STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY ABOARD THE CALEDONIAN SKY November 5 to 24, 2017 a program of the stanford alumni association STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY There are places on earth that might be described as iconic, remote or even mysterious. On our voyage from Tahiti to Easter Island we will explore several places that aptly fit all of those descriptions…and then some. Both legends and true stories are woven into the places on our itinerary, from artist Paul Gauguin’s tumultuous years in Tahiti and the Marquesas to the HMS Bounty mutineers who took refuge on Pitcairn Island to Easter Island’s haunting moai. Easter Island, in particular, is steeped in mystery and folklore that goes beyond its enormous carved megaliths. Speculation is rife about the rise and fall of its population, but the real story is still largely unknown. I’ve always loved a compelling travel story, especially one with a cliffhanger. I hope you’ll join us for a journey to a remote part of the world marked by spectacular beauty and embellished with a bit of enigma. BRett S. Thompson, ’83, DIRectoR, StanfoRD TRAVEL/StudY Highlights CAPTION PHOTOGRAPH the VIEW Easter Island’s giant MEET the residents of tiny ENJOY snorkeling or exquisite Marquesas with volcanic stone statues, or Pitcairn Island; most are diving nearly every day their sky-piercing volcanoes, moai, their original purpose direct descendants of the amid healthy reefs teeming lushly carpeted canyons and lost through time and HMS Bounty crew. with tropical fish. chiseled bays. one of the world’s great archaeological mysteries. Stanford Faculty Leader ROB DUNBAR, whose research interests span climate change, marine ecology, oceanography, glaciology and biogeochemistry, heads a Stanford research group that works on past, present and future climate change as well as its impacts on oceanic and coastal environments. He works regularly with the U.S. government as well as the United Nations to help develop and implement solutions to environmental and resource problems. Dunbar has been studying the coral reefs of the central and eastern Pacific, including Easter Island, since 1977. In 2009 and again in 2015, he led a group of 23 Stanford undergraduates on a 3,500- mile scientific sailing voyage from Tahiti through various island groups to Hawaii. He also led the first-ever deep-ocean submersible expedition to seamounts of the newly designated U.S. Central Pacific Islands National Monument. During our expedition Dunbar will speak about “Rob’s lectures coral reef ecology, the origin of the 50,000 seamounts estimated to be in the Pacific Ocean, are always the global impacts of modern changes in the largest ocean on earth and what we can learn about global sustainability practices from an examination of small island systems. wonderful. His — At Stanford: William Keck Professor of Earth Science; J. Frederick and organization and Elisabeth B. Weintz University Fellow in Undergraduate Education; and Victoria P. and Roger W. Sant Director, earth systems program presentation are — Recipient of the Richard W. Lyman Award for exceptional volunteer excellent.” service to the University — BS, geology, University of Texas Austin NAN HAMPTON, — PhD, oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC-San Diego ICELAND TO GREENLAND, 2016 STANFORD TRAVEL/STUDY SIGN up online: alumni.stanford.edu/trip?tahiti2017 OR BY PHONE: (650) 725-1093 MARQUESAS ISLANDS Nuku Hiva Hiva Oa Fatu Hiva Pitcairns Puka Tahiti Easter Apataki Island Puka Santiago Pape’ete TUAMOTU Puka Rua Tahiti ISLANDS to Santiago Rikitea Henderson Mangareva Ducie Easter Pacific Pitcairn Island Ocean PITCAIRN ISLANDS just high enough above dazzling collection of island—the first land sighted the water to be called land, islands whose breathtaking in the South Pacific by Itinerary and if it weren’t for their vertical peaks reach into the Europeans. Visit the island’s Sunday, November 5 waving coconut palms, they clouds, while carpets of lush small village whose residents DEPART U.S. / might be entirely invisible vegetation drape cliffs and raise taro, bananas and PAPEETE, TAHITI from a distance. With few canyons that descend to coconut palms for copra Depart the U.S. on visitors and little industry, the sea-sculpted bays. Zodiacs (dried coconut). Birders can independent flights to dazzling lagoon of Apataki bring us ashore on a variety keep an eye out for Pacific Papeete, arriving in the late offers a pristine underwater of islands, to be greeted reef-heron while snorkelers evening and transferring to landscape for snorkelers and by dancers and drummers and divers explore the our hotel. Intercontinental divers to explore. Partake in adorned in leis and tapa fringing reef. CALEDONIAN SKY Tahiti Resort & Spa a welcome cocktail reception cloth. View petroglyphs (B,L,D) Monday, November 6 before dinner this evening. and tiki figures representing CALEDONIAN SKY (B,L,D) Monday, November 13 PAPEETE / EMBARK deified ancestors, flanked CALEDONIAN SKY by banyan trees, fragrant PUKA RUA Enjoy a morning at