South Pacific 2015 – Fakarava

Fakarava is one of the larger atolls in the area, but does not have too many inhabitants, so there were no organised tours for us. My plan was to rent a bike and go for a ride, I caught the first tender so that I would not miss out on the bikes as I had expected a mad rush ashore, apparently I was not the only one, the crew were surprised when the first tender only had about ten passengers on board, they can hold over 100, so I had no problem hiring a bike for a few hours.

The area around the dock

From the dock I road to the unprotected side of the atoll

The water here was crystal clear and I was looking forward to going snorkeling a bit later when the rest of the gang arrived.

The local church built in 1951

NICE!

When the others arrived only two, Mary and Dave decided that they would join me in exploring the island by bike with the intention of finding a quiet beach for a swim

There is one “road” on the island that is concrete until just passed the airport terminal when it becomes a dirt track.

The sea wall that protects the runway

The ride out was not bad, but the sun was oppressive which made it a bit tougher

We made it! Our beach, well worth the effort

There were a number of fish around but they were all very light coloured, therefore my camera could not pick them up as they blended in with their surroundings as intended!

The ride back was hard as there was a significant head wind and the bikes we were are not designed for speed or even comfort, it was the hardest 30kms I have ridden for a long while, but I was still glad I did it and would do it again!!

 If you are going to visit French Polynesia my recommendation would be to visit both Fakarava and Rangiroa and skip Bora Bora and Papeete. A couple of days in Huahine would also be good, but the last two atolls were the best and the people on both were more friendly and helpful!!

Next stop (in a couple of days) is Pitcairn Island