A 200 year old Cannon that still has a spark!

After discovering the anchor of the Port au Prince English Privateer ship of war back in 2009 we were very excited to learn of the prospect that a featuredocumentary/drama may once again bring the amazing story of the ship and her doomed crew back to life in the modern age.

Rebekah (Bex) Kelly contacted us a couple of weeks ago expressing an interest in what we may know about one of the most important stories in maritime history in the Kingdom of Tonga, if not the world. The story of a ship that that turned into the story of a boy that grew into the legend of a war and eventually the stuff of fiction. There are many tales and many versions of the same tale and the potential for something amazing. The Port au Prince may sail again and on that same digital voyage she will carry William Mariner and the warrior King of Ha'apai on an amazing four year struggle like never witnessed before.

Rebekah's first visit is to sense the lay of the land, search for the remnants of a story that even two centuries refuse to forget. Sunken anchors, dispersed cannons, the whispers that have passed through generations, stories of despair, conquest, plunder, gold, treasure and the life of a boy bound to a fate so surreal as to be beyond imagination itself. A fate that took hold the very second the anchor of the Port au Prince took hold on a shallow reef off the North West tip of Lifuka Island in Ha'apai. For the next four years Mariner would shed the rags of a lost childhood and have his soul tested by an unknown people in the midst of their greatest turmoil.

Brian Heagney of Fins 'n' Flukes Ha'apai measures the anchor of the Port au Prince for authentication purposes

The story of the Prince itself is not one that can be recounted here, if that is what ye seek then read Mariner's Account of the Natives of the Tongan Isles, this simply an account of how a cannon that hasn't fired in two hundred years has enough spark to fully ignite the human imagination.

A good friend of ours, Grant Kouri, served with the Peace Corps in Ha'apai for 3 years. The first two of those years he spent on Ha'ano (Kauvai). It was Grant that first informed me that their was a single cannon from the Port au Prince resting beneath the local church bell. The bell looks almost as forgotten as the cannon. It's days are clearly over and ashamedly it lies with the barrel directed with a slight declination towards the earth. What was once the weapon of war with explosion, a war that was as yet unknown to Tongan people, now lies dormant no more than a scratching post for the pigs. Not only has the power of the cannon been vanquished by time but the story of it's arrival has also been lost. I asked local children if they knew where the big gun came from, why does it lie lost on your island but blank expressions cemented by an empty gaze indicated that the events that transpired on these islands two centuries ago have been lost to the youth of today. Could a feature documentary/drama make this cannon fire into their minds again.  Will a moving picture ignite their imagination, imagine a Tonga 200 hundred years ago where cannonball, musket, sword and gun powder were shattering reed, wood coconut and club. Does the warrior still remain in these sleepy forgotton villages or has that fire died with the cannon also.

I cannot find it anything but ironic that the cannon lies directly beneath the church bell. So it is that God and war sleep together in silence again.

As we contemplated our expedition to Ha'ano over a cold beer at the Sandy Beach Resort I commented to Rebekah that it was great to be back on terrafirma after an adventure at sea. "You called that an adventure" she replied in distain. It was a short trip, in a small boat, over a moderate sea but as we returned from Ha'ano and each wave crashed over the bow of the boat to soak us once more I imaged those same waves, in the very same sea, crashing over the bow of a small Tongan canoe into the face of William Mariner as he thought he was being led to his death. How good the water must feel when you might never feel it again!

Rebeckah Kelly stares into a quarterdeck cannon stolen from the Port au Prince

As many visionaries do Rebeckah stares down the barrel of a gun, as did the sailors long lost to the annals of history. We wish her every success in her attempt to bring this story back to life for the people of Tonga, the islands of Ha'apai and those in the world who couldn'T even begin to believe that such things are actually true.

If you can help Rebeckah, if you have any info about the ship, Mariner, Tongan records or even a passed down story please help her project and send her a quick mail at bexfilm@yahoo.co.nz.

For general interest you can see a few more shots of the cannon below.

One of the most important maritime artifacts in Ha'apai lies ingloriously as a pig scratching post

Looking down the barrel, I can feel my nerves tingling in preparation to light the fuse.

It's the start of a tale that will unravel many mysteries in Ha'apai. Sit back, relax and enjoy the explosion (sorry, show).

Ha'apai has Manta Rays!

After sporadic initial sightings of Manta Rays at a specific locale in Ha'apai we have been investigating the area periodically to establish a schedule for these animals. When are they here, is it the moon, is it the tide, is it random etc etc....? Our understanding of this fantastic Ha'apai attraction will surely evolve. We have found that thie secret location is being used by Manta Rays for feeding on plankton rich current created by the upwelling of a sea mount. Our first discovery of this awesome new attraction for Ha'apai was late last year, since then we have had a few snorkels with the animals and on Friday past we had the first opportunity to procuce what are probably the first ever recorded images and video of Ha'apai Manta Rays.

Manta Rays "Bryant" and "Midnight" with cephalic fins open during a feeding sortie. Photo courtesy Bryant Austin www.mmcta.org. 50MP Hassleblad with 80mm portrait lens.

As fortune would have it the first time we had this wonderful experience and opportunity for photos of the creatures, one of our guests, Bryant Austin, was packing a 50MP Hasselblad camera with 80mm portrait lens. This is massive gear and he captured some really jaw dropping images. We thank Bryant for capturing the first high quality images of the Ha'apai Manta population. His experience behind the lens, and composure in the water, gave us a number of wonderful images of this enigmatic member of the ray family. Briyant's usual focus is marine mammals, particularly cetaceans, and he is the founder of a non-profit organisation targeted at the conservation of these unique creature through the medium of art in the form of his 1:1 scale composite portraits. You may see his work at www.mmcta.org.  In honour of his images we have named the first of the Manta's "Bryant" and here it is both above and below.

Just like whales can be identified by the markings on the underside of their tail flukes the same is true for a Manta's ventral (bottom) surface. The photo above is our first ID shot of "Bryant" and the distinct collection of large black blotches running along the centre of the body makes him easily recognisable. This ray actually touched Mr. Austin with it's left wing and it is not the first time he has made such intimate contact with marine life through his non-aggressive respectful approach. In fact, the idea for his current work actually stems from the moment a female Humpback Whale tapped him on the shoulder to announce her presence in the water with him.

The high power of the Hassleblad camera system actually catches plankton entering "Bryant's" oral cavity. These animals, just like whales, feed by filtering smaller animals from the ocean.

After Bryant grabbed these shots we contacted our 37ft long Tongan flagshjip and whale watching vessel "Moana" on VHF and alerted them to the possibility of snorkeling with the Manta's. They were over in a shot and Sabine, relying on her extensive experience of videography with the whales, grabbed these magic moments on video. Our guests were also thrilled with the 30 minutes of Manta snorkeling!



Obviously Manta Ray's are a BIG THING for any dive destination and as the only PADI dive resort in the whole of the Ha'apai group of Islands we are very excited that soon we will be able to share this amazing experience with our guests on a regular basis.

Previously Brian, who has a degree in Marine Biology, worked with scientific researchers in the Komodo Islands of Indonesia studing their breeding habits and it looks like the excitement of being in the water with these gentle giants is now set to continue in Ha'apai. Brian says "to my knowledge this is the only Manta Ray feeding location in the Kingdom of Tonga! It is a very exciting discovery and something like this really has the potential to boost tourism in Ha'apai as a whole and particularly Lifuka Island where we, and the Mantas, are based".

As if snorkeling with Humpback Whales wasn't enough, we now look forward to welcoming you aboard for another one of the most amazing merine life experiences in the world that departs from Lifuka Island, Ha'apai.