Making for Fakarava in French Polynesia
by Andrew and Clare Payne on 12 Aug 2016
Beach and restaurant at Hirifa Andrew and Clare Payne
We arrived in the atoll of Fakarava two weeks ago after a very smooth overnight downwind sail from Makemo. So smooth in fact that we even watched a DVD in the cockpit en route, a definite first for us. Fakarava is thirty miles long and we haven't seen all of it yet. We entered the atoll through the south pass and fortunately for us one of our radio net buddies was in the pass in his dinghy waiting to do a drift snorkel. He gave us accurate information on the current strength and direction which took all the stress out of transiting the narrow and shallow pass.
A great pass
The south pass has two dive shops with guest accommodation and a small bar/restaurant and a pizza place. There are mooring balls for the yachts if you want to stay. Drift snorkeling and diving in the pass with many sharks, eagle rays, large Napoleon wrasse, tropical fish and hard coral is the attraction. The method is to start in slack water and then drift into the lagoon with the incoming tide.
We have enjoyed six drift snorkels hanging on to our dinghy. By the end, when the tide is fully flowing, we are fairly flying, it's great fun. The sharks, which are mostly black tip reef sharks, either ignore us or swim away. For us the fish life is fascinating, however the plentiful hard coral lacks the colour and variation found with soft corals.
Busy doing nothing
June, July and August are said to be the windy months in the Tuamotu so we seek out flat calm water and peaceful conditions behind a moto. However there is a catch, once having found these ideal conditions it is hard to leave. So after eleven years of being on the move we are now learning the joys of staying put for weeks on end. It's amazing how quickly the day passes when doing nothing. The good thing is we have plenty of company as there are six boats here that participate in the daily Polynesian Magellan Net and so doing nothing is very social.
Most of our time in Fakarava has been spent in the south east corner at the small settlement of Hirifa. It is picture post card perfect with sparkling aqua water, sandy beaches, coconut palms, shady trees and glorious sunsets. It is a favourite spot for kite surfers because they can take off from the sand spits where there is wave protection from the reef and yet plenty of wind to fill their kites.
So we spend our days of doing nothing watching the kite surfers, walking the beaches, collecting a few shells, swimming and relaxing. We lit a fire on the beach one night and eight of us enjoyed a BBQ and some star gazing under a beautiful clear sky.
There is a family restaurant here run by a large Polynesian lady, Liza who speaks good English and gives welcoming bear hugs that just about take your breath away. The restaurant is only opened when Lisa has supplies and has enough takers to make the night financially worth while. Fifteen cruisers from the anchorage had dinner a few nights back. Most of us not only had out breath taken away but also received Liza's head cold which has kept us all lying low for a few days.
Time to move
Yesterday we departed Hirifa and had a good fifteen mile downwind sail to the north east side of the atol to the small settlement of Pakokota. The main attraction here is the Internet so as I am typing this I am hoping to send you some photos. There is a small Yacht Services business here and tomorrow he is driving us to the main town of Rotoava which is ten miles north of here.
For a small charge he will take us to the supermarket, bakery and other shop, whatever that encompasses. We have been warned that that our mode of transport is old and we will be able to see the road through the corroded floor of the vehicle. I happens to be an Isuzu Trooper (Holden Jackaroo) just like ours at home but much rustier. If we are lucky enough to get some fruit and veg and I don't loose anything through the floor on the way back, I will be happy.
So what's next
We will stay here in Pakokota for a few days and download our emails and hopefully enjoy the internet connection. By then the wind will pick up and so we will return to the safe haven of Hirifa. We think we will be in Fakarava for another two weeks before rejoining civilisation in Tahiti.
Until then stay safe and have fun.
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