ende

2014
30
Mar

Motu Kouaku

This mornig we picked up the really last of our things in the house and left Taravai to explore more of the remainig places we have not been to yet here in the Gambiers. One of those places is the Motu Kouaku on the barrier reef in the south-east of the archipelago. The last few days the wind was blowing hard so the swell is… Continue reading »

2014
28
Mar

A chill is in the air

he last few days a wind has been blowing from the south bringing for the first time chilly air with it and a whiff of rough weather and icebergs far away down there. The sun is still burning hot, but autumn has reached the Gambier. We actually like the seasonal change that we experience here at the fringe of the tropics (compared to the neverchanging… Continue reading »

2014
23
Mar

Pitufos back on Pitufa

After finishing all our planned boat projects (varnishing inside, painting the cockpit, etc.) we’ve moved back to the boat. Running water, a toilet in the bathroom, no bugs in the living room, no rats on the roof – boat life’s pure luxury We’ll miss our little house and the garden though, especially our goatie. We spoiled her quite a bit, feeding her carrots and bananas… Continue reading »

2014
13
Mar

Hiking on Taravai

Now that we’ve basically finished the jobs on Pitufa we’ve got time again to enjoy ‘our’ little island. Recently tourist groups from the two pensions on Mangareva have started visiting Taravai and last week our neighbour Herve led some up to the peak behind the village. As there’s no paths into the mountains we asked him for directions yesterday and started hiking up the same… Continue reading »

2014
12
Mar

A walk into the history of Taravai

Yesterday our neighbour Herve showed us the ruins of the old church and its cemetery in the forest behind his house. An overgrown stone road leads up the mountain to the site where only one wall of the first church and a huge cross of the cemetery remain. Those were built by the people soon after the arrival of the missionaries in 1860. A landslide… Continue reading »