Heahu | North Irukandji

Irukandji Police on Valkyrie Shoals region, Heahu State

Heahu State

Heahu State is a group of regions located in the north of Irukandji, a virtual continent that existed from 2007 to the present day.

It was created initially to take load off the the asset server for Tamita Island, which up until this point, had housed all the kingdom’s infrastructure. Now that load, particularly graphics files could be divided.

Heahu has existed in all versions of Irukandji in Second Life, InWorldz, and DigiWorldz.

That’s the nerdy backend stuff out of the way. Let’s head in-world. 😁

Note: if you are trying to visit the current Irukandji world, the landing sim is Arius on the DigiWorldz grid. The region is hypergrid enabled for easy teleportation from other Open Simulator virtual worlds. If you have the Firestorm viewer, use this link to teleport to Arius.

Irukandji Ministry of Heritage and Culture

History and culture

Heahu takes its name from Hiahungi (hee – uh – hung – ee), the Irukandji god of fertility. It follows that sex and general decadence was a large part of the culture there.

But Heahu – particularly the Hephaestion sim in Second Life – was also a place of tradition and order. Hephaestion served as both home to the priests of the Temple of Life, and also as the winter palace for the Princes of Irukandji.

Irukandji Police Headquarters was also located in Heahu on the water sim, Valkyrie Shoals.

And finally, the Irukandji Aqueduct, a 500 metre long underwater tunnel ran under Hephaestion and Split Rock Mountain serving as a submarine highway for the Irukandji Navy.

Regions of Heahu State

Arms of Patroklos

Arms of Patroklos, Heahu State, Irukandji 2007
  • Size: 6.5536 hectares
  • Grid: Second Life 2007-2008
  • Use: Light residential
  • Terrain: hand terraformed

Arms of Patroklos is a deep-water sea north of the winter capital, Hephaestion, located in Heahu State in northern Irukandji.

The two regions were intertwined for the duration of their lives. As such, changes to the purpose and layout of Hephaestion in early 2008 required me to make significant changes to Arms of Patroklos as well. The sim received major terraforming and was renamed Palace Lagoon.

Jai Noel modelling swimwear at Arms of Patroklos 2008

Before the changes, Arms of Patroklos was a surfing sim surrounded by a thin-walled caldera and narrow beaches. From the air, the region looked like an embracing pair of arms, hence the reference in the sim name, while Patroklos is taken from Greek myth, as the lover of Achilles.

Arms of Patroklos is best remembered for its steep-angled bridge that rose from the beach near neighbouring Valkyrie Island to the summit on Hephaestion, from where – in typical bush style – it then became the main runway for the Irukandji Airport.

The runway was also linked to the Trans Irukandji Causeway, which then travelled north around the caldera lip from Valkyrie Island in the east to Byron Bay in the west.

Baie de Citron

Baie de Citron 2007
  • Size: 6.5536 hectares
  • Grid: Second Life 2007-2009
  • Use: Light Residential
  • Terrain: baie-de-citron080810 based on Baie de l’Amore

Baie de Citron is a deep water bay in Central Irukandji. Its only landmass is a small island near its centre surrounded by a low crescent of hills, the visible remnants of a volcano caldera.

Initially a hollowed-out hill in contour, Baie de Citron was a sunken version of Baie de l’Amore, then terraformed to provide a flat platform on which to build.

The edges of the bay altered slightly over the years to compliment changes to surrounding regions, however the central island retained its shape for the rest of its life.

So popular was the .raw file for Baie de Citron, that it became a foundation template for other simulators that followed.

The name ‘Baie de Citron’ is taken from the real-world Baie des Citrons near Noumea in New Caledonia.

Strategically and in terms of infrastructure, Baie de Citron is a very important seaway. Its facilities also proved popular with locals and visitors. A submerged section of the Trans Irukandji Causeway runs north from Alantay Island to the central island in Baie de Citron, then northwest to emerge above land again at Crystal Atolls.

A most pivotal region

Baie de Citron, Irukandji 2008

For most of its life, the island in Baie de Citron was occupied by an American couple, while the waterways remained public thoroughfares for sailing regattas.

The resort on neighbouring Hephaestion also extended into Baie de Citron to provide more public space for locals to enjoy.

With its close proximity south of Hephaestion and diagonally adjacent to Valkyrie Shoals, home of Irukandji PoliceBaie de Citron also served as an important conduit between ‘old Irukandji’ and the newer states to the west and northwest.

During Irukandji’s war with the French over the liberation of the islands of Kalamat, the deep waters of Baie de Citron proved a great asset for the movement of large military vessels.

