End Of The Trip - A Summary

My trip has come to an end, but what an amazing trip it was! It's time to summarize:

- Completed an ocean crossing on a sailing ship of  1655 nautical miles. That's 1905 standard miles, 3065 km.

- I visited 7 islands: Rapa Nui, Pitcairn, Mangareva, Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Raiatea, only one of which I had been to before!

- Took  7 airplane flights

- Acquired 13 real black pearls.

- Met dozens of new people, and will probably keep in touch with many of them

- Photographed 1 endangered species.

- Kayaked with dozens of dolphins.

- Stayed in an overwater bungalow.

One of my best trips ever, and I look forward to visiting French Polynesia again!

Black Pearls Again

I stopped in to the Pearl Museum in Papeete. Though small, it was quite interesting and I did learn some new things I didn't know before about pearls.  

The highest quality pearls cost over $1000

One is that the oysters can have multiple pearl sites in a single oyster. I thought there could only be one.

Oyster with 7 pearl sites!

Bikini made from 472 black pearls

When Marco Polo journeyed to the East in 1290 he met the King of Malabar. The king adorned himself with a magnificent necklace, strung with 104 white pearls, each a marvelous testament to the kingdom’s wealth and the seas’ bounty. But the pearls did not merely grace his royal neck. They cascaded down to his feet, materializing as intricately designed ankle bracelets and even toe rings, each piece reflecting a meticulous artistry and unmatched affluence. [1]

[1] Description of the King of Malabar

The Distant Skies Of Raiatea

View out the private deck of my bungalow

After Bora Bora I went to Raiatea ("distant sky" in Polynesian).

Tasty Tahitian Rum -- I liked it!

Toyota dealership - a tent and 3 cars

Raiatea is much less developed than Tahiti of course.  There's only one small town, Uturoa. I only spent 2 days on Raiatea but I feel I accomplished a lot. One day I took a tour of the island including the Botanical Gardens.

This is supposed to be the face of a woman. Do you see it?
			Almost looks like a moai
			Pearl farming house

Raiatea, The Head Of The Octopus

The octopus represents all of the Polynesian islands from New Zealand (both islands) to Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, to Hawaii and even to Rapa Nui! Over a hundred islands. It represents a sort of map, though not scale (a scale map would be totally impractical). Rather the Polynesians thought in terms of island chains represented by the legs of the octopus. The islands are drawn on each leg in the order you would encounter them by following the recommended island hopping route. So it's much more practical than a Western-style scale map would be given the navigation techniques the Polynesians had at the time, which although they had no modern technology, were still quite sophisticated.

Closer view of the octopus:

Here the head of the octopus is named Havaii, because that was the original name of this island.
It was later changed to Raiatea to avoid conflict with the other Hawaii.

Raiatea has the most important of the marae [1], called Taputapuatea. As the head of the octopus, it contained navigational markers to aid in voyages to the other islands.

From the UNESCO site:

At the centre of the Taputapuātea marae complex is marae Taputapuātea itself, dedicated to the god ‘Oro and the place where the world of the living (Te Ao) intersects the world of the ancestors and gods (Te Po). It also expresses political power and relationships. The rise in the importance of Taputapuātea among the marae on Raiatea and in the wider region is linked to the line of Tamatoa ari’i (chiefs) and the expansion of their power. Taputapuātea was the centre of a political alliance that brought together two widespread regions encompassing most of Polynesia. The alliance was maintained by regular gatherings of chiefs, warriors and priests who came from the other islands to meet at Taputapuātea. The building of outrigger canoes and ocean navigation were key skills in maintaining this network.

[1] Marae are sacred ceremonial and social spaces that are found throughout Polynesia.

Heiva i Bora Bora

I didn't know there was a Heiva on Bora Bora too so it was a pleasant surprise to find out that there was one during the time I was here!  I had already been to the Heiva in Tahiti and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now here was a chance to see it again on a different island and compare the two.

One of the percussion groups competing for a prize

It was smaller than the one in Tahiti of course but in some ways that made it better. It was more intimate, and photography was allowed during the show. I got several pictures and videos of the dancers.

Couples dancers Elona and Raimoana

Couples dancers Raihani and Rai Teara

This incredible 15 yr-old dancer Tetaumoana is carried
 by her proud father after winning Best Female Dancer overall!

World's Most Scenic Cannon

Bora Bora (really Pora Pora) is only about 40 kilometers wide, so I took a bike and rode around the whole island.

When I got about half-way around, there was a World War II historic site with a lookout tower and a large cannon.

Bora Bora was a major US supply base in World War II

Most scenic cannon in the world!

 A few miles before completing the whole island loop, I got a flat tire so I had to walk the rest of the way!