Guam to Chile - Blog Post 11

September 28, 2024 – Papeete

This morning we departed on an “included” tour of the so-called undiscovered Tahiti.  The tour included stops at botanical gardens, fern caves, a new Tahitian cultural museum, and a private home’s botanical gardens followed by refreshing juice drinks in the owner’s gazebo.  The tour returned to the ship about 1400 and we joined in the “sail-away” party as Seabourn Pursuit’s lines were cast off and we exited the harbor with the sun low in the sky.

Captain Cook’s Anchor

Sculpture at the Tahitian Museum

Tike at the Marae Entrance

Marae - sacred ground

Tiki’s scattered all over

Another Tiki

Part of central market

Parrot fish for sale in central market

Ginger at botanical garden

View from Gazebo at private home

Fern Grotto

Tahitian Cultural Museum

Ancient dugout canoe

Departing Papeete

The ship headed east for Anaa, a beautiful atoll in the Tuamotu group in French Polynesia.

September 29, 2024 – Anaa

Seabourn Pursuit took up station off the small harbor at Anaa and most guests headed ashore in the Zodiacs for a dry landing followed by a short walk along the paved road to the inner side of the lagoon, where the village is located. There are about 450 residents on the atoll. Patrick also went ashore, but via a kayak excursion, which also ended up the village.

Anaa Atoll

Anaa landing zone

The village had a large open-air pavilion by the beach where the performances by the village residents were performed. Following the dances, there were large varieties of local foods set out for tasting, as well as delicious drinking coconuts. There was also a large pavilion with a variety of local handicrafts, including black pearls.

Dancers at Anaa

Proa in Anaa Lagoon

Local Church on Anaa

Inside the local church - light fixtures are shell

Local Dancers on Anaa

Patrick’s kayaking group headed back, but by now the tide had gone out enough that they had to walk and drag the kayaks several places to get back to the landing sites. There are several small entrances into the lagoon, but the currents are too high for safe kayaking.  Even the route we took, in very shallow water with occasional groundings, had a fair amount of current until well past the pass.

September 30, 2024 – Tahanea

Tahanea is a large uninhabited atoll and nature preserve. The atoll measures 30 miles long with a maximum width of 15 miles and a total area of 210 square miles. There are three navigable passes for smaller vessels, and there was one sailboat anchored just south of the pass where Seabourn Pursuit took up position.

The activities offered here were snorkeling, zodiac tours and kayaking. Patrick did the kayaking tour in the crystal clear waters where reef sharks were sighted and Julie took a Zodiac tour. No one from the ship was allowed to land, but that apparently did not apply the the people and dog on the sailboat, who were wandering around. There was a crude shelter with a mooring buoy in front, but other than the shelter, only birds occupied the atoll.

Kayaking in Tahanea Lagoon

Following our stop, Seabourn Pursuit reversed course and headed back north to Fakarava atoll to drop the French Polynesia officials and clear the ship out of French Polynesia before heading back southeast towards Pitcairn Islands, a British Overseas Territory. One of those Islands, Pitcairn, is famous for in part in the “Mutiny on the Bounty.”

October 1-3, at Sea

The voyage to Pitcairn Islands is about 860 NM from Fakarava Atoll, which will take three days. The seas were moderate, but with a beam swell which made the ride somewhat uncomfortable. The sea days were filled with lectures and other activities, as we prepared for the Pitcairn Island visit. We will also visit Ducie Island, an atoll part of the Pitcairn Islands group. There are four islands forming the group, and the group has been designated a Marine Protected Area, now the fourth largest in the world. The designation will severely limit commercial exploitation and preserve the unique ecology of the islands.