This was especially handy when manoeuvring the enormous Collins Class Submarines in and through the naval base at neighbouring Split Rock Mountain, particularly submarines.

Five years later in Irukandji v2 on the InWorldz grid, Baie de Citron returned but this time was named Kalua Bay.

Boyfriend Beach

Princes Winter Palace at Boyfriend Beach 2008

Boyfriend Beach and its surrounding bays in northern Irukandji were a major tourist, administration, and business centre.

This was not a new sim, but a rename and rebuild of the island, Hephaestion, its first incarnation. As the reconstruction project was so extensive, and to make the sim more marketable, I decided to change its name.

In hindsight, Hephaestion represented the island at its most noble and truest to the Irukandji story, while Boyfriend Beach reduced that to become more of a pleasure island. More than anything during the two separate lives of this sim, I regret the cheesy name change but it’s history now.

The Dunes beach club Boyfriend Beach Irukandji 2008

All of that said, Boyfriend Beach truly was a magnificent island and everything it set out to be.

Most of the island was occupied by an extensive palace district. At its heart was the palace itself, a monolithic marble and sandstone structure called Government House. The building dominated the island and could be seen from afar in all directions.

Acres of lawns and terraced walkways surrounded the building. An enormous swimming pool and nightclub filled the western courtyard. Beside the pool stood the Royal Bath House and even more pools plus upstairs pleasure areas.

Prince Rah Pinjarra at Boyfriend Beach 2008

The hidden waterways of Heahu

The Maskari River ran through the island from Valkyrie Shoals and into Baie de Citron. Keeping with the opulent theme of the island, the river’s entire length was encased in a canal of black marble and gold, and looked amazing.

I loved this theme so much that I continued the canal through the diagonal neighbouring island, Nouvelle Kiribas. This extended the royal canal all the way to Tamita Bay. Years later I rebuilt Irukandji on InWorldz and used the same marble and gold canals on Tamita Island.

Finally, beneath this beautifully manicured landscape ran a massive submarine channel called the Royal Aqueduct. It ran 500 metres beneath Boyfriend Beach and the neighbouring sim, Split Rock Mountain. Its outlet was two full regions away in distant Aquitaine Bay.

Boyfriend Beach, Heahu 2009

At the time of all this, I was having a few technical and admin difficulties on my main sim, Tamita Island, so Boyfriend Beach temporarily served as the capital of Irukandji for most of 2008.

Boyfriend Beach changed shape several times to facilitate new additions and themes but each stayed true to the palatial theme. It was all very regal.

In 2009, the effects of new SL pricing coupled with the GFC, forced me to decommission 60% of the estate in the first wave of downsizing. My problems on Tamita Island had fixed themselves, so now Boyfriend Beach was a luxury and had to go.

Byron Bay

Byron Bay, Aquitaine State, Irukandji 2008
  • Size: 6.5536 hectares
  • Grid: Second Life 2008
  • Use: Light commercial
  • Terrain: byron-bay080810

Byron Bay is located on the border of Heahu State and Jillaroo State in northwest Irukandji.

It is an open sea region and takes its name from the town in NSW Australia for no particular reason. In the east and south, the region provided beaches for Coraki Lagoons and Split Rock Mountain respectively.

The sim was significant in that it linked the “old Irukandji” continent with the newer Jillaroo state.

Byron Bay was also the main western conduit for the Odin River. To achieve this, a 200 metre long stone-and-concrete bridge was erected which formed part of the Trans Irukandji Causeway that fully traversed the sim. The bridge was so tall that a four mast sailing ship could pass underneath it.

Crystal Atolls

Crystal Atoll, Irukandji 2008

Crystal Atolls is a region in Heahu State in central-west Irukandji, bordering Kalamat State.

Southeast of Hephaestion (later Boyfriend Beach) and bordered on three sides by large bays, Crystal Atolls was predominantly residential on secluded seaside blocks.

Its standout feature however was the enormous Irukandji Airport complex, which was moved from Hephaestion to allow for jet landings.

Crystal Atolls was also home to XT Automotive and Marine which was my inworld automotive business specialising in amphibious cars, trucks, and boats.

Crystal Atoll, Irukandji 2008

Despite Crystal Atolls’ industry, its nearness to Hephaestion ensured that the sim remained picturesque and fitted in with the tropical island theme of greater Irukandji.

Other regions that adjoined Crystal Atolls were Split Rock Mountain to the north, Baie de Citron in the east, Alantay Island in the southeast, Bay of Plenty to the south, Baie de Triomphe due west, and Aquitaine Bay to the northwest.

