Blogs from Fakarava, French Polynesia, Oceania

Here we are on the slow way to Fakarava, one of these end of the world very special place. We first had the 2 hours 45 minutes twice a week propeller from Rarotonga to Papeete. I have to admit, the ATR42 is wonderful for 60 minutes flight, but clearly not for over two hours.....but it was this or going back to NZ! We arrived in Papeete at 7pm, just behind the new United flight...and welcome back to France, they had only two agents to manage the queue...these are tourists paying big bucks to the local economy....could be wise to give them a first positive impression....but as I say, welcome to France! We are staying for one night at the airport motel. Not a bad deal in a place that is nothing short of expensive. Next day, ... read more

Fakarava was my last real stop in French Polynesia, and is my new all time favorite. A tiny atoll (although around one of the biggest lagoons in the world), and an UNESCO Biosphere reserve, Fakarava is probably best known as a diving destination famous for its "walls of sharks". This isn't an exaggeration, there are sharks everywhere. Most of the island's residents (I think approx 800?) live near the north pass, working to produce copra or as pearl farmers. This area was stunning, but my favorite was at the other end of the lagoon near the south pass. There's a mostly abandoned village called Tetamanu - it was originally built to be the center of the island and is made almost entirely out of coral, but today only a handful of families(e.g., 3-4) live there and ... read more

Sur l’eau, dans l’eau…14-16 juin 2014 Sur l’eau : Ca se confirme, je suis un marin d’eau douce…euh en fait, pour être tout à fait honnête, marin de rien du tout serait plus approprié. Première plongée de réadaptation jeudi 11 juin, on sort de la marina sur un bateau alu à coque plate (détail qui a de l’importance) pour 2 plongées, mais je ne ferai que la deuxième car la première est dérivante et s’annonce très sportive d’après le club (en gros ça veut dire que tu te laisses porter par le courant et que tu peux aller très très vite). A priori, tu vois pas trop pourquoi, le lagon est super calme, il n’y a pas de vent, ça semble plutôt cool ; oui, bien sur, tu sais qu’il y a les histoires de courant, ... read more

January 23, 2014 Arrived this morning and on looking out of our stateroom window the first thing that came to mind was; “ Where the Fakarava ?? “ Yes we had arrived in Fakarava, The Island of Dreams. This an atoll about a block or 2 wide but about 60 KM long with only about 800 people total. It appears about 700 are not working as the major hotel is closed for annual maintenance. This turned out to be a great stop, in lieu of the place we were unable to get to. We took a long walk down the main ( almost the only ) road along the beaches. Some good sandy beaches but a lot with coral and rock. Swim shoes, with good soles, are a must here, and most places in Polynesia. We ... read more

Once upon a time, in a beautiful blue ocean far, far away, there stood a family of rugged mountain volcanoes. But there was trouble in paradise. The villainous ocean insidiously attacked and eroded it’s volcanic inhabitants. With time, the mountain peaks relented to the ever punishing ocean and eventually sank away, leaving only perimeter rings of earth material as evidence of their former presence. With time, coral colonized on the land and grew to create strange looking ring shaped islands containing large protected lagoons within. As with all fairy tales though, this ends happily ever after. For within the lagoons, life once again became a paradise providing for all sorts of creatures. Such was how we found existence on and around the atoll of Fakarava in the Tuamotu islands. Warm, moist, and oh so colorful. Like ... read more