Rescued teens on way home

All of Tokelau, all 1200 people scattered across three atolls, is celebrating the rescue of three young teenagers who survived 50 days adrift on the South Pacific – but the trio will face some hard questions on their return.

Tokelau’s Ulu or leader, Kuresa Nasau, told Stuff that he never doubted the boys would survive, but he said there were a lot of rumours and unanswered questions about them.

The boys, Samuel Perez and Filo Filo, both 15, and Edward Nasau, 14, disappeared Atafu Island on October 5.

An extensive search by a RNZAF Orion failed to find any trace of them.

On Wednesday, a New Zealand fishing boat in a lonely part of the ocean spotted the tiny boat carrying the three.

Their story was that they had eaten just one seagull in 50 days adrift.

Sanford tuna boat San Nikunau first mate Tai Fredricsen, of the Bay of Islands, said it was a miracle the tuna boat found the boys.

Early this morning the Fiji Navy took the boys from the San Nikunau – which is heading for Auckland – and they will arrive in Suva this afternoon.

Nasau, who is a cousin of all the boys and is also the Faipule or representative of Atafu, said the boys would be flown to Samoa tomorrow and will leave for Tokelau – which has no airport – on December 16.

While the rescue has prompted international headlines around the world, there is an intense local story which Nasau conceded was raising questions.

Nasau said there were rumours about what the boys had really been up to.

"I was concentrating on their safety and there will be time for investigation later."

“There are always rumours, I am not sure if it was true. They will have to answer some questions when they get back.”

It was a miracle they had survived and Atafu had exploded into celebration at the news.

“Not only on Atafu, also on the other islands.

“They’ve held special services thanking the Almighty for his protecting. And they are still celebrating.”

Tokelau is a New Zealand territory, 30 hours sailing north of Samoa. The New Zealand High Commission in Suva is taking care of the boys until they reach Apia where there is a large Tokelauan community.

Mr Fredricsen was on the helm of the tuna boat, just west of Uvea in the French territory of Wallis and Futuna and northeast of Fiji.

"We saw a small vessel, a little speedboat on our bows, and we knew it was a little weird," he said. "We had enough smarts to know there were people in it and those people were not supposed to be there."

The boys started waving.

"I pulled the vessel up as close as I could to them and asked them if they needed any help they said `very much so'. They were ecstatic to see us.

"They were very skinny, but physically in good health, compared to what they have been through."

Mr Fredricsen knew to be careful not to feed them or give them water quickly, and instead put them on an intravenous drip.

But they were able to sip water and soon wanted real food.

"They are in incredibly good shape for the time they have been at sea."

The boys had a couple of coconuts on board but no water.

"Somehow they caught a bird, I don't know how, but they caught it. They ate it, that is what is recommended."

But that was all they got. Occasionally it rained, but in the days leading to this week's miracle, there was no rain.

"They were having little sips of seawater, which wouldn't have been a great idea, but they had only done it for the last couple of days."

He agreed that with drinking seawater the boys had only days to survive.

"It was a miracle we got to them."

After the boys had some food, they phoned home.

Joe Suveinakama of the Tokelau office in Apia said that the news had been passed on to all 1200 people on Tokelau's three atolls.

"There is absolute jubilation on Atafu, tears of joy, but it is all tempered by the tragedy from Greymouth."

The San Nikunau had been in Kiribati waters and its crew would normally off-load the catch in American Samoa. Instead they were on their way home.

"We generally don't take this route and we were following the fastest line to New Zealand."

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http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/4391476/Rescued-teens-on-way-home