Mark and I arrived in the Gambier Islands at the change of
seasons. Our friends of SV Pitufa, who had been here about ten days by then,
enjoyed some sunny and warm weather, with rainy spells. When we arrived -
literally – the weather was awful and the southern hemisphere winter seemed to
have started about a month too early. The climate is relatively cool during the
day (shorts and T-shirts are still fine) and chilly at night (sweater and
comforter needed). The realization that we didn’t quite expect this, being used
to years in the tropics came quick, when we discovered that we don’t have that
many warm clothes on board and that we aren’t sweating anymore. Of course, a
less hot climate has its advantages, one of which is hiking on shore. For that,
the weather is perfect. But, all those pristine and gorgeous reefs right around
the corner, a splashy dinghy ride away when the wind is howling, will have to
remain undiscovered for now.
This different climate requires some serious adjusting. We
have to find an alternative to our showers in the ocean. We go hiking around
noon, when it is the hottest part of the day, instead of the early hours like in
the Caribbean and while closer to the equator. Because of the hills, the sun
disappears at 4pm; she sets around 5. It is pitch black at 6pm. The nights are
long, dinner has moved to 6:30pm or so, instead of 8pm, and we start the day a
bit earlier as well to take full advantage of daylight. The rays of sun have
been far and few between and the daily rain is mostly a mere drizzle, not
enough to collect. 
Cheap fresh water is available on the island, so drinking
water is not a problem. Fresh produce, however, is another story. The options
are: nothing but onions and garlic available in the little shops, befriending a
local Mangarevan and trading wine or baked goods for some fresh vegetables and
fruit, picking fallen pamplemousse (grapefruit) and coconuts off the ground
while hiking, rushing to shore the morning after a supply ship arrived to buy
what little goodies they dropped off (carrots, potatoes, cabbage, apples, and
if you’re lucky – and we haven’t yet - also tomatoes and other stuff). A supply
ship shows up every other week, or if delayed or canceled, only once a month.
Apparently, the twice weekly plane drops off fresh food as well, but we haven’t
noticed the effects of that. There are two farms about an hour walk away over a
steep hill, but the fields are “empty” as of now, for about a month, the farmer
told us.
Yesterday, Mark and I walked about two hours over a hill and
along a steep path down to the other side of Mangareva, inquiring at a few
houses for vegetables for sale. All we found were three heads of the local bok choy,
costing over $3. On the way back, we picked up a fallen coconut and about a
dozen pomplemousse. Who knew they could be so heavy? Now, we have some
grapefruit juice to mix with our rum for cocktails, because 1.5 l of coca cola
costs $6. Other than exploring the little village of Rikitea, with its cute
churches and lush environment, we have done a few walks around part of the
island and over some hills. There are plenty of trails and viewpoints with
amazing views of the turquoise water and surrounding islands, to keep one busy
for a while.
The locals are friendly, waving from their car and saying “bonjour”
when walking by. Some of them offer us fruit out of their fertile gardens when
we pass by. When you want fresh baguettes, you order them the previous day and
pick them up, fresh out of the oven around 7am or 3pm. Mark and I each manage to
finish one French bread every day. Even at only 80 cents a baguette, we are
good customers!
Every night, we hear drumming on shore from our boat. There
are two Polynesian troupes practicing drumming, dancing and singing for the big
festival in July. One evening, we were on shore and observed the impressive
spectacle, imagining it would be even more awesome in traditional costumes. We
will have to stay in this archipelago until the end of July at least to be part
of this event. Soon, we’re off to explore some of the smaller islands in this
expansive lagoon. Now that we are practically caught up on sleep, emails, cleaning,
filling the tank with water and “restocking” the fridge, it is time for a
little vacation! :-)
Irie in the Rikitea anchorage (photo by Birgit Hackl)
The local baker in Rikitea (photo by Birgit Hackl)
Picnic for Christian's birthday at a viewpoint on Mangareva
The protected bay and town of Rikitea
White caps everywhere in the lagoon and wet dinghy rides when the wind is howling
One of the many pearl farms in the lagoon (formed by all the islands of the Gambier archipelago)
Little church along one of our walks
Friendly pig - there are a lot around the island
Pamplemousse tree, with many left to rot on the ground
Banana tree on private property (and a bag full of grapefruit)
One of the bays with shallow reefs along Mangareva
No comments:
Post a Comment