Tuamotu: the most remote paradise has a circular shape
On the main street of Tikehau plays the sweetest song I have ever heard. I was immediately captivated like Ulysses with the song of the sirens. It is a soft and velvety voice, which sings a letter in Tahitian accompanied by the notes of a small ukulele.
She comes from a young girl, in her 20s, with sun-tanned skin and long, brunette hair. She is called Hereiti. Sing for her, there is no one in several meters around. She is barefoot, sitting under the porch of a blue house.
After a few smiles and the pertinent introductions, she explains to us in French that it is a song that she composed herself, she talks about the beauty of her island. The chorus says: “I will never leave you Tikehau, you are always in my heart”.
She is aware that she lives in one of the most remote and beautiful places on the planet, where in just 10 minutes on a motorcycle her particular Finisterre appears, but she seems tremendously happy.
She has never seen snow, nor a train, nor a skyscraper, the biggest city she has visited is Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, of about 100,000 inhabitants, but she is not interested. "I only go out of obligation, I don't like it, people are sad and stressed”, she replies without hesitation.
In the Tikehau atoll, one of the most remote places on the planet, there are about 500 inhabitants
Hereiti is one of the 565 registered inhabitants of the Tikehau atoll, which is part of the Tuamotu archipelago, in French Polynesia. **
Many may wonder what an atoll is. Well, it's about a set of elongated and narrow coral islands that form a circular structure between them, with a lagoon inside. This strange phenomenon occurs when a coral reef begins to grow on the circumference of the crater of a submerged volcano.
The vast majority are in Pacific Ocean (Tuamutu, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and Tuvalu) and in the ocean Indian ( Maldives and Seychelles ), plus a few in the Caribbean of Colombia and Venezuela.
An atoll is a group of islands arranged in a circle with a lagoon inside.
HEADING TO PARADISE
Reaching the furthest archipelago of a continent on the planet is not easy, but with a little patience it can be done. From Madrid Air France flies weekly via Los Angeles to Papeete. From there there are several flights with ** Air Tahiti Nui to the main islands of the Tuamotu.**
The other option, only reserved for the most adventurous spirits, consists of cross the Pacific Ocean under sail from Panama or the Galapagos Islands, on a journey of more than 5,500 kilometers. This option requires high doses of patience and time, since it lasts about three weeks, in my case it was 23 days.
Ok, we are in paradise, now what? There are no discos, no trendy rooftop bars, no brunches, no afternoons. We must respond to this situation with the effective and unquestionable back to the roots, rediscovering ourselves with the Robinson Crusoe that we all carry inside.
It's easy to make friends with the locals, Hereiti and her friends invite us to a picnic around a simple wooden house on a coconut plantation. show us how peel a coconut with machetes (not suitable for beginners), they initiate us into the mysteries of the tahitian dances, and we even learn how to do a crown of flowers.
Here there are no discos, no sky bars, no brunches, no beach clubs... Let's practice back to the roots!
FLOATING VILLAS IN RANGIORA
rangiroa is one of the largest atolls in the world, with 1,640 square kilometers of surface and a lagoon 79 kilometers long. It is populated by about 2,500 inhabitants.
Here we find more facilities: supermarkets, restaurants, the occasional party venue and the famous over water bungalows, idyllic cabins that seem to levitate over crystal clear waters.
The Kia Ora Resort is the most famous. Everything about it exudes elegance and simplicity: rooms with private pools, jacuzzis, recreation areas with freshly cut grass, hammocks on the beach and bars where you can try the catch of the day.
It is an experience for solvent pockets, but there is always the opportunity to drink a daiquiri in his bar, while the voice of Yves Montand sounds in a setting worthy of The Great Gatsby.
The over-the-water bungalows at the Kia Ora Resort
You can't leave Rangiroa without visiting** a black pearl farm. ** They are known worldwide for their quality and uniqueness.
The farmers explain with the best of their smiles that they themselves place a tiny bit of sand inside the oyster so that the pearl can be produced naturally.
Actually, it's about a defense mechanism -which lasts between two and five years-, in which the oyster releases calcium carbonate to coat and trap the invading entity.
This process also happens naturally, but only once in 200,000 times, so it is better to opt for the cultured pearl.
Black pearl cultivation farms are world-renowned for their uniqueness
The main raw material –and the basis of its economy, together with pearls– of the Tuamotu are the Palm trees, of which they obtain very varied uses. Their diet abounds with dishes and desserts cooked with coconut, the leaves of the palm tree are used to make skirts, crowns, roofs and sheds, but above all they extract the coconut oil.
Most of the trunks are surrounded by a metal sheet, to prevent crabs from climbing up to eat their fruits. When they are ripe, they are peeled and left to dry in the sun. to finally send them to Tahiti, where the famous ** Monoi oil is produced. **
Is about a moisturizing and toning lotion based on coconut oil macerated with different flowers, the most valued is the Tiare Tahiti, with a captivating aroma and white and yellow propeller-shaped petals. It usually adorns the hair of women, and it is also the national flower
Coconut oil extraction in Rangiora
THE UNDERWATER PARADISE OF AHE
this atoll of only 12 square kilometers and less than 500 inhabitants it is worth to be visited. It is so small that you can almost jump from one island to another, as if you were inside a Moana video game.
Beyond its ivory sand beaches and turquoise waters, **Ahe is a scuba diver's paradise**. sharks, rays, turtles and tropical fish.
Beyond all these dream scenarios, what will penetrate your heart the most is the unique and incomparable Polynesian hospitality. They are aware of how isolated they live, and how difficult it is to get home.
That is why all the neighbors will treat you with the greatest cordiality; they will invite you to their houses, they will cook you fish, they will take you in a canoe, They will teach you to play the ukulele, they will crown your head with flowers and they will give you their time, even though they know that you will surely never return.
If one day you go to Tikehau, don't forget to ask about Hereiti, there you have a new friend.
The hospitality of the locals will mark you forever