I left a little part of my heart in Fakarava. Maybe this is why I am so late to write about it; how do I put the feeling invoked by these beautiful atolls into words? What was even more special is that is that I was able to share this magical place with my sister, Shannon!
Our passage from Rangiroa was gnarly; watching big waves threateningly roll towards the boat left us a little queasy and Shannon ready to give up boat life. Luckily, we safely made it through the pass – an (often narrow) opening in the reef deep enough for boats to pass from ocean to lagoon. I was sleeping, but Paul reported that it was a bit sketchy (timing with current and tide can be critical). We anchored, and, shaking off our nerves, we examined the simple colors of the quaint town of Rotoava sitting before us. The flat landscape of the atoll was highlighted by a few simple, clean and colorful buildings; a church, city hall and town hall and a couple of restaurants sat at the center. The decent-sized grocery did not offer any fresh fruits, vegetables or bread (not even a frozen loaf of bread) but held a good selection of packaged goods!
We pulled anchor and traveled 35 miles to south end of the atoll, an area of raw beauty, a breath of air. A place where you just want to be still, chin tilted to the heavens, arms outstretched in gratitude of the amazing, beautiful world that we live in.
The stunning anchorage offered hopes of quiet reflection, while at the same time offering nature’s playground, yearning for exploration through peaceful walks and kayak rides.
I am not sure I have ever seen so many shades of blue: bright aqua where the sand spits into the lagoon, giving way to shades of turquoise and royal blues where the water deepens. Our friends, SV Wonder, SV Dovka and SV Soulis offered playmates for the kids to play on the slack lines and hammocks put on the beach by the kite school.
The protected water also offered watersport fun; we shared our wakeboarding fun with our friends and tried out our new underwater toy, . Kathryn, Hannah and I had a blast taking kite surfing lessons. Kathryn made it up for a solid ride; Hannah and I were close enough for us to buy used equipment with high aspirations of flying through the water and wind in the future.
We all headed to the south pass for incredible snorkeling. We were amazed by all of the black tip sharks swimming in the shallow lagoon and the stunning, clear water offered incredible visibility of stunning fish, coral and sharks.
After snorkeling, we shared drinks, packed lunches and laughs before exploring the sparsely populated area of Tetamanu.
Paul and I came back a couple of days later to scuba the famous shark Wall of the south pass. It was beyond incredible to swim amongst these snarky looking creatures and then tuck into a cave (with a couple of napping white tips), watching hundreds of sharks swim through the current as if we were watching them on TV during shark week.
Shannon caught a boat ride from Rotoava to the airport in north Fakarava, so we could stay another day in this paradise.
But having more islands to explore, we pulled anchor and headed north. Paul and I went for a dive through the north pass and were rewarded with MORE sharks, including our first large nurse shark snoozing in a cave with a couple of white tips. We have chosen to dive with a dive company through passes; the strong and shifting currents can be volatile. As all dive companies in the Tuamotus only uses Nitrox gas, Kathryn and Hannah were not allowed to dive with us; however our slightly off timing starting the dive meant swift currents that might have swept Kathryn off into the big ocean beyond the reef. Indeed, we had to creep along the bottom, searching for handholds of rock and dead coral, so we were not swept away!
On land, we headed to a pearl farm and had a blast gambling in a pearl lottery! A paved road along the lagoon gave way to a dirt roat that led to a resort that offered a pearl process explanation before the lottery: the kids each picked an oyster, which was pried open to reveal pearl inside, which was tied into a necklace or bracelet.
The next day we left to explore uninhabited Toau, our last atoll before returning to Tahiti. Toau offered another amazing snorkeling spot: due to the flow of wind and currents, coral towers extending to just underneath the surface of the water offered an astounding snorkeling experience.
We connected with another buddy boat whom we originally met in the Marquesas, SV Tournesol, and we had a blast playing on the beach and celebrating Tournesol’s birthday with a bonfire, dinner and cake. The high of making friends from around the world (SV Tournesol was Dutch) beats the low of the constant goodbyes.