Pitufa.at » Photo Galleries » Raroia, Tuamotus

In May 2019 we visited Raroia for the first time and found an unexpected nature paradise with larger bird colonies than anywhere else in the Tuamotus and a lagoon teeming with curious sharks. If you visit Raroia, be careful not to disturb the ground breeding birds. A masked booby chick dies within 15 minutes when the parents are shied away!

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1/59: Already while approaching Raroia boobies were circling around Pitufa--a good sign!
2/59: Sailing in the lagoon is tricky, because of many coralheads and pearlfarm buoys.
3/59: Anchoring's difficult between many coralheads, but the motus are gorgeous.
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5/59: The atoll is popular with cruisers...
6/59: ...but most don't explore further than the Kontiki Motu and we had the rest of the atoll mostly to ourselves.
7/59: Virgin Mary grotto on a motu.
8/59: We couldn't believe how many birds we found in Raroia.
9/59: Many pearl farms have closed, but a few big ones are still operational
10/59: Gigantic pearl farm field
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13/59: Untouched bird paradise.
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18/59: We use our time in the Tuamotus to get many boat projects done.
19/59: Christian checked the rigging...
20/59: ...and to take pics of the landscape.
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24/59: A local gave us a Tamanu tree to plant on his motu and we found a nice spot for our green passenger.
25/59: Primary forest on a coral motu--that's what all atolls in the Pacific looked like before the forests were burnt down for palmtree plantations.
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28/59: Harvesting heart of palm
29/59: White terns soaring above the 'Kontiki' Motu where Thor Heyerdahl stranded with his raft.
30/59: Kontiki commemorative plaque
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32/59: Rugged landscape on the outer reef.
33/59: How did those gigantic boulders get tossed up on the reef?
34/59: Leeloo's still having a good time at the age of 19...
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37/59: Booby paradise
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43/59: Endemic Tuamotu sandpipers everywhere...
44/59: A little manta-ray came by our boat.
45/59: Baby reef sharks come close and sometimes bump into our shoes.
46/59: This young masked booby was hanging out on our dinghy for hours.
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48/59: Not scared at all...
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50/59: The underwater world's inside the lagoon is fascinating.
51/59: Unfortunatley some coral is bleached, some dead and algae overgrow parts of the reefs.
52/59: The healthy bits are havens for small fish.
53/59: Giant clams everywhere
54/59: The coral in the pass is healthier than in the lagoon
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57/59: Each time snorkeling we had a dozen reef sharks with us.
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