit the outer edge of the Southern Minerva Reef.

They all survived having spent the night clinging to the hull and at day break saw what would be there saviour : the hull of a Japanese fishing boat which had been wrecked in 1960, two years earlier. In the hull of the Japanese fishing boat they built a still from which they were able to make fresh water. A fire to run the still was kept burning almost constantly with wood from the hull of the wreck in which they were living.

By the end of August it was decided that the only hope of rescue was to build a small boat and sail to Fiji, which they promptly did with tools found in the hull of the Japanese boat and from the wreck of the Tuaikaepau.

Tevita Fifita, Uaisele and Sateki were the three that sailed the "raft", which they named Maloelelei, to Fiji. As the three sailed the raft through the reef to the island of Kadavu the Maloelelei capsized and while swimming to shore within sight of land, Sateki, the Captains son, drowned.

Four died before they were rescued : Sione Lousi, Sione Sikimeti, Fatai Efiafi, Fetaiaki Pulu. Fetaiaki Pulu died one day before a RNZAF Sunderland flying boat from Lauthala Bay, Fiji dropped supplies to them. Teiapa'a believed death was near when they hit the reef, as he could not swim, but by the time they were rescued he had become one of the strongest swimmers of the group.

Fine Feuiaki is still alive and lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Two other survivors are reported to still be alive as at November 2007, whereabouts unknown.

Further reading

*Olaf Ruhen - "Minerva Reef: Fourtheen desperate weeks with the castaway Tongans" (Sydney, Australia, 1963)

External links

* [http://loseli.tripod.com/preface.html Hero's of Minerva Reef]