In the summer of 2006, we took a trip with Lindblad Expeditions from Fiji to Tahiti. We saw large peices of micronesia and polynesia. We started with 2 days on our own in Nadi, Fiji. We stayed in a tourist resort in a resort area outside of town. It is very popular with Australians. On the third day we joined the main group for a day tour in the area and then boarded the ship and headed to the island of Viwa.
The weather was too rough at Viwa to go ashore (this is a theme you will hear again) but we were able to go snorkeling. There was a large swell which made conditions difficult but we were able to see some reef life and get a good view of the drop off.
Overnight we headed on to Beqa Island. Beqa claims to be the origin of all firewalking and we were treated to a firewalking demonstration by the villagers. We also had a good visit at the local school and with the village.
From Beqa we headed on to Suva, the capital of Fiji where we went for a hike in a forest preserve.
Overnight we sailed to Vatoa Island, one of the eastern most islands of Fiji. There we saw some native dancing, demonstrations of local crafts and snorkeled from a protected beach.
Our next stop was Nuku'alofa, the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga on the island of Tongatapu. There we saw fruit bats (also known as flying foxes) and an amazing display of blow holes, in addition to the local market and town.
We headed north to Tofua Island, a small volcanic island that we planned to climb. Tofua was the first land Captain Bligh landed on, after being set adrift from the HMCS Bounty. The weather was not with us, and we were not able to land. We were not even able to see much of the island due to the clouds. We were able to go for a walk on a nearby island where we were absolutely hammered with cold rain and wind.
After Tofua we headed to the town of Neiafu that, fortunately, is very well sheltered. We were able to have a very nice snorkel later in the day in shallow water off the island of Nuku before heading back out into the big swells.
Overnight we headed to Niue an island nation with a population of 1600. We had big plans for our visit to the island. The weather had bigger plans. After our crew assisted in the rescue of a sailboat that had dragged its anchor near the port, we headed to the other side of the island in hopes of making a landing. But the conditions were no better on the other side. Niue is unusual for the islands that we visited in that it has no barrier reef. This leaves it wide open to the ocean and makes landing difficult.
We headed on to Beverage Reef which, we are told is legally part of the nation of Niue. At high tide, no part of Beverage Reef is above the water. It is possible that at low tide, no part of it is above he water. It is simply a large coral reef in the middle of the ocean. If you came across it at night, without charts or knowing where you are, you would be in very serious trouble. Dispite the large swell we were able to go snorkeling and saw some turtles and other large fish. We had to stay well off the reef in deep water, which limited what we could see. We dined very well on fresh Tuna that evening.
Our next stop was Palmerston Atoll in the Cook Islands. There is a community living on one of the larger motus in the atoll. This is by far the smallest permanently inhabited island we have ever visited. It is also one of the most remote places we have ever been. We visited Palmerston twice, once on the Fiji to Cook Islands leg of our trip, and again on the Cook Islands to Tahiti leg. We snorkeled both times but conditions were better on the second stop so we were able stay in shallower water, for much longer, and see more fish. There are several things of note about snorkeling here. On our first visit, Ralph found large pieces of an iron or steel boat in 40 feet of water--there are probably wrecks everywhere. On our second visit we were able to very clearly see the structure of the bottom. You can see what appear to be stream beds. They are stream beds. When many of the islands we visited were formed, the sea level was much lower than it is now, so there are many features under 30 or more feet of water that were once on the surface. It takes a while to get used to the idea of a stream bed buried by the ocean. We also got many good views of White Tipped Reef sharks on our second visit. Finally, to end out our snorkel, the last four snorkelers in the water headed over to an area where water was flowing out of the lagoon because the tide was low. There were many fish lined up feeding on whatever the current carried. We were able to ride this current--basically a very strong rip current. This was an exciting ride and a great education. I now know why so many people drown after getting caught in rip currents. Even though I knew the theory and could see the current, I was surprised by its force. Of course, once you understand it, and know how to use, it becomes a really fun ride.
Like Palmerston, we stopped twice at Aitutaki. On both stops we had a pleasant snorkel in the lagoon and saw some Red-tailed Tropicbirds nesting on a motu. We also had demonstrations of native dancing and a tour of the largest island.
At Rarotonga, the largest island in the Cook Islands had a local tour and some passengers left and others joined us. We then repeated Palmerston Atoll and Aitutaki (in that order) before heading on to Aitu where we went on a long hike through the jungle in search of caves and Aitu Swiftlets. The ground was all uplifted coral and was often difficult to walk on. It was strange to walk on what we had been seeing as ocean bottom while snorkeling a few days earlier.
After Aitu we visited Takutea, a small, nearby island. Our guide, who works for the Cook Islands government cataloging the flora and fauna of the islands, said the island was visited only once before by tourist, and he was on that trip too. Having a local expert as a guide really makes a difference.
From Takutea we sailed for two nights and a day to Bora Bora in French Polynesia where we got hit by a rain storm that dumped the heaviest rain I have ever experienced. After the rain cleared we had a nice snorkel and kayak in the lagoon.
The last stop on our trip was Papeete on the island of Tahiti. This was the largest city on our trip and the most westernized.