I am not going to list all the benefits of this tree - you can go to Wikipedia for that, but I will include an old diagram from the 1941 Pacific Year book which gives a comprehensive (and now politically incorrect) report of what is going on in Pacific Island nations and Territories.
During a recent trip to Kiribati I also found out anothe ruse - as a water detector. On the porous coral rock attols - access to the water table is varied. However coconut trees are a great indicator of where the good water is. A large tree that has grown quickly is almost always over a spot where it would be good to dig a well. Remove the tree (and use the products for 50 different things) dig a little and voila' - water.
My family and I had an opportunity to work in Fiji for several years (2006 - 2009). During that time we had the opportunity to pick up some of the local furniture which is made out of select coconut palm wood.
I have recycled some of this timber and have been selling some as pen blanks. The timber is very strong yet porous and light and would benefit from stabilisation but the fibres and grain are quite unique and random making for a very interesting result.
I have some left if anyone is interested.
Another 'product' of the coconut tree is the sap which is bled from the developing seed/nut sprout. In Tuvalu and Kiribati (and plenty of other places) this is called Toddy. In its purest form it is a highly nutritious juice that provides almost everything a person needs. They reckon you could live off pure toddy for ages. However it is easily fermented to produce a quite astringent alcoholic beverage which is very, very potent and can easily send someone 'spacka'.
I have tried it a few times - before xmas in Kiribati and in Tuvalu in 2010 and believe, like kava, is an acquired taste only only to be pursue when desperate and the VB has run out (or warm).
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