Rikitea & Aukena, Gambiers – 28 March 2019
The passage from Pitcairn Island to the Gambier Islands was what I would describe as a “Rolling” adventure. The ship swayed side to side as we ventured Westward. It was obvious that the swells were moving from North to South and we needed to head broadside to them. Even at dinner time last night, there were a few occasions I had to hold my plate and glass to prevent it from sliding off the table. That continued on throughout the entire night and did not end until we entered the safety of the reef encircling the Gambier islands.
For breakfast, I had plenty of time and so I helped myself to a full plate of watermelon, pineapple and pamplemousse as well as crepes, pancakes and bacon. The breakfasts onboard are very similar from one day to another as there are all the options you can think of. Omelettes, yogourt, cold cereal, fruit, juice, bacon, sausages, toast and a grill rotating from one day to the next in making fresh pancakes or fresh eggs, made to order. I have to be careful to rotate what I serve myself so that I have a bit of variety in my breakfast. If I eat a bit of everything every day, it can become repetitive but if I rotate what I select, I could have something different every day. Crepes however are my weakness and I could eat that every morning of my life and still be happy.
Kirsten and I were scheduled based on our deck number, to take the second set of barges to shore for the morning excursion. So just before 9 am, we boarded the barge for the 20 minute ride to Rikitea. As we had already visited Rikitea only 3 days ago, we decided that we would take a trip to the other side of the island. The problem however was that it takes about 1 hour to go up and down the centre of the island and we only had a total of just over 2 hours. So we set off at a quick pace in the heat of the sun to find the road through the middle of the island.
About 5 minutes into the walk up the hillside, I saw a truck coming past us and waved to them signalling I wanted to ask them a question. When the two local men stopped, I asked them in the best French I could, if we could catch a ride with them to the other side of the island where a large number of pearl farms are located on the blue lagoon. They nodded and invited us to jump into the back seats of their 4×4 truck. They were very friendly and we told them where we were from as we climbed up the hill and descended down the other side of the island. The drive was only about 10 minutes by car on a paved road with plenty of cracks. Once down the other side of the hill the road turned into a muddy dirt road with frequent big potholes that needed to be navigated.
We chose to stop at a local guesthouse called Pension Maro’i that I sell quite frequently for people I send to this island. The guesthouse accommodation has 4 bungalows with mini fridges. In order to get to the guesthouse, one has to fly into the only Gambier Islands airport that is located on a motu (islet) about 30 minutes away. Guests then have to pay for a shuttle to get to the Rikitea pier. The pension hosts always pick up their guests and on their way to their accommodations, stop at a local “snack” (convenience store) so guests can purchase their own drinks and snacks. It’s important to note that there are no bank machines in the Gambier Islands so visitors need to come with t
heir own Polynesian Francs. Credit cards are accepted at many places as well.
The guesthouse is perched on the edge of the bluest lagoon. It has one beachfront bungalow and 3 garden bungalows. There is also a activities and eating area perched on the edge of the water next to the beach bungalow. From here, one can also walk out along the long pier to where boats can take visitors to the family’s pearl farm out in the lagoon. We could see a number of pearl farm buildings on the lagoon in front of us. They look like little floating homes in the water.
One of the guesthouse owners showed us some of the beautiful pearls they produce in the lagoon. They were some of the most colorful pearls I have seen with varying shades of yellow, turquoise, black and purple. He mentioned that three times per year they take their pearls to Tahiti where there is an auction for black pearl wholesalers. He had one gigantic pearl that was priced at about $5000 US (500000 xpf).
I couldn’t resist sending my drone out over the blue waters of the lagoon in front of the guesthouse and over to his pearl farm about 1 km away.
Before long we had to go. Our boat from the pier on the other side of the island was leaving in an hour and we didn’t have a ride. We started hiking up the hill in the heat of the day. It was hot and I had to stop frequently for a drink of water. I kept an ear out for a car but none came by. There were a couple of scooters, but nothing that would fit two hikers. Just before we reached the top, I saw a sign for a side trail to Mount Duff. I was told it was another two hours to the summit of the tallest iconic mountain on the island. A hike for another time. By the time we crested the hill and started to down the other side of the mountain, a white truck drove up. I waved them down and they were happy to give us a ride the rest of the way down the mountain. The people on this island I found to be so friendly and it’s always fun to have an excuse to ask the locals questions and find out a little bit more of their island life.
Our 11:30 am boat did not take us back to the Aranui ship but rather took us to a special location across the Lagoon on the adjacent island of Aukena. The Aranui had made arrangements for us to have a picnic lunch on this motu. When we arrived at noon, there were tables and chairs all set up on the shore with tents for shelters from the sun. Staff were just starting to serve food buffet style to all of the passengers. The entertainers were singing Polynesian songs and some people were swimming in the waters off of the sandy beach.
I wondered where all of the tables, chairs and supplies came from but later found out as I saw them being loaded onto a barge on the beach that had a miniature shipping container on it. All of the tables, chairs and pop up tents fit easily inside. It was true Aranui style to have them transport their own picnic in a storage container.
Following a filling meal we had a refreshing swim in the water. Not having done my three times weekly swimming exercise for over a week, I swam the length of the beach with a short stop to explore the corals and fish at the far end. The water was warm and refreshing.
By 3 pm our time at the beach was over and it was time to head back to the ship. It took at least 30 minutes to reach the Aranui. Once onboard we had more relaxation time and Kirsten had an afternoon nap. I skipped the daily Tahitian dance classes and the black pearl jewellery sale in the games room. The daily “Happy Hour” with half price drinks was on during the evening briefing discussing the following day’s activities.
We were well underway by the time dinner started at 7:30 pm for the 1st seating. As we were back in the same weather pattern as yesterday, there was a lot of side to side movement of the ship during the meal. I saw a few guests leave early, probably due to a weak seasick stomach.
This evening the Aranui band performed from 9 to 10pm in the Veranda Bar. They performed a variety of Polynesian songs to entertain guests in the evening. It was a great end to the day.
