C O N T E N T S

 Rapa [Sun Apr 18th 1999]

Our day of discovery continued with a hike for some up to one of the 12 ancient fortresses found on the island. The temperature and humidity made for a hard climb but was rewarded with a spectacular view of the bay and rolling hills of the island, something of a "Tolkein-esque" landscape stretching our before us. A few passengers even managed to scale the wall of the Pa to stand atop the fort. The route to the top was lined with Goya bushes, the fruit of which we sampled as we walked. The flavour was quite unusual, with a refreshing lemon tang which was more than welcome in the searing heat. Sadly, the Rapa Fruit Dove remained elusive, teasing a few of us with its call, but hiding its plumage amongst the shrubs around the side of the mountain.

At the same time, some of us toured the small village of Huarei and just enjoyed the incredible friendliness and hospitality of the Rapa people. We were also treated to a huge spread of delicious food prepared and cooked by the islanders, with the help of Estelle. The menu included a raw fish salad made with locally caught Parrot Fish, some more wonderful lobster, as well as Rapa staples, Taro and Poi. After lunch, we were treated to an amazing performance of Rapa music, song and dance that we will never forget, with some spectacular costumes made by the dancers especially for our visit. Two of our entertainers also gave us a lesson in tying a Pareo that many of us will no doubt be utilising in the hot days to come. Being some of the rare 'tourists' to visit this remote location, we also became some of the few people to ever witness such a performance, with the last tourist ship to visit the island being the Akademik Shuleykin, last year!

In the afternoon the entire juvenile population of the island seemed to congregate at the waters edge to ensure a seat on the 'Sergey and Shane Shuttle Service', admission: a song, drinks included, costumed or non costumed Zodiac runs available. As this was taking place in the melee on the shore, some of the dancers who had graced us with their performance after lunch paid a visit to the ship. Those on board were lucky enough to get an additional showing of their wonderful singing and dancing, as well as being given some of the magnificent head-dresses used as part of their traditional costumes.

As the sun set, Rapa disappeared off our stern as we navigated a spectacular path through the narrow channel into the open sea.
 

Austral Islands (also known as the Tubuai Islands), island group in southern French Polynesia (an overseas territory of France), in the South Pacific Ocean, the southernmost island group of the territory. The archipelago, of volcanic origin, extends over a distance of some 1300 km (about 900 miles). The largest island in the group is the mountainous Tubuai; its chief town is Mataura. Other islands include Rimatara, Rurutu, Raivavae and Rapa. The islands came under French control between 1850 and 1889. Population (1988) 6509.

“The Polynesian Triangle is like an ancient spearhead thrust across the great Pacific Ocean. Long ago a voyaging people made this their home. The story of the Polynesians is an epic natural history.”

Peter Crawford

 The Half Monty [Mon Apr 19th 1999]

Later in the morning, Theresa gave a lecture on Sharks, discussing the lifestyles of the predators of the deep, portraying them with a less terrifying nature than many people would like to believe. She also talked about the amazing biology of these creatures, outlining the remarkable fact that the male of this aquatic group has two claspers (penises).

In the afternoon, Jeff discussed humans as members of the animal kingdom, highlighting the connections which allow all we animals to communicate. The attendance throughout the day was down somewhat, no doubt due to the ensuing Talent Show in the evening, with many of us hiding in corners rehearsing our routines for the big production.

The final part of today's educational program was cancelled due to the appearance of Raivavae on the horizon. Everyone came out on deck to see this beautiful island gently lit in the golden rays of the setting sun as we dropped anchor in the shadow of its volcanic peaks.

After the sun had disappeared we were treated to a superb bar-b-que on the stern deck in the balmy night air, as our Russian Captain and his crew joined us for dinner. Everything was quickly cleared away once we had finished, and the deck became a stage as the performances began. We had some wonderful poetry from Clare, Elly and Manny who also graced us with some music. Alex played a game with us and read our minds with just a couple of questions, while The Mermaids sang us a tune with some pertinent lyrics about the journey so far. The staff made their own contributions with the Rapa Rap and a little music, some poetry and some impressive juggling, with the grand finale by the Zodiac Boyz, Steven and Matt that had everyone guessing.
 

