Fakarava: Heritage of the mankind... Trip in French Polynesia

A sea like past times

 

Arrival in Fakarava

We start again. Destination: Fakarava.
This time the flight is a little longer because it also goes to another archipelago and is also required a stopover in Rangiroa (where Blue Lagoon was filmed).
Arrived at the tiny airport Fakarava are now bad weather.
Here we expect Joachim, owner of the guesthouse and we charge Hawaiki on his bus to take us to a pension.
Fakarava island is still very virgin and Heritage for biosfera.Abbiamo chose this island because it is very different from Tahaa and Bora Bora, Fakarava is un'atollo for starters and other lagoons are also not present large structures (the largest is the Maitai Dream).
The main attraction, however, remains its sea and its fauna.Non doing diving excursion is the most beautiful pass near the Tetamanu which is really a unique place in the world.
Once there all'Hawaiki, Joachim leads us to the bungalow and explains the rules of the pension.
Dinner is served and consumed along with other guests, and even here the Italians are predominantly.
Us about booking the tour to tetamanu, but we are told that the sea is too rough and it takes almost 2 hours to get there by boat, so as not to risk the trip was canceled.
We go to bed around 19 and we hear a bell ringing: the dinner is ready!
We head toward the dining room and take place in the table.
The kitchen is homemade, everything is prepared by his wife Clothilde (Polynesian) and it is served by the same family of Joachim.
After dinner, we stop to chat with the boys of Bassano, and enjoy the peace of these places.

Eyes on the pearls!

We get up around 7:00 and the sun there is favorable, in fact there is a wonderful day and the sea is a table.
We go to have breakfast (very good) and Joachim tried to inquire on any boat trips or excursions and his answer is not very different from the previous "the sea is too rough!" Mha ...
We spent the morning kayaking and towards the 11.00 Joachim calls us to let us see his cultivation of pearls.
We follow with curiosity and equipped with mask and snorkel out to sea, we arrived at the destination points to the many rows of crops submerged and tied in depth, and dips cordata.Dopo several seconds to take one back and make us sign seguirlo.Andiamo ashore and prepare a kit for the demonstration, and here begins the business ... "For every shell there's certainly a pearl may be small, large, perfect or deformed, I make a special price of $ 25, choose a shell and what is inside is yours !"... almost all buy a shell but we (also because already bought in Papeete).
Open a beginning to the time explaining how to create a pearl, and how does it create any more and hit the magic here is the first pearl! Big and ugly, and still yet another and another until the completion of giro.Non emerged out a pearl worthy of its name and we consider ourselves fortunate to not have purchased.
The day passed peacefully and the sun tans you much more than the other islands so that it seems the place!
The evening after dinner we stopped to play some ping pong until 22.00! Too late!

The Christmas Celebration

Immediately after breakfast we go to seek re-Joachim, the question is always the same and the answer also!
Now the sadness overwhelms me, in fact we chose this place mainly for Fakarava narrated by many as the true marine paradise and know that we can not see it depresses us.
Even if the sea shore is nearly stationary off seems to be very rough and excursions are postponed for security reasons.
Fortunately, we rehearsed a lot with friends of Bassano and we decide to do a bike ride to Rotoava the town that is a few kilometers dall'Hawaiki.
Arriving in town, we notice that many people toward the church. Today is Sunday and being Christian is the day of the Lord.
With a bit of embarrassment we go to church and remain near the door, until, at one point a man does not invite us to sit in the pew just ahead and we will not accept being rude.
The church was decorated with garlands and seashell chandeliers, the older ladies participating in the mass with a straw hat festooned with flowers and all the rest of the community strongly participates in the singing and prayer as we had never seen fare.Le feelings tested this Mass celebrated in Polynesian (not French) will remain imprinted in our minds and almost consider ourselves fortunate to have gone to make the hike.
Come back all'hawaiki Joachim tells us that on the morrow there would be an opportunity to go to the Blue Lagoon (half-day trip) via the Maitai Dream but always understood that time is not worse.
Day hitch in this corner of paradise, Polynesian and now we are on the penultimate day.

Farewell Polynesia

Wake up at 7.00 every morning as breakfast and all by Joachim.
Since its vessels are not very big group of Maitai prefers to dream that at 9.00 am for a hike close to the blue lagoon and the pass Garuae.
There's only one problem there are only 2 seats!
Bassano's friends insist on us going since we last day Polynesian while they still have a week ahead and we can not refuse.
Joachim takes us to the Maitai (the village is nice and even better equipped but the Hawaiki is more familiar!) Pay hike ($ 60 each) and after giving us the equipment we board.
Indeed, the sea is felt and is like to imagine the days before!
After about half an hour of seasickness came to this forgotten corner from mondo.La white sand blinding our sight and the scenery is surreal! They make us go down, and after 15 minutes we Festive towards the blue lagoon (a natural swimming pool blue intenso.Mezz 'hours of snorkeling and all back on board.
A man crew gives us the impermeable nylon ... trouble ahead.
It starts at full speed and the sea is very rough in this area: we are close to pass Garuae.Qui ocean currents unite with those of the atoll, and many fish through these waters.
We stop in a quieter and slightly more distant snorkeling.Tutto us get to the normal colorful fish colorful coral and took the opportunity to get the latest photos in the water when suddenly I find myself in front of a shark! Despite having seen them up close to Bora Bora during the excursion will not deny that I have had it almost on top!
Just enough time to recover and take the opportunity to give him a couple of photos.
From the boat my wife calls me telling me to go back because there are sharks, but now the fear I had already taken so I remain in water even a little.
Recovered on board the captain gets to play with a group of squaletti launched with a string of raw fish and not just bite the rope pulls the shark attacked right for us to see clearly these fearsome creatures.
It 'now time to bring rientrare.Ci all'Hawaiki directly by sea and arrived as soon take a shower, a suitcase and a salute to all the way to the airport.
The plane will take off to Rangiroa makes the turn and then heads to Papeete.
Here we greet friends of Bassano and go to the area of international flights.
After 7 hours of waiting (the plane left with 2 hours late) We welcome this beautiful land with my heart in my throat and an amount of emotion that few other places have given us.
Farewell Polynesia