South Pacific Survey 10th July 1951

The dates I have been using are incorrect by one day, so have to add one to correct.

We slept the night on the Catalina, due to the intense smell in the bungalow of a broken lavatory. Could not raise the native boy to row us out, so decided to borrow his outrigger canoe.

What a trip it was, like kneeling on a tight rope and being pitch black and 65' of water some bedding was just about ruined by the time we reached the aircraft. It rained during the night and it was dull and overcast when we got up, later raining most of the day.

Went for a walk to inspect the fuel installation but our supernumary engineer climbed a coconut tree and on the way down cut his foot rather badly on a piece of glass so we had to return to our camp.

Rained most of the day, so did a little writing and some cleaning up jobs.

The cook house is most primitive, the natives have no idea of cleanliness at all and I saw one dip his hand in the soup to see if it was hot enough to serve. All cooking done over an open fire of coconut husks. Plenty of pigs, chickens,dogs, cats around and under the meal table at meal times and to clean up you just scrape your plate over your shoulder.

We are to leave tomorrow morning and so must get all packed up to go back to Tahiti.