Moorea Island, French Polynesia, 4/26/2018, National Geographic Orion
Aboard the
National Geographic Orion
French Polynesia & Pacific Islands
We arrived early in the morning to one of the most spectacular and scenic islands of our voyage, Mo’orea Island. This little piece of heaven lies only eleven miles off the northwest side of the Island of Tahiti, and it was our playground for the entire final day of our expedition.
During the early hours of the morning, the ship entered a bay called Cook’s Bay, also known as Pao Pao Bay, since the largest commune under the same name lies at the bottom of this bay.
The scenery was dominated by the green mountains and high peaks. The most predominant of them was obviously the highest one, Mount Tohi’e’a.
As for our excursions, guests had several options to choose from, and everyone was able to combine the shore excursions with water sports, which everyone seemed to enjoy.
One of the popular options was the 4x4 tour to reach some high-elevation mountains to contemplate the scenery from above. After a brief morning rain, the sun came back out and never disappeared for the rest of the day!
We also enjoyed visiting historical places, like Captain’s Cook landing location at Opunohu Bay, and also interesting locations such as the pineapple plantations of the island and the Farming University.
Some of the guests decided to enjoy a relaxed day simply kayaking, swimming or even paddleboarding within the calm waters of Cook’s Bay.
Our day finished with the proper Captain’s Farewell Cocktail Party, where a great slideshow containing memorable images from this voyage was looped in the main lounge. This served as a clear remainder of the outstanding voyage we just completed!
Born and raised in the tropical country of Ecuador, Lucho is a passionate naturalist that has been working for Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic since 1998. With a marine biology background, he started as a naturalist in the Galápagos Islands ...
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Today we arrive at a magical island, trapped in between the past and the future. The traditions, the way of living, and how the people understand the world, are in contrast with tourism and social evolution. Apia was originally a small village, from which the country’s capital took its name. The morning started with a moment to learn about the past in the local cultural village. We were part of a “tapa tradition”, which is the way the ancestors created fibers, clothes, and many more practical resources. Tapa cloth (or simply tapa) is a barkcloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji, but as far afield as Niue, cook islands, Futuna, Solomon Islands, Java, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Hawaii (where it is called kapa). In French Polynesia it has nearly disappeared, except for some villages in the Marquesas that continue with the tradition. A master in the traditional arts showed all of our guests how to create the “tapa” from the extraction of the resource (the Mahute) to the final process, revealed as a beautiful thin and clear fiber. All our guests, including our expedition leader, Jen, were impressed with the expertise and dedication to the practice of the “tapa.” According to our wonderful experts at the cultural village, the ancient tradition passed from one to the next generation not only by oral tradition, but also by dividing the duties among the family and teaching the new generation about that specific topic. It was also a great time to explore one of many churches available on the island, where many local people are devout. The historic Catholic cathedral in Apia, the Immaculate Conception of Mary Cathedral, was dedicated on 31 December 1867. It was pulled down mid-2011, reportedly due to structural damage from the earthquake of September 2009. A new cathedral was built and dedicated on 31 May 2014. But ancient art and tradition, religion and church, were not the only things available on the island for us. We also experienced a wonderful trip back in time via the pictures at the museum of the famous Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, which brought back to life the island of many decades ago. Wildlife, beautiful colors, amazing landscapes, and flora were a part of our unique experience in Upolu, Apia.
We spent the day visiting the southern end of the enormous atoll known as Fakarava. It lies in the western region of the Tuamotu Archipelago and is the second largest atoll in French Polynesia, after Rangiroa. Atolls are coralline structures that barely rise above sea level and come in a variety of shapes, including circular, rectangular, oval, horseshoe-shaped, etc. These shapes are dependent upon the original volcanic seamount that provided the solid structure upon which the coral grew. The coral structure located here, which is perhaps 1,200 meters thick, took many millions of years to form the modern-day platform that now sits atop the ancient seamount. It is somewhat difficult to get one’s head around all this, but it has been proven through scientific testing and analyses. There are numerous small islands, or motus, located on the reef flat that surrounds the atoll, all of which are separated from one another by channels that connect the sea with the central lagoon. Fakarava Atoll is roughly rectangular in shape and has a length of about 60 km (37 mi) and a width of 21 km (13 mi). This includes a wide and deep internal lagoon with a surface area of 1,112 km2 (412 mi2), compared to a land area of only 16 km2 (6 mi2). Fakarava has a very rich marine ecosystem and has been designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in order to insure its preservation. The atoll reserve encompasses Fakarava Atoll and six nearby atolls, all of which is a recognized area where local communities are actively involved in governance and management, research, education, training and monitoring. This promotes both socio-economic development and biodiversity conservation. Fakarava Atoll is home to several species of rare birds, many interesting plants, bizarre terrestrial crustaceans, and lots of marine life. The flora and fauna is enhanced with quaint villages, old coral structured churches, and friendly, welcoming people. Our activities were designed around the tidal movements in this enormous lagoon. Right after breakfast, we all went ashore to enjoy one of the southern motus. The one we picked is surrounded by sand flats and turquoise-colored shallows. Some of us explored the island and exposed reef flat more in depth, while others opted for water activities, such as kayaking, paddle boarding, and snorkelling (a few did both). A beautiful, natural aquarium-like pool was discovered near the landing, which was perfect for the snorkelers to view many fish in a semi-contained area. Those who walked around the island discovered lots of island arrowroot covering the ground in some places. This interesting plant was utilized by Polynesians as food, but is poisonous in its natural state and must be soaked and washed for a couple days before it is safe to eat. One has to wonder how they figured this out. We visited Fakarava’s famous “South Pass” after lunch. With a strong incoming tide, most guests opted for an exciting drift snorkel which transited the pass. Several groups of us in turn jumped into the water from snorkel Zodiacs near the mouth of the pass and then got swept quickly into the lagoon. It was an amazing way to view the vast growths of coral and multitudes of fish…including MANY sharks! In the meantime, we offered some glass-bottomed Zodiac tours for those not keen in the drift snorkel adventure. Fakarava Atoll is world famous as a diving mecca and it was a great experience for all of us. During the day’s operations, our beloved ship simply drifted off shore near the South Pass, because the water surrounding the atoll is way too deep for her to anchor on the bottom. As a wonderful way to finish the delightful day, we were entertained in the Lounge after dinner with a crew show. Who knew we had such talented people working aboard National Geographic Orion ? (Actually, many of us already knew we had talented crew members.)
