Infinity in the Tuamotu - First stop : Raroia the welcoming island !

Dear all,

After spending some time in Marquesas islands, we sailed to the Tuamotu atolls. We currently are in Makemo after spending 5 days in Raroia.
The first contact we had with the Tuamotu was a great and rich experience.

What is awesome when we arrived in Raroia, is for sure the vision of the colours, colours of the sea, the lagoon, the coral, deep turquoise blue and the mix with the green of the coconut trees and the bright white sand.
But the most amazing was the way we were welcomed. Around 15 kids playing football, diving from the dock ; came to see us as soon as we arrived on the dock. The kids we met in Raroia are really nice : Lavahina, 9 years old, borrowing her mum’s name stayed on another island, and playing ball like a pro ; this other kid that wants to become a fireman on his island and who studies by correspondence ; another who asked me if we were welcomed the same way in the other islands. We definitely shared great time with them.
Raroia has around 150 habitants, located in two different places on the atoll. A new airport has been set up with one plane per week. Kids at secondary school on other islands can come back for holidays. It also appears that it helps the business to develop more on the island … mainly around pearls farms, dried coconut exported to Tahiti to make oil, and fishing. Good for them, they can import food, material,… but it also make them afraid of too much development that could change the peaceful atmosphere and the great nature they have. The lady that owns the snack told me that they have to find the right balance! The rising of the level of the sea? Yes, they know about it, but what can they do? Lots of topics we all exchanged with the locals.
But my greatest experience was for sure the meeting with Regis, a local man that decided to come back on his island after having travelled and worked in Europe and in the US. Jeremy and I spent two days with him, playing guitar on the beach and talking about the history and the future of his island. This amazing guy tries to teach to the young kids how to preserve their island, how to grow vegetables in their garden by themselves and how to fish in an efficient way. What better than a local having travelled the world and deciding to come back on his land for giving the good words ? That was my impression …
Jeremy and I had the opportunity to share with him a day on his red fishing boat outside the atoll, learning about how to catch the different kinds of fish he is then selling either on the island or to Tahiti. We ate “poisson cru” on the boat, fish we just caught five minutes before, marinated with lemon … Simple and magic moment ! Thank you Regis.
We now are still in Makemo, waiting for the wind … Different island, great moments too, news to come soon !

Claire