Bonne Annee from Raiatea

 

La Orana!

We have been battling with the elements this week - torrential rain one minute and hot sunshine the next.  

Leaving Maupiti in sunshine and showers

Battling the rain in Uturoa

It is of course the rainy season but even the locals say the weather has been extreme.  The strength and duration of the showers are taking everyone aback.  Each is preceded by an eerie calm; the water goes still and the skies darken to a leaden grey.  When it seems, it can get no darker the heavens open and within a matter of minutes, the rain is churning up the lagoon bringing up all manner of debris and mud from the seabed.  Visibility is reduced to nothing both in and out of the water.  With such extremes the speed of change continually surprises.  On Tuesday we got caught in the worst thunderstorm yet on our way to pick up a parcel from the post office.  It lasted almost 2 hours, forcing us to take shelter in Apetahi along with about 50 other drowned rats.  What a trade they did that day.  I have never seen a patisserie cabinet empty so quickly!  When we finally got back to the dinghy it was virtually submerged.  Yet another reminder of how much water can fall here in such a short space of time.  Of course, it's comical getting so wet so quickly  but it’s also quite sobering as so many of the islands in French Polynesia are low lying and will be submerged altogether if the sea levels continue to rise. I try not to let my mind go there but it’s sometimes hard knowing how many livelihoods these islands support. 

Waiting it out in Apetahi

Viennese truffles unexpectedly arriving in the parcel - thank you mairi!!

For the islanders themselves the weather has been disappointing given that this is their second longest holiday of the year.  The children are off school for 6 weeks, most businesses seem to be closed and we haven’t had a supplies ship for weeks.  The first one after the New Year break is on January 9^th.  We know because we have been waiting on our new (second hand but more cyclone friendly) anchor arriving from Tahiti since before Christmas!!  With hindsight we would have restocked more extensively before leaving for Maupiti - the shelves in Champion are virtually bare.  The friendly veg man tells me there will be no avocados until after the holidays (whenever that is!) but did show me to some dodgy carrots on Friday which I duly bought.  After a full 40 minutes of boiling, they remained very “al dente”.  I like to think the odd vitamin persisted, but I have my doubts!!  We are surviving off frozen veg and a lot of fresh fish which seems to be in more plentiful supply at the pier these days. Maybe it’s the season but it’s been easier than usual to buy Mahi Mahi and Marlin straight from the boats which has been a real treat.  Well, it was until this week at least.  No boats have appeared for days now but perhaps that’s because all the gas stations have run out of petrol... until the supplies ship comes in!! 

Out at the reef

Sun set back in Raiatea

Hogmanay was spent sharing a few drinks with Paul and Flore who are back from Belgium.  It has been lovely catching up with them again. Sadly, we could only stay until the sun set.  Alcohol, darkness and long dinghy rides are not a good combination.  We had a delicious meal back on board and did our best to stay up even paying to watch “Oppenheimer” as a distraction but it was no good and we were both fast asleep well before the bells!! Perhaps it was knowing all of you had got there first.  Somehow coming in last didn’t seem such a milestone to celebrate!! Since the New Year we have had good news on Uturoa Marina.  It changed hands on January 1st, but thankfully nothing is actually going to change until next year.  Our mooring remains at £10 a month and we are fully paid up until July.  Much to celebrate as the new owners are the same outfit that run the marina at Papeete where the berthing costs are considerably more expensive.  It means we have access to  an oversized cyclone friendly mooring buoy, rubbish disposal, laundry facilities and showers for as much or as little as we want for the next 6 months.  Relief all round at least while cyclone watch continues!

New Years Day hike

Hard work getting to the top in the heat

Not that there has been any sign of a cyclone lately.  The winds have been remarkably docile.  So much so that last week we were able to take the dinghy right out to the reef and admire the breaking waves of the Pacific from the coral itself.  I had imagined it to be devoid of life, constantly stripped clean by the strength of the breaking waves but nothing could be further than the truth.  The coral was a thing of beauty.  It was a living corridor of plants, crustaceans and darting fish, a brightly coloured barrier between the depths of the ocean outside and the lagoon within.  It was so perfect I almost didn’t want to walk on it.  I was quite blown away by its richness.  Snorkelling in the lagoon behind the reef and amongst the coral bommies the variety of fish was incredible.  Several types we had never even seen before.  Presumably the nutrient supply is better here.  Under the water the visibility was crystal clear but only until a wave managed to break right over the reef.  With it came churning water and swirling currents reminiscent of a fine mist rolling in over the hills.  Small fish could be seen being tossed this way and that in the bubbles until conditions settled and the frantic search for food could continue. It was quite a remarkable place. 

Sea anemone? at the reef	Out at the reef
Sea urchin...maybe?	Colours of the reef

Later on today we are heading to Huahine to pick up our next visitors. The blog may have to take a back seat as we have a packed agenda planned!  Hopefully the weather will be kind and the sailing winds fair. Meanwhile I leave you with the Manta Ray video as promised from our time on Maupiti.  Yet another amazing snorkelling experience.  These have to be islands that give and give.

Last one of the reef