Hephaestion

Hephaestion v1 (Second Life 2007-2008)

Hephaestion, Heahu state 2007
  • Size: 6.5536 hectares
  • Grid: Second Life 2007-2008
  • Use: Commercial
  • Terrain: hephaistion071011

The region, Hephaestion is located in Heahu State in northern Irukandji. Hephaestion also serves as the winter capital of the kingdom. It replicates much of the infrastructure found on Irukandji’s capital city, Tamita Island.

Similarly, just as Tamita Island overflowed beyond its borders into its surrounding bays, so too did Hephaestion. The most important of these bays was Arms of Patroklos.

Like much of Irukandji, the islands had a romantic gay theme. The name Hephaestion is from Greek myth and so is Patroklos for the lovers of Alexander and Achilles respectively.

More than any other regions in Irukandji, Hephaestion and Arms of Patroklos were directly intertwined their whole lives.

For the terrain, I based Hephaestion on a 90 degree rotated .raw file of Tamita Island, with a long hilly spine and deep river, and a tall mountain peak in the west.

The peak was later reduced to low hills to better join onto the Split Rock Mountain sim.

Hephaestion region, Irukandji 2007

A tall sloping hill was then added in the northeast. This provided a long runway to compliment the smaller airstrip on faraway Minoan Atolls. The runway was soon moved again to neighbouring Crystal Atolls, where the flat terrain better suited large aeroplanes.

The Odin River weaved through Hephaestion. This was also well connected to the Trans Irukandji Causeway via Valkyrie Shoals, Arms of Patroklos, and Split Rock Mountain.

A region too successful

Late 2007 and early 2008 were the absolute glory days in Irukandji and especially on the island of Hephaestion.

It was a hugely fun sim, with the popular Lava Club, large shopping mall with several outside retailers. A dozen rental houses fronting the beach enjoyed high occupancy. The winter palace that I constructed on the hill was a beautiful build as well.

Visitor numbers soared. Hephaestion and the surrounding islands of Heahu State were now firmly entrenched as Second Life’s ‘Gay Central’. Those visitors bought land and it was clear that I had to look to the future.

I decided that I needed to capitalise on the gay market. At the same time, I wanted to create a non-threatening environment for mainstream visitors as well. The solution was to give Hephaestion a complete makeover and rename it Boyfriend Beach. I cringe in hindsight but the change did prove popular.

The second part was to create a ‘straight-themed’ estate to the northwest, which I named Jillaroo. Both have their own stories to tell, which you can read about on their individual pages.

Hephaestion v2 (DigiWorldz 2017)

Hephaestion, Irukandji on the DigiWorldz grid 2017
  • Size: 6.5536 hectares
  • Grid: DigiWorldz 2017
  • Use: Light commercial
  • Terrain: prim landscape

The Hephaestion region on DigiWorldz was a reimagining of Hephaestion v1 in Second Life but even more spectacular. It was what I wanted to create the first time around if only the technology had existed.

In this second stage of its existence in 2017, Hephaestion was completely devoted to the Princes of Irukandji as they undertook their mandatory coming of age ritual at the Temple of Life. A prerequisite of ascension for all future rulers, the Rites of Humility involved rituals of discipline, sacrifice, and submission.

Temple of Life, Heahu 2017

It was on Hephaestion that I really began writing some magnificent multi-tiered NPC scripts. I also experimented with multiple triggers and activation techniques and began building my own adult animations.

Hephaestion pushed a lot of taboos. I loved every second I spent there.

Kalua Bay

Kalua Bay, Inworldz grid 2014
  • Size: 6.5536 hectares
  • Grid: InWorldz 2013-2014
  • Use: Scenic
  • Terrain: kalua-bay141116

Kalua Bay existed on the InWorldz virtual world from early 2013 through to late 2014. I terraformed Kalua Bay by hand and created all the textures plus prim and scripted content.

Situated in northwest Irukandji, Kalua Bay filled the grid space previously occupied by Baie de Citron in Second Life from 2007 to 2009.

It was an unpopulated recreational bay for sailing, with a picnic area on the main atoll. The Maskari River flowed through Kalua Bay into neighbouring Nouvelle Kiribas and Alantay Island.

Mount Krustallos

Mount Krustallos, Heahu State, Irukandji 2007
  • Size: 6.5536 hectares
  • Grid: Second Life 2007-2009
  • Use: Light Residential
  • Terrain: based on Baie de l’Amore

Mount Krustallos lies in Heahu State in western Irukandji. It is a tall blue mountain surrounded by sea, connected to neighbouring Hephaestion by a broad spit.

Although nothing like its snowy namesake from the Khataria novels, it was intended to be the first of a series of Khatarian themed sims that never eventuated.

For several months, Mount Krustallos served as home to a single land-owner who built a modest house on a secluded northern beach.