leisure, Wednesday, November 8 plumeria, blooming orchids Today we drop anchor at the then take a tour of Papeete, AT SEA and silvery waterfalls, island of Puka Rua, where the capital of French Enjoy our lecture series and then stop at open-air craft coconut palms and breadfruit Polynesia’s largest island. the amenities of our ship markets displaying baskets, trees cover the beautiful islets Pass by orchards of papaya today as the Caledonian Sky shell jewelry and wooden ringing its lagoon. Garland- on our drive along the cruises toward the legendary carvings. The birders among bedecked dancers greet stunning coast, and visit the Marquesas Islands. us can search for the our group in the tiny village Museum of Tahiti, which CALEDONIAN SKY (B,L,D) endemic Nuku Hiva pigeon whose hospitable inhabitants traces the islands’ history. and Marquesan swiftlet, earn a living selling copra. Thursday to Saturday, Witness the process of Embark our ship this evening. November 9 to 11 and though the islands lack CALEDONIAN SKY (B,L,D) fringing reefs, our snorkelers coconut drying, enjoy a local MARQUESAS ISLANDS crafts market or stroll along The Marquesas lie farther and divers can keep the lagoon’s shores watching Tuesday, November 7 from a continental coast than company with colorful fish APATAKI, crested terns circling any other islands in the world. against a backdrop of sheer TUAMOTU ISLANDS overhead. CALEDONIAN SKY (B,L,D) Our first stop is at the atoll Unlike other Polynesian walls and dramatic arches. islands, the Marquesas have CALEDONIAN SKY (B,L,D—ALL 3 DAYS) of Apataki in the remote, Tuesday, November 14 sparsely populated and no surrounding reefs or EXPEDITION STOP placid lagoons. Their wide, Sunday, November 12 far-flung Tuamotus, which PUKA PUKA, Conditions permitting, stop at comprise the world’s largest deep bays are havens for TUAMOTU ISLANDS one of the many uninhabited atoll chain. These venerable vessels such as ours. Spend Delightful music and dancing Tuamotu Islands to enjoy a coral constructions rise three days exploring this welcome us at this idyllic day of swimming, snorkeling them from Tahiti. Check out thousands nest here, including stone platforms at Tahai, and/or diving. CALEDONIAN SKY the anchor of the Bounty that Murphy’s and Phoenix petrels, along with nearly 400 (B,L,D) rests beside the courthouse masked boobies, frigatebirds monolithic statues in various and the ship’s bible that and red-tailed tropicbirds. states of completion at the Wednesday, November 15 resides in the church. Underwater forays will bring spectacular volcanic tuff MANGAREVA, CALEDONIAN SKY (B,L,D) snorkelers face to face with quarries. At Ahu Tongariki visit GAMBIER ISLANDS Going ashore on the island legions of rainbow-hued fish the largest ceremonial site in Friday, November 17 in the warm, clear waters of Polynesia. Then drive to the of Mangareva, visit the small HENDERSON the atoll’s lagoon. CALEDONIAN Rano Kau volcano to view its village of Rikitea, strolling Sheer limestone cliffs SKY (B,L,D) giant caldera, whose floor is its tidy streets flanked with surround this elevated colorful tropical vegetation. dotted with lakes. Visit the coralline island, a World Sunday & Monday, ceremonial village of Orongo Also ascend the slopes of Mt. Heritage site, pockmarked November 19 & 20 Duff for nature walks. Birders which is perched majestically by caves and blowholes. AT SEA near the top of the caldera’s have a chance to search For the next two days, enjoy The island is home to 10 rim and commemorates for Christmas and tropical relaxing on deck and hearing endemic flowering plants the annual Birdman Cult shearwaters. Spend the our ongoing lecture series and four endemic species competition, a dangerous afternoon snorkeling or diving as we cruise toward Easter of land birds, including the ritual held in the 18th century. in Mangareva’s large lagoon. Island, a World Heritage Henderson Island crake and Celebrate the conclusion of CALEDONIAN SKY (B,L,D) site and one of the most Stephen’s lorikeet. In addition our seaborne adventure at a mysterious places on earth. to observing the outcome farewell cocktail reception this Thursday, November 16 of Henderson’s astounding CALEDONIAN SKY (B,L,D—BOTH DAYS) PITCAIRN, PITCAIRN evening. CALEDONIAN SKY (B,L,D— ISLANDS natural selection, we’ll also both days) Today we visit tiny, volcano- have the opportunity to Tuesday & Wednesday, November 21 & 22 snorkel or dive in the marine Thursday & Friday, crowned Pitcairn Island, the EASTER ISLAND, CHILE life-rich waters. CALEDONIAN SKY fabled, unfathomably remote Spend two full days exploring November 23 & 24 refuge of the crew members (B,L,D) EASTER ISLAND / Easter Island. Visit the DISEMBARK / of the HMS Bounty who ceremonial center of Ahu SANTIAGO / U.S. mutinied there in 1790. Visit Saturday, November 18 DUCIE Vinapu where the monolithic After breakfast, disembark the with the small handful of This small, uninhabited and stonework is reminiscent of Caledonian Sky and enjoy a inhabitants of Adamstown, rarely visited atoll is rimmed the Inca civilization in Peru, short tour.