The Touramotus

After 10 days at sea, we finally arrived at the much anticipated Tuamotu Archipelago. According to Darwin, the ring of coral that surrounds these islands are the barrier reefs of volcanic islands that sank to the bottom of the Pacific millions of years ago.  What that leaves for us today are big shockingly blue lagoons exploding with life, to explore surrounded by low lying land and little armies of palm trees.

The main things to do in the Tuamotus are eat coconuts, relax and stay in the saltwater lagoons until your fingers are wrinkly. A typical day for us would include snorkeling in the morning with hundreds of shark and a mind-boggling amount of tropical fish on healthy coral followed by beer or a warm Milo and naps then relaxing, coconut hunting finally dinner and more relaxing. All of this we typically did with our mates aboard Saltbreaker who have been following us around the Pacific…or maybe it is the other way around.

Fakarava (Atoll)

One of the most magical places we found on our tour of the Tuamotus was Fakarava.  It was also the first atoll we stopped at - it was love at first sight.  We were greeted in the anchorage by a torpedoing baguette launched by the Kleemans on Saltbreaker. The brothers were being interviewed by Outside magazine and we thought we’d crash the photo shoot- but it was too late.  We didn’t make it in the article, but if you read the magazine, look out for the article that should be out in a few months. It’ll be a good one!

After a few hours in Rotoava (the biggest village on the atoll with a population of about 600), we were spending the afternoon at a family’s house watching, “grandma” make palm frond hats and baskets while teaching us. The family was very welcoming and offered us everything from their bicycles to a breadfruit that might be ready in a week to pick. In contrast with the Marquesas, you cannot grow very much on these atolls. Coconuts thrive here, but you do not see very much else growing.  This is why the offer of a future “harvest” is extremely generous.

I really adored the grandmother. She was funny, warm and in Anne of Green Gable’s words, felt like a kindred spirit. She believed that gifts from nature should not be sold but should be given away. This included fruit growing on their land and even the beautiful palm frond baskets she made. She does not believe her children will continue that same philosophy due to the stronger external influences they now face and the increasing value placed on money. The local diet, in her youth, was primarily comprised of fish caught in the lagoon and fruit grown on your property. But the increasing access to processed food and television is changing that self-sufficiency. Instead of eating a chicken that roams around on your land, it is easier to buy a frozen chicken from the local store shipped from China. 

The atolls have undergone significant changes in her lifetime and I am sure this is to continue in our lifetime as well. Although it is not an unspoiled paradise, it is still paradise and the people that live there make it that much more special.