Considered the most important migration center in ancient Polynesia, Ra'iātea is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti. As National Geographic Orion sailed through the sacred pass “Te Ava Moa” we could not have wished for a better day to finalize our epic journey around French Polynesia. The weather was perfect. The sun was shining brightly on the calm clear tepid ocean. Coconut palm leaves danced in the light breeze, and gentle waves reached the white sandy shores. The morning was filled with history, birding, and photography in one of the most important sacred marae of Polynesia. The marae were places where the world of the living intersected with the world of the ancestors and the gods. The Taputapuātea marae complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Humanity, was a political, ceremonial, and funerary centre and a testimony to 1,000 years of Polynesian civilization. On our way back to National Geographic Orion we were greeted by friendly and acrobatic spinner dolphins. In the afternoon we visited a vanilla plantation, went for a dive, and had our own private motorbikes. Later, some snorkeled, swam, or were able to simply unwind and reflect on our incredible expedition. Paradise does exist, and it’s definitely here!
9/20/2022
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Tahanea Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia
Entering the pass of an atoll in French Polynesia is always a beautiful way to start the day. This morning we arrived at Tahanea, a small island with no permanent population. The water here is some of the clearest our staff have ever seen in this region. With winds and currents to contend with, our divers found a beautiful site to spend some time underwater. They enjoyed a healthy coral reef, some sharks, and large fish. On their way back to the ship they even found some manta rays and jumped in the water to snorkel with them. The rest of us split into two groups: the hikers and the swimmers. The hike ashore was full of birds and plants to observe and photograph. The swimmers launched from the snorkel platform into crystal water where they poked around the coral heads and grew even more comfortable swimming with reef sharks. We had an afternoon aboard. We began with a presentation by our guest speaker Tom Ritchie about the most useful plants in Polynesia. At tea time, the hotel team put out 13 different sweet treats, not to mention the sandwiches and fruit. Before recap, undersea specialist James Hyde gave us a condensed history of the natural world—starting with the big bang! Tomorrow will be a busy day for us as we transit to some islands we have never visited before. So it’s quiet on board this evening as we all head to bed to rest up for whatever tomorrow has in store.
