Quest for Paradise Presented by Zegrahm Expeditions October 3 - 20, 2010 Monday, October 4, 2010 Tahiti, Society Islands, French Polynesia Samuel Wallis, an English mariner, is credited as the first westerner to see Tahiti, in 1767. The following year the French arrived, led by Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, on his circumnavigation of the globe. Bougainville, in addition to having one of the most popular tropical flowers named after him, wrote extensively about Tahiti and its people. He described a utopian paradise and innocent, beautiful people who epitomized the "noble savage," influencing the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Our group gathered today on Tahiti, a fitting place to begin our Quest for Paradise. Some of us toured around the island, enjoying the views of the adjacent island of Moorea, the black sand beaches, the surfers, the colorful tropical ornamentals, and the dramatic peaks rising from the interior of the island. We had a pleasant visit at the home of writer James Norman Hall who wrote, with Charles Nordhoff, Mutiny on the Bounty. Another contingent headed uphill on four-wheel-drive safari vehicles, following the Papenoo River drainage up to Mt. Oroheno. The volcanic scenery was splendid, with sun and showers brushing the highest ridges, at least 25 waterfalls visible at a glance on the steep can- yonsides, and a gushing river paralleling the road. The guide informed us that up to 30 feet of rain falls in the area annually. After a pleasant picnic lunch, we attempted to drive even higher on the mountain slopes, in search of the endemic birds like the Tahiti kingfisher and Tahiti reed warbler. Eventually we were forced back by a landslide that completely blocked the narrow road, set off by yesterday's downpour. Re- turning downhill, we enjoyed many a photographic stop. Back at the harbor we boarded the Clipper Odyssey in the late afternoon and steamed away for the Tuamotu Islands, some 200 miles distant. Along the way some excellent sightings of the Tahiti petrel were made, before a lovely sunset. Tuesday, October 5 Rangiroa Atoll, Tuamotu Islands Rangiroa Atoll is immense, some 45 miles in length, and is the largest atoll in an island chain, and second largest in the world. The Tuamotu Islands are the most extensive set of atolls on the planet. Polynesian colonists settled these atolls by around 700 A.D. and built stone platforms called marae for their ceremonies. Westerners did not stumble across the islands until 1521, when Ferdinand Magellan was crossing the Pacific on his great circumnavigation. We arrived mid-morning at the entrance to Rangiroa Atoll, dropping our anchor into sparkling blue water. Many of us spent the morning snorkeling where we admired the abundant butterflyfish, snappers, and occasional dolphins, sharks, and moray eels. Others took a nice trip into the town of Tiputa. They visited the church, school, and espe- cially enjoyed meeting the local children. Even the bird- ers came back to the ship for lunch, after motor troubles delayed their departure for a distant part of the atoll. They eventually reached a pristine and rat-free motu, or sand island, where the Polynesian ground dove is tenuously avoiding extinction. The introduction of rats has been a disaster for these creatures, and only a few hundred have not become rat-food. In the afternoon a few of us slid back into the water to snorkel from anchored Zodiacs. Others who swam in the morning ventured into town, or caught a bus to the Gauguin Pearl Shop, where we learned about the intricate and labor intensive process that results in black pearls. The shop has hundreds of acres of shellfish dangling from lines, as their gleaming pearls develop. Many of the resulting pearls are imperfect, resulting in high prices for those with perfect shape and color. In the evening we gathered in the main lounge for the Captain's welcome cocktail party, where we were greeted graciously by Captain Peter Gluschke. Wednesday, October 6 Tahanea Atoll Tahanea is an uninhabited atoll about 30 miles long, with an enclosed lagoon of 338 square miles. In 1947 the Kon-Tiki raft built by Thor Heyerdahl crossed from South America to the Tuamotus, landing on nearby Raroia Atoll. This caused something of a sensation, and it took many years for sensible archeologists to convince the public that exploration and colonization of the Pacific Islands was from west to east, rather than by South American Incan societies arriving from the east. Of course the language, religion, monuments, artifacts, and agricultural evidence all support Polynesian discovery of Oceania, not Incan. Heyerdahl cheated a bit, as the currents and winds on the South American coastline