Raivavae Island is 9 km long and 2 km wide and is located just south of the Tropic of Capricorn. For archaeology and natural beauty, it is one of the finest islands in French Polynesia. The tropical vegetation is rich: rosewood and sandalwood are used to make perfumes for local use.

“Awfully nice man here tonight telling us all about the South Seas Islands till I was sick with desire to go there; beautiful places, green forever; perfect climate; perfect shapes of men and women, with red flowers in their hair; and nothing to do but study oratory and etiquette, sit in the sun and pick up fruits as they fall.”

Robert Louis Stevenson
letter of spring 1875

 Raivavae [Tue Apr 20th 1999]

We boarded our trucks for a tour of the island and headed off to the east of our landing with the music and voices of our hosts echoing around the island as we made our way. Our first stop was a small rocky peak poking from the lagoon and covered with heavy foliage. We heard the legend of the race between man and woman to place the rock, which represents the island, into the ocean. Man was caught napping, woman got in there first and won the contest and thus, the island was named Hotuatua, or Woman's Island.

The next stop was at the small ruin of a traditional Polynesian church hidden in the undergrowth along our route. The surviving wall stones stood like a set of crooked teeth marking the perimeter of the site. Adjacent lay the burial site of a tribal princess, whose wedge topped tomb was crumbling away to reveal a small compact grave beneath.

Shopping was not amiss either, firstly at what appears to have been the biggest shopping outlet on the island, and secondly with a brief stop into the lounge room of one of our hosts. We were encouraged to browse the carved outrigger canoes, some wonderful hand woven straw hats, many varieties of the small shell necklaces which came in a such a vast range of colours, as well as a selection of other curios for our pleasure. Some of us took the opportunity to stretch our legs as the day continued to get warmer, and were picked up by our transport some way down the road.

Having circumnavigated the island, we were delivered to the church grounds to enjoy some magnificent dancing, singing and drum beats while feasting on the fruits that Raivavae has to offer. The dancing took on a somewhat more eloquent form than we have seen previously, particularly in the expression portrayed by the dancers hands but there was still room to drag a few of us up to compromise the rhythm.

Once the festivities were over we had the opportunity to wander around briefly before being delivered back to our landing site for lunch. Many of us were more interested in jumping in the water to cool off than eating lunch so the sandwiches were put on hold whilst the rest of us tucked in. The remainder of our time on shore was spent exploring the waters before us, with mask and snorkel being de rigueur. There were a number of interesting sightings, including Theresa's wrass with its blue and yellow dorsal 'wings', on the outer part of the reef. Others of us were just happy to laze about in the warm, clear waters and as the afternoon wore on we slowly began to filter back to the ship.

Our anchor was weighed late afternoon but not before a spectacular display of paddling from eight men in an outrigger canoe that had made the journey from shore to say farewell. The display of strength was awesome, highlighted by the speed with which they passed by the ship and the unison with which they manoeuvred the boat. As quickly as they had come, they disappeared into the distance as Raivavae began its disappearing act behind us and the rain which had threatened during the day finally began to fall. Another good day was had by all and we departed, sure that we will never tire of the hospitality we continue to find on these remote islands.
 

Rurutu is shaped like a miniature version of the African continent. At the island's main village, Moerai, lies the tomb of French navigator Eric de Bisschop whose exploits equalled but were not as well known as those of Thor Heyerdahl.

“The world is so full of wondrous things, I'm sure we should all be happy as kings.”

Robert Louis Stevenson

 Rurutu [Wed Apr 21st 1999]

Everyone was 'leid' as the Zodiacs were unloaded and we were directed to a restaurant nearby where we were greeted with a spread of beautiful tropical fruits and a delicious drink made from the juice of the Pomelo. After an opportunity to wander around the town and take in the surroundings, we boarded our trucks and began our tour of the island. We were driven around the bay along a road suspended precariously around the sheer cliff face of volcanic rock which jutted out over the sea, stopping first at a lookout point from which humpback whales are spotted visiting Rurutu during their breeding season.

