Tuamotus

The Tuamotus used to be "real" islands, like the Marquesas. Over time, they grew fringing coral reefs, like the Society Islands (Tahiti) have today. But the Tuamotus are even older than the Societies, and the islands themselves have gradually worn away, leaving only the fringing reefs (which, being alive, continue growing). The waters between motus are thousands of feet deep, but inside the lagoons the water is about 100 ft (30m) deep, with lots of coral heads coming just to the surface.
Most archaeologists believe that the Tuamotus were settled around 850 AD, by Polynesians leaving from the Marquesas. (The other Polynesian islands were likely settled the same way, which would explain their very similar languages and race.) They were an ocean-going people who sailed on large canoes from their small villages (the Tuamotus cannot, in general, support large populations). Beyond that, little is known about the indigenous culture of the Tuamotus.

The atolls of the Tuamotus were discovered by various sailors from Spain, Holland, England, and France, over a period of about 250 years starting in 1520. They were known as the "dangerous archipelago", because their many shallow reefs and strong currents made them very dangerous to navigate, especially since the islands could not be seen from a great distance. In the late 1700's, Tahiti and its neighboring islands (including the Tuamotus) were contested by France and England, with the end result being that the French gained control over the area. In 1842, Tahiti and its surrounds became a French protectorate, and while local rebellions continued for four years, the French have remained in control of the islands ever since. Tahiti and the nearby islands became an official French colony in 1880, and in 1903, all of French Polynesia became one colony, governed from Tahiti.

French Polynesia became more and more autonomous with statutes passed by the French government in 1977, 1984, 1990, and 1996. In 2000, French Polynesia became an overseas colony, allowing them to adopt their own laws. Although the government is located on Tahiti, the Assembly includes representatives from all of the archipelagos. Today, while France still has many responsibilities, including defense, the islands use their own currency and fly their own flag alongside the tricolor French flag. However, France does pay large amounts of money to French Polynesia, based on an agreement dating from the end of the nuclear testing in 1996. Effectively, French Polynesians have little need to work, as the government provides millions of dollars per year and subsidizes all their standard foods.

Our first landfall in the Tuamotus was Kauehi. I chose it because the pass into the atoll looked straightforward and the anchorage was protected from the wind and swell. We anchored first in front of the village. We went in and traded extra lifejackets and a bottle of rum for a handful of Baroque black pearls and four nice round pearls for earings. After pillaging the natives, we moved the big boat down to the southern anchorage inside the atoll.

The southern anchorage is what everyone envisions when dreaming of the South Pacific. Uninhabited white beaches with palm trees, flat clear blue water and tropical fish dancing under the boat. Some of this area is uncharted, but with water visibility of over 50 feet, spotting the coral heads was easy. We spend several sunny lazy days strolling the beach looking for shells, snorkelling and reading. There were several kid boats and Emily enjoyed playing with them. They built a raft, a stick house and collected firewood for a barbeque we shared with 6 other boat crews. We shared pot luck dishes and we introduced several foreign boat kids to the famous Samoa (Melted marshmallow, chocolate and gram crackers). Gerald from Whiskers and I tried to hunt for lobsters at night but came up empty handed.

Our next atoll was Fakarava and we had a bumpy 6 hour ride with 25 knot winds and we fought about 3 knots of current going in the pass. We anchored off the village and we informed about the local bakery and other highlights from cruisers anchored nearby. We keep seeing the same boats and greet each other as old friends as we end up again as neighbours.
The bakery opens at 6 AM and is sold out by 9 AM. We got there at 6:30 and got 4 baguettes, 3 croissants, and 3 Danish swirls all warm from the oven. We heard that the French government requires every atoll to bake baguettes twice a day. They are very tasty.

We got to tour a pearl farm and heard all about the seeding of the pearls. We found out that these pearls are seeded with pieces of white Mississippi mussels that had been ground perfectly round. To create the "black" (really any color other than white) color of the pearls, a tiny slice of the mantle (like the lips) of another oyster is put in with the seed pearl. These are inserted into the sex gland of a live oyster and 18 months later, the pearl is ready to be checked. About 1/3 of the pearls are round. If a nice one is removed, they can replace the black pearl with another white seed of the same size and another, bigger black pearl will be formed. They can do this up to 4 times before the oyster is retired. Odd shaped pearls, often with strange lusters, are called "keshi" and have become more valuable in recent years.

I succumbed to the beauty and we bought a strand of good quality round pearls and a pearl pendant to remember the Tuamotus and our time spent here. Tomorrow morning (at 6:30), I plan on pillaging the bakery one last time before we move 30 miles south within the Fakarava atoll. There, we are promised more white sand beaches and some good SCUBA diving. We will see.

Our next stop is 200 miles to the west in Papeete, Tahiti where we will spend some time at a dock, repairing bits and pieces and enjoying civilization for a while. Hopefully, I will be able to backfill some pictures into these posts. Until then you will have to believe us at how breathtaking it is. Stay tuned Dear reader. I've been looking ahead and Bora Bora is coming soon!

Tom