How long does it take for a postcard from Australia to Malta?

 

Very appropriately, "Riverbend" is somewhere near the koala's bum

 

I first heard about Joe Altenhein when I visited Tonga in 2006 and quite by chance met the Austrian Horst Berger who had at one time been caretaker on the resort VILLA MAMANA which Joe had built on tiny Teleki'vavau Island in the Kingdom of Tonga.

Joe had come to Tonga in 1994 following a royal visit to Germany by the late King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. during which the king had invited German citizens to come and live and invest in his tiny kingdom. Joe, a pilot, had been looking for the right place to start his seaplane business in an island country with many islands and sandy beaches with shallow lagoons. He thought the Maldives were too Islamic, the Bahamas too screwed up, Fiji too Indian, but Tonga just right: very authentic, relatively untouched, with nice people and beautiful weather, and foreign investment officially welcomed.

However, with the Government delaying the issuing of an operating license for his seaplane, he and his by now Tongan wife Lola decided to wait and in the meantime build, as a support business to their original plans, VILLA MAMANA on the pristine 40-acre island of Telekivava'u. For more than six years he created, single-handedly with just the occasional help from some local fishermen, this most exquisite resort - for more photos, click here. It must've been a labour of love because the logistics and the costs to transport material and build on this tiny and remote island must have been quite daunting.

 

VILLA MAMANA on Telekivava'u

 

Eventually, with their two children needing schooling, Joe and Lola put VILLA MAMANA up for sale and moved to the main island Tongatapu, where there was little else to do but grow some vanilla and look after some cows and papaya plants while they waited for a buyer to turn up.

 

FOR SALEThe Villa Mamana is situated on deserted Telekivava'u Island in the South Seas last kingdom, the Kingdom of Tonga, 37 nauti-cal miles south of Pangai with its regional airport. This almost untouched part of Polynesia offers all the lonely island cliche could suggest: crystal clear waters, rich marine life, lush tropical vegetation, an authentic culture, and absolute peace of mind. The Villa (built in 1999) is right at the white beach and the shallow lagoon which surrounds the island. 3000 sq/ft of villa hold 2-1/2 bedrooms with ensuite marble bathrooms, the great room, two huge decks (which become part of the great room with the french doors opened), and a porch. All facing west to ensure beautiful sunsets over the warm South Pacific Ocean. High ceilings, wooden floors, teak furniture, and the light reflecting from the lagoon give the colonial style building its special charm. Amenities include: TV, VCD, stereo, satellite phone, fans, washer, Workshop, fishing gear, etc. Further down the beach you will find the kitchen house of 700 sq/ft (fully equipped) with a studio, and a smaller house (500sq/ft) which is ideal as caretaker quarter. Included in sale are also a 40ft motor yacht, a 27ft gamefishing power boat, a runabout, and utilities like two diesel gensets, two inverters, two battery banks, solar panels, desalination system, water-tank and much more.

 

They found a couple of Americans from Hawai'i, Kendall Struxness (who since passed away in April 2011) and Matt Muirhead, who bought VILLA MAMAMA. Their story also came to a sticky end but that's a story for another day - or maybe not, seeing how interested you are: click here.

 

Hotel Pension Senta

 

Last time I heard from Joe was in February 2012, when he and Lola ran the "Hotel Pension Senta" in Berlin, After that, it was deafening silence!

What I kept wondering was how somebody who's lived for over a decade in the South Seas could put up with the cold and crammed lifestyle in Germany? As he wrote, "We all had the best time of our lives on the island, and will always miss it - unless we find another island and build a 'Villa Mamana Lite' just for us." So, on the spur of the moment, I typed into GOOGLE, "Joe Altenhein", which led me to www.altenhein.eu.

 

Joe Altenhein in Malta

 

Joe Altenhein on Gozo, the mythical "Isle of Calypso"? Is that the same Joe Altenhein who had built beautiful VILLA MAMANA in Tonga? Not that I recognised him in his photo but, scrolling through his one-page website, I found several photos of VILLA MAMANA. I clicked on "Kontaktformulare" but there weren't any. Quite clearly, he didn't want to be contacted.

If there is one thing I have plenty of, it is time, and with my middle name being 'Persistence', I GOOGLEd some more and found a Maltese Government Gazette from February 2024 - click here and scroll down to page 418 - which listened a Joe Altenhein who had applied to build a new dwelling over an existing garage. That sounded like Joe the eternal builder! And it listed his address! I dashed off a postcard right away.

 

"Ohana" is a Hawaiian term for "family".
I am surprised he didn't call his new home "Villa Mamana Lite"

 

How long does it take for a postcard from Australia to Malta?

 

Googlemap Riverbend