After a number of transformations, the sim was eventually renamed Split Rock Mountain. It was then terraformed to accommodate the Royal Irukandji Naval Base ahead of our invasion of Kalamat.

Neighbouring regions were Arms of Patroklos, Hephaestion, and Crystal Atolls.

Palace Lagoon

the golden seafloor of Palace Lagoon

Palace Lagoon is a region in the Heahu State in north Irukandji.

It first began life as Arms of Patroklos but the name was changed at the same time as Hephaestion became Boyfriend Beach.

The lives of Palace Lagoon and Boyfriend Beach were linked throughout, with the former serving as a northern beach playground for the palace. The beach was also home to the Hephaestion Beach Club.

Famously, Palace Lagoon was a place of great myth, and the birthplace of a concept that continues to the present day.

It occurred to me one day that the kingdom’s architecture was very opulent and that I need to explain why an island kingdom had so much gold. I decided to create a natural gold horde that was hidden away from the world, and Palace Lagoon was the perfect place to do it.

Diving down underwater, one could see that the seabed was made of solid gold with fish swimming all about it. The theme of an underwater goldfield became part of the kingdom’s culture. It continued five years later at Lagune d’Or in InWorldz, and then again in 2016 at Aratura City in DigiWorldz.

Even today in late 2022 as I write this, you can find an Easter egg related to this. if you visit Arius region, go to the IruMoto Script Factory and walk into the lunchroom. There you will see an open trap door and a ladder.

Descend the ladder and you will emerge into a secret underwater chamber. The seafloor is made of gold, just like Palace Lagoon and Lagune d’Or.

Split Rock Mountain

Split Rock Mountain 2008 Heahu State Irukandji

The simulator, Split Rock Mountain is a region in Heahu State in northwest Irukandji.

Split Rock Mountain came about in the wake of our ‘conquest’ of the French territories in the west, later named Kalamat State.

Split Rock Mountain featured a cleaved mountain with a submarine base hidden within. A submarine channel called the Royal Aqueduct which traversed three sims, also ran under the island. Its outflows were at Aquitaine Bay in the west, and Boyfriend Beach in the east.

A large residential block occupied the north facing slope of Split Rock Mountain with a private beach frontage in Byron Bay. The parcel was purchased within hours of being offered for sale and remained occupied for the entire life of the sim.

Valkyrie Island

Valkyrie Island 2008 Heahu, northern Irukandji

Valkyrie Island is a region in Heahu State in northern Irukandji.

It lies northeast of Hephaestion (later Boyfriend Beach), north of Valkyrie Shoals, and east of Arms of Patroklos (later Palace Lagoon).

Valkyrie Island was a significant sim during Irukandji’s time on the Second Life grid, and is one of the few major inner islands that did not re-eventuate on the InWorldz virtual world. This was purely due to the lower population in IW and subsequently less demand

With two picturesque bays and a gently sloping landscape with the Odin River running through, Valkyrie Island is a pleasant sim with a sense of light suburbia.

One or two larger landowners have residences on Valkyrie Island but the majority of the blocks were small. At its peak, Valkyrie Island was home to around thirty residents, and its close proximity to the facilities on Hephaestion made it a popular place to live.

The name ‘Valkyrie Island’, and similarly its neighbour, Valkyrie Shoals and the Odin River, are a nod to Norse mythology, which in turn is grounded in Ragnarok Crater on the nearby Baie de l’Amore sim.

Valkyrie Shoals

Valkyrie Shoals Irukandji 2007

Valkyrie Shoals is a light commercial scenic region in Heahu of northern Irukandji. It draws its name from Norse mythology, following on from Ragnarok Island on Baie de l’Amore, and the neighbouring island Valkyrie Island, through which the Odin River runs.

Almost unique to Irukandji sims, Valkyrie Shoals was one of the few to never undergo major re-terraforming.

A very technical section of the Trans Irukandji Causeway traverses Valkyrie Shoals, joining Valkyrie Island to the state capital, Hephaestion and onwards to the western states of Jillaroo and Kalamat.

The northern edge of Valkyrie Shoals provides a deep sloping beach for residents of Valkyrie Island.

Irukandji Police Station, Valkyrie Shoals, Kingdom of Irukandji 2008

In late 2007, Valkyrie Shoals became home to the Irukandji Police following a prim shortage on Tamita Island. The move worked out well, given the close proximity to the estate team at the winter palace on Hephaestion.

Regions adjoining Valkyrie Shoals, clockwise from west, are Hephaestion, Arms of Patroklos (later Palace Lagoon), Valkyrie Island, Convict Island, Baie de l’Amore, Nouvelle Kiribas, and Baie de Citron.

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