Tahiti 2006
Taha'a shares the same barrier reef as Raitea. They are both old eroding volcanoes sustaining the coral reef as they sink into the sea. Tropical reefs can only survive in shallow waters (65ft) and temperatures above 71°F, which makes them a bellwether for climatic changes. As the islands fade away, the erosion below sea level is at a slower pace and continues the support of reef life even after the original volcano mass has submerged below the ocean level. That explains why many atolls in the Pacific harbor spectacular sea life.
Taha'a is 90 sq km with a 42 mile coastal road that connects the small communities and a population around 5000. The main activity is farming vanilla as this island produces anywhere from 50% to 80% of Tahiti's 'black gold.' Fishing and farming are the main stay of the local population, with a small amount of tourism scattered about. The island is quiet and picturesque. And as with the rest of French Polynesia, pearl farming is here too, but only a handful of farmers, lending to the slow pace of this charming spot.
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Mt Ohiri |
Serenade |
Haamene Bay |
Forest Canopy |
Patio Bay |
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The weather moved around on us a bit, so one day we decided to take an island tour. As we had not visited Taha'a before, it was a good occasion to get acquainted with the local lay of the land. The tour started with a drive along the coast, then proceeded to the backroads, up to a vista point, on to a vanilla farm and finished off at all places, a pearl farm. Who could have imagined that! Our tour guide was well versed and made it a pleasant outing. At the vista point we were serenaded, shown the finer points of sarong wear, how to split a coconut and sampled tropical fruits. We leaned about vanilla farming, culturing pearls and how to spend more on pearls. It was a nice diversion and another relaxing day.
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Drying Rack |
Bets in Pareo |
Tropical Fruits |
Vanilla Beans |
Black Pearls |
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The great part about this trip was that we had no schedule, no itinerary and no need to rush off every day. We did find some of the best snorkeling we have experienced right at the resort. All it took was a wade across a shallow lagoon, a short hike and you just dropped into the current between two motus, and your were floating in a underwater fireworks display. There was coral of all colors, tropical fish saturating the reef and everywhere you turned some other surprise was bursting on the scene. We saw stingrays, moray eels, reef sharks and fish we have never seen before fill the clear blue waters. Well, as all good things must come to an end this trip did, and we departed for the long trip home (Boat ride to Raitea, puddle jumper to Papetee, overnight to LAX, and then a 2 hour wait for ATC clearance into SFO). And we call this civilization!!! I will leave you with some final shots from our trip that I hope inspire you to take a walk in this beautiful part of the world.
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Rainbow over the Bay |
Pearl Shack |
Taha'a Church |
Fishin |
End of the Day |
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May our paths and errands meet...
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