Blue Lagoon

July 10 day after full moon      (side note: click to enlarge any photo)

Tiger Beetle Rob had told us of a place called the Blue Lagoon on the North West side of Fakarava. He has a draft of 9 feet, so he was planning to take his dingy over there. But we looked at our satellite photos on our chart plotter and decided we could take Avatar. The whole secret was to find the fabled one palm tree motu and anchor behind it.

We watched another amazing sunset, having found it.

And then the moon, not quite full, rose over the lagoon.

The next morning Rob came over in his dingy and we all went exploring together. First we came across pilings from an old pearl farm.

And yes this part of the lagoon is very blue and has a lovely white sand beach.

Then we were in quite shallow water, looking back at Avatar and the one palm motu.

At some interesting looking coral rocks we anchored the dinghies and went for a snorkel. Crazy how these rocks stick out, looks almost like a whale frozen into the coral.

There were the little black and white Dascyllus fish guarding their crystal like coral formations.

One rock had a hole big enough to swim through!

There were a few other fish here and there.

This rock was looking at us through it's eye holes!

Mike and Rob take the dinghies through the section where the water is actually deep enough, now that the tide had gone out a bit.

I walked on the sandy beach and looked at the many little crab holes and wave formations in the sand.

This is a good photo that shows how shallow the water really is!

These little guys were sticking their heads out of the sand. A little eel of some sort.  Guess they are not crab holes after all!

I walked out to deeper water, so Mike could pick me up and we all went back to the boat. Then we decided we should snorkel around the motu.

It shallows up quickly in front of where we anchored. Here is one of those rocks we try not to catch with the anchor.

There were a lot more fish out here by the motu, especially as the water shallowed up.

I believe this is the Pacific Sailfin Tang, but his fin on top is retracted.

These three are Fine Lined Surgeonfish.

I took my sandals snorkeling with me, so I could go ashore on the motu. When I popped my head above water this little sandpiper was watching me closely!

I stayed clear of him when I got out of the water. If you look at the pieces of coral he is standing on, you can see why I brought my sandals!

As a matter of fact, this whole motu is just a big pile of little sharp pieces of coral in a big pile! Doesn't bother the sandpiper though.

There are a few small shrubs and weeds growing along with the lone palm.

On the windward side are these big shards of pink and brown coral.

Interesting how the saltwater bleaches out the coral where the tide comes up to every day, but the part above the tide line turns gray.

Avatar and the dinghies anchored behind the motu.

Long ago, in the middle of these bushes, had washed up a big board and some line.

Over there is another bombie with deep water between it and the motu.

Looking into the shallow water on the lee side of the motu. Note the big round coral head.

Back in the water, the first thing I see is this black tip reef shark.

In Hawaii this fish is known as the Humahumanupanupaapuapa. The guide book just calls him the Lagoon Triggerfish.

Out in the deeper water we see the staghorn type corals.

I thought this was a White Unicornfish, but he does not match any of the ones in my book.

This clam has iridescent blue on his lips.

Some kind of a blob, covering the end of a coral rock.

A blue or purple fish with a yellow tail. Possibly a Tracey's Damsel.

This is a Threadfin Butterfly Fish. See his long thread trailing from his dorsal fin?

Later in the afternoon, after Rob went on back to the East side, Mike and I decided to snorkel on that other bombie with the deep water around it. First thing we see when we get in the water........(theme to Jaws) Dum dum, dum dum, a grey reef shark. We keep an eye on him!

The black tip reef sharks are no problem.

There is a whole school of Paletail Unicornfish!

In the foreground lower is a Pacific Double Saddle Butterflyfish. Above him is a Raccoon Butterflyfish. But the big guy in the background is a Titan Triggerfish that can grow up to 2.5 feet long!

Next we were graced by a visit from this Spotted Eagle Ray and his Ramora shark sucker fish.

He was quite a site, flying though the water!

I adjusted the lighting on this photo so you can see the little circles on his back that creates his spots.

Finally we saw a Turtle! He was hanging onto a steep part of the rock outcropping.

As he swam away we saw the growth of alge on his shell. He is the first and only turtle we have seen since leaving Tahiti.

Swimming back around the rock we saw the school of Unicornfish again.

Before getting back in the dinghy I photoed this Six-bar Wrasse in front of a Moorish Idol.

And this beautiful Parrotfish.

While we were over on the East side of Fakarava, a tour boat came by and told us this area was protected. Well that sure makes sense, since we saw so much amazing sea life!!