We continued heading north to the site of a magnificent limestone cave which was used as a shelter by early residents of Rurutu until their water supply disappeared. The chasm was filled with stunning stalactites that dripped from the ceiling reaching for the cave floor, as Rock Doves and Myna birds fluttered around the ledges above. We were also shown two interesting archaeological sites which gave us a little more insight into the early lives of the Rurutu people.

There was an opportunity to indulge in the cooling water at a small beach along the route and many of us made the most of the stop, but it was quickly onward to the shopping stop at the island's small airport. There was a wealth of hats, baskets and spectacular hand woven curios to choose from, and many of us made a purchase before setting out again. The island was full of good vantage points, and we were offered a superb view of the town of Avera, tucked in a broad sweeping bay with a gentle surf breaking on the off-shore reef. We also heard from our guides about the rock formations which came together to create this island as we took in the wonderful scenery. As we headed for the mountain pass which cuts the island, we made a brief stop at a communal Taro growing field, where many of the locals grow their own crops. Jeff led the hunt for the Chestnut Breasted Mannikin while most of us investigated the heavily irrigated Taro plots, as well as the Arrowroot which grew nearby.

Eventually the trucks returned to Moera where everything was organised for a Polynesian dance spectacular. We took our seats at the pier as grey skies threatened to dump their contents upon us. As the thumping beat of the traditional drums infected us, the troupe dazzled us with a range of dance, the likes of which we have not yet witnessed on this journey. With fantastic costumes and beautiful smiles, the dancers, both young and old, enchanted us through elegant hands and gyrating hips, to the sounds of melodic instruments and voices. As darkness began to fall and the performance ended we said our heartfelt farewells and made our way back to the ship for our journey to Moorea.
 

The Austral Islands are an extension of the vast submerged mountain chain which also forms the base of the Cook Islands to the northwest. The economy of these islands is agrarian with crops consisting of taro, arrowroot, copra, vanilla, coffee, bananas and wonderful green oranges. French bread baked twice daily is a prized local product.

“We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.”

T.S. Eliot, 'Four Quarters'

 The Last Sea Day [Thur Apr 22nd 1999]

Austin and Rolf hosted another wonderful bar-b-que on the stern deck, as the waters around us smoothed to a glassy calm reflecting the brilliant blue sky and the distant billows of clouds on its surface. During the afternoon, many of us took time to relax and prepare for our day on Moorea. We were offered a glimpse of the Lost Islands of the South Atlantic in a slide presentation which highlighted island life in a different oceanic environment. The images we saw gave us another perspective to contrast what we have seen on this journey and hopefully encourage some of us to consider exploring that part of the world at a later date.

Our recap discussed details for finalising our shipboard arrangements and late in the evening, under the cover of darkness, we made our approach to the island of Moorea, as the lights of downtown Papeete shimmered in the distance.
 

The first European to sight Moorea was Samuel Wallis on the HMS Dolphin in 1767. Moorea means 'yellow lizard' but the island was once known as Aimeho or Eimeo.

“There is no sea innavigable, no land uninhabitable.”

Robert Thorne
Merchant and Geographer

 Moorea & Tahiti [Fri Apr 23rd 1999]

Austin and Rolf hosted another wonderful bar-b-que on the stern deck, as the waters around us smoothed to a glassy calm reflecting the brilliant blue sky and the distant billows of clouds on its surface. During the afternoon, many of us took time to relax and prepare for our day on Moorea. We were offered a glimpse of the Lost Islands of the South Atlantic in a slide presentation which highlighted island life in a different oceanic environment. The images we saw gave us another perspective to contrast what we have seen on this journey and hopefully encourage some of us to consider exploring that part of the world at a later date.

Our recap discussed details for finalising our shipboard arrangements and late in the evening, under the cover of darkness, we made our approach to the island of Moorea, as the lights of downtown Papeete shimmered in the distance.
 

Find more information about Tahiti and Her Islands at the Tahiti Tourisme Australia web site. Holiday, accommodation and general travel information: www.tahiti-tourisme.com.au

“The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.”

Albert Einstein