Ra’iatea and Taha’a, French Polynesia, 6/11/2018, National Geographic Orion
Aboard the
National Geographic Orion
French Polynesia & Pacific Islands
Early morning light found National Geographic Orion on approach to Ra’iatea Island, the second largest island in the Society Islands. This island shares a fringing reef and inner lagoon with Taha’a just to the south. Bringing the ship through one of the passes into the inner sanctuary of the lagoon is always fascinating to watch as we are surrounded in seas less than a fathom deep!
Our morning was spent at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Marae Taputapuātea, an important cultural area established sometime around 1,000 AD. This sacred ceremonial and funerary complex is quite extensive and once served as a gathering place for priests and Polynesian way finders from islands all over the Polynesian Triangle. The beautiful patterns in the basaltic structures made for a photographic dream as well!
We repositioned the ship to Taha’a Island in the afternoon to enjoy a family run vanilla plantation as well as snorkeling and beach time on our own little private motu, a small island lying directly on one of the channels cutting through the outer fringing reef. Very different experiences, but both perfect examples of what French Polynesia has to offer.
Michael Nolan was born in Bitburg, Germany to an Air Force family stationed there. His first experience of the ocean came at age 12, when he learned to snorkel in the Italian Mediterranean. At age 17 he moved to Tucson, Arizona and became a PADI SCUB...
Entering the pass of an atoll in French Polynesia is always a beautiful way to start the day. This morning we arrived at Tahanea, a small island with no permanent population. The water here is some of the clearest our staff have ever seen in this region. With winds and currents to contend with, our divers found a beautiful site to spend some time underwater. They enjoyed a healthy coral reef, some sharks, and large fish. On their way back to the ship they even found some manta rays and jumped in the water to snorkel with them. The rest of us split into two groups: the hikers and the swimmers. The hike ashore was full of birds and plants to observe and photograph. The swimmers launched from the snorkel platform into crystal water where they poked around the coral heads and grew even more comfortable swimming with reef sharks. We had an afternoon aboard. We began with a presentation by our guest speaker Tom Ritchie about the most useful plants in Polynesia. At tea time, the hotel team put out 13 different sweet treats, not to mention the sandwiches and fruit. Before recap, undersea specialist James Hyde gave us a condensed history of the natural world—starting with the big bang! Tomorrow will be a busy day for us as we transit to some islands we have never visited before. So it’s quiet on board this evening as we all head to bed to rest up for whatever tomorrow has in store.
This morning found National Geographic Orion anchored off the southern tip of Ua Huka, one of the many Marquesas Islands. This spot is known for thousands of sooty terns. Even though there was a bit of swell and lots of wind, everyone geared up to explore these small islands by Zodiac. Once in the water, we noticed manta rays feeding at the surface, at first one or two and then at least a dozen! In the afternoon, the ship repositioned, and everyone went ashore in Ua Pou to explore the local village. At sunset, National Geographic Orion sailed off to investigate more of the beautiful Marquesas.
We had to be very patient today to catch our first glimpse of the Marquesas Islands. Winds and swells delayed our arrival in Nuku Hiva. In the meantime, guests enjoyed time on Deck 6 looking for wildlife. Tropicbirds and petrels soared through the sky, and flying fish jumped out of the water to escape their predators. Once we approached the island, the impressive landscape of Nuku Hiva overwhelmed every single person onboard: steep cliffs rose out of the ocean, and spectacular rock formations towered over the tiny village of Hatiheu. From far away, our guests could hear the traditional welcome song, “Mave mai”. All-terrain vehicles waited on the pier to take the first group, the “birders,” high up in the valley. They were looking for the endemic Upe, one of the biggest pigeons in the world. And there they spotted not one, not two, but eight imperial pigeons sitting in one single tree. What a fantastic sight! The second group of guests, the hikers, enjoyed a walk up to the archaeological site of Kamuihei. En route, they passed through the lovely village. Hibiscus flowers in many different shapes and colors ornament the street. Hatiheu is like an open-air museum. Numerous paepae, stone platforms for house foundations, and tohua, ceremonial sites, are found throughout the valley. A gigantic banyan tree protects the most sacred area, the me’ae I’ipoka. Hatiheu also has the best known petroglyph boulders in the Marquesas Islands. Archaeologists studied these rock engravings over many years. Besides human figures and faces, many boulders show animals like dogs, fish, and turtles. After this archaeological exploration, we all walked down to Hikokua, an ancient festival place in the valley. As in the old days, a group of young Marquesan men and women entertained guests with songs and dances. The most famous Marquesan dance is the “pig dance.” The men imitate the grunting of this animal and simulate daily activities such as making copra, taking a shower, or fishing in a canoe. As Marquesan people like to share their culture with all visitors, they invited guests from National Geographic Orion to join them. Fun on all fronts! After these activities, guests appreciated a fruit tasting at Yvonne’s Restaurant in the village. Delicious mangos, papayas, pineapples, bananas, watermelons, and freshly squeezed lemonade contributed to our excellent first experience on one of the planet’s most remote islands.
