BEN KATE KODA
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Tahiti
We arrived in Gambier with a week to spare before our flight to Tahiti. The morning after we arrived we went into town to check in with the gendarmerie. This was a brief and painless process, likely due to Chris’ preparation. We spent some time walking around town, got an ice cream, and then headed back to the boat. There were a few boat jobs to do since the passage, but we mainly relaxed and swam about the boat. Over the next few days we spent some time exploring, and climbed the two mountains that make up Gambier’s main island, Mangareva. It was great to get out and stretch our legs, and we were very taken with the Gambier islands. There are not too many people living there, and the ones that do seem to enjoy life. The main industry in Gambier is pearl farming, but everyone has a garden and lots of small fishing boats can be seen heading out to the reefs. It seems like a nice place to live, very far from anywhere.
After several days we moved to a more remote anchorage, close to the airport. It was the blue dream anchorage, behind a thin strip of sand and palm trees. One of the days we snorkeled a small cut in the reef, and saw many sharks swimming about in the shallow water. Being at this anchorage gave us a taste of the perfection of the south seas islands. Floating around in our own private swimming pool watching the clouds go by and the wind shift throughout the day. Sitting on the trampoline reading a book was a pretty nice way to spend a day.
Upon leaving Umoya (a damp dingy ride to the airport a few hundred yards away) we boarded a small twin propeller plane and took off from Totegegie airstrip and flew 1000 miles across empty ocean to Tahiti. Coming into Tahiti is always a magical experience. The green mountains rise out of the ocean, steeper and more abrupt than they have any right to be. The fringing reef has a corona of white spume from the southern ocean swells crashing against it. My whole life I have read about the south seas islands, and Tahiti has always been a hub for these remote places. This was my second time to these islands, and it was fun to think that the next time I see Tahiti it will be from the deck of our boat.
We rented a car and made our way to our place, stopping along the way to get some groceries. Our plan was to stay for a week, and try to get some wingfoiling lessons before flying back to California. Our place was a nice apartment where we had a great view down to the beach and over the ocean towards the setting sun.
The following day we drove all the way around the island to Teahupoo, a small village at the end of the road. From there we took a boat our to the reef pass, and a wave of the same name. I have wanted to see this wave for a long time, as it is one of the most iconic waves in the world, and is where the Olympics will be held this year. The pictures should do the talking.
In the morning after our excursion to Teahupoo we got up and went down to the kiting beach. We met our instructor, Rai, and he took us out on the boat, along the reef, and to a section of the lagoon where we were protected from the wind. There we practiced foiling while being dragged behind the boat. This was very helpful in refining what we knew about controlling the foil and getting better at turning and flying the board. The next day we started foiling using the wing. I had some moderate success with this, getting some long flights. We both enjoyed trying to learn this new form of playing in the water, but were very tired at the end of our two hour session. It was quite exhausting falling off all the time, as we have not yet perfected our technique.
One of the evenings we drove up a small, steep winding road to a French restaurant. It had a commanding view out over the ocean and the neighboring island of Moorea, and we enjoyed a dinner of Fondu. It was actually quite cold! What a strange sensation after being in the tropics for over two months. Watching the sun go down over the ocean drove home how much we have enjoyed our journey from Panama, and how we are looking forward to coming here on our own boat.
On the day of our departure we got up early and were to the airport by 5. The sun slowly came up as we boarded our plane and flew back to San Francisco. We were picked up by our friend Jeff, and went to see Peter. It was Jeff’s birthday, so we struggled to stay awake until we got the club and partied hard until the early hours of the morning. The next morning we went surfing amid rather dismal waves and cold water. We have about one month until we leave for France on a somewhat permanent basis.