Yesterday we went ashore on our first port stop – Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, French Polynesia. It was a tender stop rather than a pier dockage. This ship has beautiful tenders – padded seats, no steps up or down to enter, and little rocking from wavelets. Why is this important? We have about a dozen tender trips over the course of this cruise and uncomfortable tenders can ruin a day’s outing. You want to feel good starting the day and not tossed around and bruised from just the ride into town…

The main village (read: thriving metropolis anywhere else…) is Taiohae with about 350 inhabitants. They came out to greet us with dances, music, and flowers for the ladies (and men – a local custom, I’m told). We took about 45 minutes to fully explore the village, found an ATM to get some XPF (South Pacific Francs), eyeballed some of the local crafts in the “shopping center” and tendered back in time for lunch aboard. Practiced a tiny bit of French, but they do not speak the style of French we are used to. We were able to get directions to the ATM and make our way around the market, but that was it.

We found out later in the afternoon that several of the locals would be joining us over the next several days – until we reach Papeete – to provide entertainment, instruction in dance and song and to just generally remind us that Polynesian people in general are among the most beautiful in the world. 

Nuku Hiva beauty

Before we upped anchor in Nuvu Hika, the dancers came on board and gave us about an hour’s worth of local dances, song and mock fighting demos.

Warriors of Nuku Hiva

This afternoon we are again at sea on our way to Rangiroa. Rangiroa is an atoll in the Tuamotu Archiopelago, still part of French Polynesia. An atoll is nothing but a big pool of water surrounded by a chain of small islands (“motus”).

Rangiroa, French Polynesia
Ship was anchored right about the "T" in Tiputa. The Pearl Farm was right about where the "U" is in Avatoru. The Passe de Tiputa is the only way into the lagoon for anything larger than a canoe, kayak or very small fishing boat. The lagoon is the remnant of a volcanic crater.

Well, today we have anchored in the lagoon that make up most of Rangiroa. Our morning was spent at a pearl farm. We had a most interesting lesson on just how cultured pearls are produced. Did you know that the “seed” is not a grain of sand, but a piece of oyster shell about the size of a small pea? That shell piece is harvested from one specific type of oyster found only in one place in the world – the Mississippi River! After seeding the pearl oyster, they wait about two years for the pearl to develop.

Prepping the pearl oyster for the seed. They make a small crack between the top and bottom shells and insert a very small wedge to hold the shells about 1 cm apart.

Seeding the pearl oyster. The technician has to attend a school for this that takes about a year. He inserts the "pea" into the body of the liver oyster and then pulls the wedge back out closing the shell.

Pearls anyone? Pearls are sorted by size, shape, lustre, and color. A grade A, Round, 10 mm, high lustre, can go for as much as $1200-1500 each - at the pearl farm. More at retail in a piece of jewelry.

After the lesson and tour of the farm, we shopped in the pearl store. Except for one gift, all of our pearl buying was of the vicarious type only. We then drove back to the pier, window-shopped at the local tents and tables, and tendered back to the ship for lunch.

Tomorrow we are at Moorea, which is just off of Tahiti. More to follow about that adventure soon…