are not favorable for simple rafts departing to the westward, so his Kon-Tiki raft was towed well offshore before it could set out on its adventure. We arrived at Tahanea Atoll mid-morning and promptly sent the bird- ers off on a long Zodiac ride to search for one of the world's rarest birds, the endangered Tuamotu sandpiper. They found it on a lovely motu, along with three species of nesting boobies, in an idyllic and rat-free setting. A large group of us went snorkeling, where the coral diversity was lovely and fish were abundant. Three species of sharks were seen, as well as a large Napoleon wrasse. Those who felt adven- turous did some drift snorkeling and had quite a nice ride on the tide. Others landed on one of the islands and explored the coral beach. They found a small lagoon with wriggly moray eels poking around in the caverns and crevices. Bristle-thighed curlews and wandering tat- tlers were occasional on the shore and noddies took a break from their fishing activities for a closer look. Among the wind-pruned scrub were the strange orange tangles of the parasitic vine called devil's guts. In the afternoon several reef tours were conducted with the glass bot- tom boat. By then the tide had started to drop, and the current became rather strong, emptying the enormous lagoon within the atoll. After viewing the sunset from the pool deck, we heard from our sharp lec- ture team at the first recap of the voyage, and then enjoyed dinner as the ship continued its southern traverse of the Tuamoto Islands. Thursday, October 7 Hikueru Today we went ashore on the northern tip of Hikueru Atoll, which was the backdrop for Armstrong Sperry’s novel Call it Courage, which won a Newbery Medal in 1941. The atoll is about nine miles long and ringed by numerous small motus that total about 15 square miles of surface area. The town is small with fewer than 100 inhabitants. We started our visit with some guitar music and festive leis, gently placed around our necks by the welcoming committee. We then split up for walks in different directions. Some sauntered into town, visiting the church which was damaged by a recent hurricane and stopped in the tiny store. Others meandered around looking for shoreline critters and admiring the passing tattlers and terns. Two dogs from town were seen working together to catch a triggerfish in the shallows. Others went for a walk on the north- west side of the island, inspecting the vegetation which included the unusual noni, or Indian mulberry. The compound fruits are white and smelly when ripe, and are pressed to make a foul-tasting extract that is often sold as a modern snake oil. Later we all gathered near the wharf, where the locals treated us to fresh chilled coconuts, cakes, and other baked treats. After a brief shower, we headed back to the ship for snorkeling or a glass bottom boat tour. The water held lovely corals and fascinating fish. Just as we were winding down our outing, a fast-moving humpback whale passed by. After lunch we heard a talk by Edmundo Edwards on The Origins of the Polynesians and Their Culture. This led to a gourmet ice cream social, which was in turn followed by a lecture on birds by Jonathan Ros- souw titled Sexy Tails and Swollen Pouches: The Fascinating Lives of Seabirds. Friday, October 8 Nukutavake Island The Tuamotu Islands remained under the political influence of Tahiti for many years, despite the inroads of missionaries and Europeans. Finally King Pomare V of Tahiti was forced to abdicate, and France annexed the region, declaring it an overseas territory. Its economy was once based on dried coconut—copra—as well as mother-of-pearl. Coconut is no longer a major trade item, and the lustrous shells have been replaced by plastic. These days vacationers and black pearl produc- tion stimulate the local economy. Our arrival was quite an event for the inhabitants of this three mile long island. They greeted us at the small concrete dock and played guitar music. A group of children also sang for us, led by the schoolteacher. After the music, the expedition staff sneaked some ice cream to the landing, and treated the children to ice cream cones. Then we split up and investigated the town and its surroundings. Some of us explored the tide pools in the raised reef shoreline finding gobis, crabs, and reef egrets. Others poked into stores and churches and town streets, and marveled at the new buildings and concrete roads in excellent repair. Birders and botanists headed inland to the north shore of the island where a 3,000 foot concrete runway receives a few planes a week. We visited an ingenious oven, made of concrete, grills, and recycled metal barrels, which is used to dry fish as well as coconut meat.