North to Rotoava Village

2 July 2017

It was time for some new provisions, so we made a slow trip up to the North end of Fakarava to the village of Rotoava. As we sailed up the channel, we came across one of the mega yachts we had seen in Tahiti, the Plan B.

They have plenty of toys including the helicopter. We think this boat belongs to Plan B productions a movie company owned by Brad Pitt, but we did not see him as we went by.

We were sure to stick inside the channel to avoid the bombies, like the one this marker guards.

We stopped half way up the atoll to see if our friend Toko was there, that we had visited the last time we were here. We anchored just in time to see a lovely sunset.

The next morning we took a walk on a white/pink sand beach which had been calling our names.

From the beach it was pretty dense jungle growing, so we staid on the sand.

Until I found this tree to climb. Guess I will forever be that tomboy at heart.

We walked until we ran out of sand, but the water and the palm trees (plus my Miguel) were all so beautiful!

So we walked back toward Toko's camp.

From the camp we saw Avatar between the trees, anchored in the turquoise water.

We anchored the dingy in Toko's lagoon, but did not see his boat.

The sun was shining brightly through his many coconut palms where he usually collects them to make copra.

Toko was nowhere to be found and looked like he had not been here for some time. He always kept the ground very clean, but it was covered with palm frans. We did see many crab holes though. And this was the biggest one headed under a rock.

We used his kitchen area to burn our trash. Too bad he was not there because we had brought him some clothes and other gifts.

And another gorgeous sunset!

For a while now I had asked Mike if he was up to cutting my hair. There are no salons out here! So he decided to day was the day. It came out cute, even if it was a bit shorter than I expected. Turned out to be much cooler too!

We kept making our way North to the village of Rotoava. We saw several resort looking places along the way.

As well as several pearl farms.

These pensions are small hotels and look quite inviting to have someone come and visit us!!

At the NE corner of Fakarava, at the village of Rotoava, the sun now sets behind the North side of the atoll. Still quite lovely....

We spotted a restored old race boat called Tiger Beetle, which is a boat I sold while still a yacht broker in San Diego! Turned out Rob, who I sold it to, was still the owner! What a great surprise! He bought it in 1998! What a joy after all these years to meet up with him here in the South Pacific!

Hirifa, SE corner of Fakarava Atoll

29 July 2017

We wanted to walk the inner beach today, having already hiked along the outer reef on the back side of Hirifa motu. Plus that hammock was still on my mind. The cruiser hang out looked just as lovely as it did the night before, decorated with all kinds of cool stuff.

It was then that we noticed Momma Piggie and her piglets. They had been in their sty the night before. Today Liza had let them out to play on the beach. Here they are just wondering around under some pearl buoys hanging from a tree.

I assume Papa Pig must be a red head! They are so cute!

Tuamotuan pigs eat coconut and drink water from a bowl!

While some piglets nuzzle up to Momma's tit, others watch how she wiggled in the sand to find it cooler underneath and they all lay down for a nap. But somehow I don't think these guys are pets, as food is few and far between down here.

I finally get my chance to hang out in the hammock tied up between two palm trees (just like in a poem I wrote back in 1989)!

Can you tell by the smile on my face, that life is good!!!

Looking up the beach from Liza's is the most perfect overhanging palm tree. This one reminds me of the mural on my wall I had in my room in Keezletown, Virginia.

Further down the beach is this climb/swing hanging from a tall tree. I was told in order to get a cell phone signal, you have to climb up there and make your calls. (well at least they are private!)

Since I had no one to call and did not even have a phone, I decided to try out the swing. A float to sit on and a stick to hang on.

The doggie from the previous night was guarding his house on this end of the beach.

Looking back toward Liza's with the sand spit past her place and the dingy pulled up on the beach. This has to be one of the nicest beaches we have walked on in French Polynesia.

At the far end of the beach this black capped tern stands on the end of a decapitated palm tree.

Here we find Liza's great grandparents house, or what is left of it.

In case you can't see it, the stone over the entry way is dated 1879. The walls are made of coral and cement. Wonder how long cement has been around?

There are two graves out back, one for her grandparents and the other for a young child who did not live near long enough.

I love the big Murex shell decorating the top. No names tho, but Liza had told us they were her relatives.

The beach is still quite lovely down at this end, the palm just does not hang as far out over the water.

There are lots of little hermit crabs running around on the beach. This cute guy I think still needs to grow into his new shell.

Finally, the photo I had wanted, me with that tree! Gracias Miguel!!

The sun makes this beautiful rainbow in a squall out over the ocean on the other side of Hireefa.

Shelly with her newly collected shell collection!!!