BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE
MR Robert Hahgesi of Central Islands made a remarkable journey.
He left his island home of Tinadary on Tuesday 8.13am and arrived on the shores of East Guadalcanal near $10 beach at 4.30am on Wednesday morning.
At first, the young man told his parents that he was going fishing.
Fishing he did, but after arriving at Madoleana island at 3pm and having collected coconuts he decided to paddle from the island to Honiara. And so, he did.
Hahgesi still reliving moments of the long journey said that as took off from the island there was no second thoughts as he paddled away.
Paddling as fast as he could because dawn was approaching, he expressed that by the time lights from the Honiara’s wharf area became more visible to him, he used the lights as his guide as he paddled towards Honiara.
“The trip was enjoyable and not one worry crossed my mind,” he said.
However, Hahgesi pointed out that there was only one unusual encounter he came across by the time he was halfway to the capital.
He said that by the time he was halfway to Honiara whales surrounded his canoe five times so he had to wait for them to leave before he continued the journey.
On the way, Hahgesi expressed that luckily the sky was clear and he kept on paddling until he reached an area not far from $10 beach around 4.30am on Wednesday.
Exhausted from the long trip he slept in his canoe before making his way to his home at Skyline when he woke up at 6am.
The young man said that back then, when he was at his home at Skyline, view of the open sea and Central Islands gave him the idea to make the journey.
And on April 10, 2018, he finally made that journey.
“I will make a second trip from Honiara to Gela, maybe next week,” he said.
