Skip to navigation

Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

French Polynesia: Gambier Islands (Southeast)

Mark on top of Ile Agakauitai
On top of Île Agakauitai, with Île Mangareva in the background

Given the way we were all getting on together it was logical that we should go off exploring the Gambiers together, so we teamed up with Joe and Janet on Tegan (unfortunately Peeyoo was about to leave for Tahiti on his yacht Rammen, so he was too busy to come with us). And so the four of us set off south towards a little sheltered spot off Île Akamaru, a reef-surrounded 246m-high peak just a short trip 7km southeast from Rikitea.

Île Akamaru from Mt Mokoto
Île Akamaru from Mt Mokoto

Barbecue in Paradise

Île Taravai's volcanic slopes
Île Taravai's volcanic slopes

I spent most of the morning slaving over a hot oven, creating some wonderful fresh bread, a great creamy banana pudding and some pasta salad with homemade pesto. I did, however, manage to grab the dinghy and go exploring on my own for a couple of hours, one of the true pleasures of having your own transport and life-support system in an island setting. I discovered a beautiful and tiny beach with a little reef just off it, and spent the afternoon snorkelling and reading a Graham Greene novel in the shade of a tropical tree. It set the scene perfectly for the barbecue itself.

Under the Sea

The forested shores of Île Agakauitai
The forested shores of Île Agakauitai

We were enjoying ourselves so much that we decided to stay in the anchorage for the following day as well, and Joe made a fantastic Caesar salad for lunch, a thank-you for the night before. Real ground coffee made an appearance – wow, what a taste experience after all that instant coffee with powdered milk – and after relaxing for some hours, Joe and I took the dinghy over to the main reef and snorkelled for some time, exploring the reef and the local wildlife. As my first proper snorkelling session on coral it was quite an experience; the surreal shapes of the coral and the sheer intensity of the colours of fish you see are overwhelming.