TUAMOTUS AND SOCIETY ISLANDS

Happy to return to French Polynesia, we took a ferry from Tahiti to Moorea to see Sara and Patrick who live in Tahiti but who were there on holiday. A fun reunion! We then flew to Apataki having firstly bought as much fruit and vegetables as our baggage allowance permitted, and spent 2 weeks working on the boat.

We sailed to Fakarava, the 2^nd largest atoll in the Tuamotus. Here we stocked up with food as soon as the weekly cargo arrived. Atolls are narrow coral rings encircling turquoise lagoons and made up of many ‘motus’ (islets) some joined together but mainly not; here hardly anything grows and water is collected from the rain. We anchored in the 2 passes seeing hundreds of sharks. A night sail to Tahanea timed so as to exit Fakarava’s south pass and enter Tahanea’s pass at the correct time due to strong currents. Quiet Tahanea has virtually no inhabitants with excellent coral for snorkelling just by the boat and also drift snorkelling with the dingy in the 2 passes.

Our 4^th year sailing and now many boat issues. Amongst other things the generator and the main sail’s electric winch stopped working, both needing spare parts. Like in olden days we furled the main sail by hand but hauling André up to inspect the mast was another matter! Luckily he helped by climbing. The worst was when the water maker stopped. André concocted a system to collect rain water but in the Tuamotus it hardly rains!

Anse Amyot on tiny Niau boasts amazing coral. Thus awaiting the wind to sail to Ahe was no hardship. In Ahe we walked around the village where a lady gave Fione a bunch of Tiaré buds. Tiaré is French Polynesia’s national flower and smells heavenly. Rangiroa, the biggest atoll, has shops, churches and a long road along which we cycled. Its richest resources lie below the surface. During André’s dive in Tiputa Pass he saw many dolphins and even stroked one! The ‘Aquarium’, aptly named, has so many fish that you just snorkel in their midst! The quantity and variety of fish in the Tuamotus is startling! We took an excursion across the lagoon to visit The Blue Lagoon where you walk mostly knee-deep across a coral seabed. One of our guides made a hat out of leaves and gave it to Fione! We went to an evening with traditional Polynesian dancing admiring the grace of the beautiful women and the manliness of the muscly men!

Tikehau is rightly described as a gem, thus fitting for our last port of call. This pretty flowered bedecked, quiet atoll with white and pink sands is charming. We sailed to the midsts of the lagoon and early in the morning snorkelled alone with Manta rays when fish clean their skin and mouths. Being so close to these elegant large creatures was rather special!

We first visited the Society Islands in 2020 and this time returned to our favourite places. In Raitea we were delighted to meet up with Fabiola and Alain with whom we climbed Mount Tapioi. Taha’s coral garden had enchanted us before and it was still special snorkelling in a maze of coral and fish. In Bora Bora we just had to sample the Yacht Club’s excellent cocktails again before sailing to the SE of the island.

Less visited Maupiti is charming with a rip of motus circling a turquoise lagoon. The 10 kms walk around Maupiti showed us flowers, palm trees, white sandy beaches and small quaint houses. The reward for the very steep ascent of Mount Teurafaatiu entailing using already installed ropes was a stunning 360° panoramic view of the lagoon and motus with Bora Bora in the background.

Leaving French Polynesia after over 2 years, on and off, was hard but we have wonderful memories of such diverse scenery ranging from the Marquesas to the Society Islands and everywhere very welcoming people.