The Tantalizing Tuamotus

This vast archipelago of sunken volcanoes--now just atolls, perimeters of reefs and islets called motus encircling impossibly blue lagoons--is sparsely populated by the Paumotu people (a distinct culture from the Marquesans). They make their living from fishing, copra (coconut processing), and in recent decades pearl farming. Known to mariners as the Dangerous Archipelago because the reefs are often nearly impossible to see and the passes into the lagoons can be treacherous, they offer such great beauty and fantastic snorkeling (and diving, for those who dive) that few cruisers can resist stopping in at least one of the atolls en route from the Marquesas to Tahiti.

It is worth noting here that the Tuamotus are one of the island groups that will be submerged if sea levels continue to rise as predicted. This enormous archipelago of stunningly beautiful lagoons and fantasy island motus--to say nothing of the way of life for an entire culture of people who have lived here for 1500 years--will disappear.

It only took us 3 1/2 days to cover the 500+ miles from Nuku Hiva to the Kauehi atoll. A couple of high points: setting a Second Wind record of 177 miles in 24 hours (a wild ride!) and catching a tuna--enough for several meals, but not too big for two people on a boat with a freezer the size of a dictionary.

                                                                                                        Not so high point: laundry underway, with a bucket & plunger

KAUEHI

We chose Kauehi as our landfall since it had one of the easier passes (= enough width & depth, no obstacles and not a particularly strong current) and a navigable lagoon (= not so full of coral heads that sailing across it was treacherous, as long as a sharp lookout was kept). Though we'd seen pictures of atolls, we were still taken aback by the size of the lagoon and the kaleidoscope of water colors!

A pearl farm near the village

There is one small village on the entire atoll. Tearavero has a mixture of old and new: coconuts are both the livelihood and construction material for this home.

The nicest homes have landscaped yards (there is no soil on motus, just coral in various stages of disintegration--so between plants, the "yard" is raked). Water is scarce, so all homes have corrugated roofs to drain rainwater into large cisterns.

It is possible to purchase black pearls directly from the pearl farming families, before they are sent to retail stores in Tahiti. I got a beautiful pair of earrings made by this lovely woman!

Throughout French Polynesia, young children are educated in the small villages and older students are all sent to Tahiti, returning home just twice a year. I sought out schools, and was charmed by the small bicycles lined up outside this one.

 

We spent most of our time in Kauehi anchored at Motu Mahuehue, almost 10 miles from the village. We couldn't believe that we had this perfect place all to ourselves for several days...

It was fascinating to be able to walk to the edge of the atoll at slack tide. Just beyond me was an abyss: the edge of the sunken volcano dropped 3000 feet!

A vacated fisherman's shack--or our next home?

Am I photoshopped in here, or is this for real?

Serenading the motu

Serenading the chef (a first-class ukulele, made by dear friend David Ingalls)

Happy hour on the beach

Kids playing with the camera

Peaceful lagoon

Sun setting over a nearby motu

After exploring many different anchorages in the Marquesas, we opted to take it slow and immerse ourselves in just a few locations in the Tuamotus. The snorkeling was superb, the neon turquoise waters endlessly enchanting. It was picture perfect, so I'll skip captions and just add pictures...