The old name for Fakarava used to be Havaiki, and we are not sure why they changed it. Fakarava used to be the capital of the Tuamotu Archipelago, but they changed it to Rangiroa. This atoll is the second largest atoll in Polynesia, and it is located southeast of Rangiroa, our port of call yesterday. This ring of coral is 37 miles long, and 16 miles wide, shaped like a rectangle. There are two main villages of Tetamanu with a population of 12. The other village of Rotoava has the majority of people at 750.
There are two passes to enter their lagoon. On the north end is Garuae, the largest pass of French Polynesia, and at the south end is Tamakohua or Tetamanu.
Fakarava is part of the six atolls that were named the Natural Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1971. This area is known for its idyllic dive sites and emerald waters. Although with today's clouds, the waters were not as brilliant as they usually are when the sun is out. They still ran tours that took the folks to see the many rays, hammerhead, tiger, nurse, and black tip sharks. The ship did offer one excursion to snorkel the coral gardens for 1 ½ hours for $120 per person. There were four start times. With this deep water swimming, they should have seen barracudas, groupers, sting rays, and other smaller tropical fish. The north passage of Garuae reportedly has waters that are 98 to 131 feet deep, and that's where you can spot the silhouettes of the large predators such as the hammerheads. We feel it would be much better to see this from the safety of a boat. There is no worse feeling than seeing a large shark, then you don't see them, knowing they are still lurking nearby. Guess we have watched way too many movies and educational shows on the species to know fear when we see it.
Other things to see here are the pearl farms, pearl shops, and the laid-back feeling of being on an isolated atoll. Being that today was a Sunday, many places were not opened for business. Going over on the tender by 11am was a good idea, mostly because the weather looked like rain would arrive at any time. Of course, we did pack the umbrellas, and yes, we did use them. It was obvious by the deep puddles in the coral-based road that it had been raining here last night.
We headed right past a few tables of souvenirs, and a new mini market that was built since we were here last. All we saw were dozens of guests wrapped with the blue and white striped beach towels heading towards a beach along the road. Funny thing, we noticed that a line of folks were already waiting to go back to the ship at 11am. Even though the sun was not out, it was still plenty warm and humid. A little sprinkle would feel wonderful.
In this area were various bikes to rent. A few folks did just that and took their time riding up and down the road. There was little car traffic here, so it was fairly safe to ride or walk.
Near the tender landing was a group of young local fellows feeding chunks of fish to some nurse sharks. These six foot sharks came right up to the edge of the water, and everyone had a chance to take a lot of pictures as they did. They seemed almost tame, and we are certain they are for the most part. One black tip shark tried to sneak in with the nurse sharks, but the guys shooed it away. These might be more aggressive. Some men were actually walking in the surf with their aqua shoes, but the local guys made them get out. They did not need to do that, but there are always some folks that need to get the perfect shot. As the group of onlookers got bigger, we left.
Many swimmers were in the water, unaware of the half dozen sharks a hundred feet away from them. We did see some smaller fish, like the needle nose long and skinny fish, but not much else. Guess you have to be where the coral reefs are to see the majority of the 700 varieties. And for those who just wanted to relax, there were many coconut palms to sit under.
A few local shops were opened in the morning to sell pearls, sarongs, and t-shirts. The Catholic church was opened to see, but the mass was long over. The interior is painted a cool blue with a vaulted ceiling. Quite cozy, it even had a sizable cemetery in the rear. We would come back later to explore it.
The other church on this atoll is the Tetamanu Coral Church made from coral in 1874. It is located at the southern pass, and way too far to walk.
Every 20 feet we walked turned out to be a photo op. The water of this lagoon is so transparent that the horizon seems to blend with the sky. And with the blackness of the rain clouds, the photos were quite dramatic. Eventually we reached the end of the coral road, and the beginning of the sandy road to the Pearl Havaiki Resort. This is where we have always been able to find some good food from a beach shack on the property. The only problem today was that it was closed. In fact, the entire resort was closed for 10 days, we were told. Right near the entrance, a group of locals were cooking ribs over a fire, and selling a meal deal to the guests from the ship. Hinano beers were only $5. We were not so sure about trying the food, so we walked back to the tender pier to see what was opened there.
It had begun to rain by now, but not too bad. Meeting up with Denise and Howie, we all agreed it felt good. They went up to the BBQ, and we headed back to the church to check out the cemetery in the back. Seems like a strange thing to do, but it is part of island life.
At the pier area, we did see a small café opened with many people drinking Hinanos. The seating area was covered, and there was room for us. And just in time. We no sooner sat down, when the rain really came down in buckets. It literally flooded the surrounding grounds, but we were dry, and already enjoying the cold bottles of beer and an order of French fries. Their idea of catsup is BBQ sauce, and it really was good.
The driving rain did not let up much by the time another tender boat arrived. We seemed to be the only ones with umbrellas today. People that had come over to swim, were wrapped in wet towels and complaining about being cold. Oh well, this is really the first stop that we got rain like this, so we considered ourselves lucky.
Back on the ship by 3pm, we went to put our things away in the room, then headed for a Lido lunch. Salads and one slice of pizza would be just enough to tide us over till dinnertime. Then back in the room, one of us went out on the veranda and spotted a big black tip shark right below us in the water next to the ship. Wow, yelling SHARK, Bill ran out with the camera, and got some shots before it dove under the ship. Never seen that before, except for the whale that came alongside in Antarctica in 2010. That was a thrill too. Looking up at the navigation deck, we saw the officers had also spotted the shark.
Working on the computer, we stayed in the room during the sail away back out through the pass. There was a lot of turbulence, but with the help of a pilot, we went right through it with ease. As the pilot dropped back into the waiting boat, the Captain blew his horn four times, saying thanks and goodbye. Even with the rain storm, it had been a fun day for us.
Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill with wedge salads, clothesline bacon, and entrees of halibut and lamb chops. One of us ordered basmati rice, but got beets. Oh well, there was so much food, we did not change it. Actually the beets were good for a change. They went well with the mushrooms and French fries. Key lime pie and two little scoops of Cherry Garcia ice cream finished the meal. Keeping dinner light in this restaurant is next to impossible.
Annie Gong and her magical orchestra was the entertainer tonight. We have gone to her shows on several world cruises, and have enjoyed her style of music.
And finally….we have a day at sea tomorrow. Want to bet that a lot of people will sleep in late? And by the way, the clocks had to go ahead ½ hour tonight. If we remember right, the next ½ hour ahead will be when we leave Nuku Hiva two days from now.
Bill & Mary Ann
