Seth Sherman Thomasville, GA
This puppy adopted me for my stay on Rimatara and became my “guide.� Tips, in the way of food, were greatly appreciated.
A voyage to the not-often-visited Austral Islands
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INCE ) STARTED READING International Travel News IN THE EARLY S ) HAD HEARD THE OCCASIONAL REPORT THAT THE SHIPS SUPPLYING THE VARIOUS ISLAND GROUPS IN &RENCH 0OLY NESIA ALSO CARRY TOURISTS 7ITH TWO WEEKS TO SPARE BEFORE THE END OF THE CYCLONE SEASON WHEN ) WOULD REJOIN MY YACHT IN 2AIATEA THE TIMING WAS PERFECT FOR ME TO lND OUT FOR MYSELF &RENCH 0OLYNESIA CONSISTS OF FIVE DISTINCT ARCHIPELAGOS %VERYONE S HEARD OF THE 3OCIETY )SLANDS WHICH INCLUDE 4AHITI "ORA "ORA AND -OOREA BUT THERE ARE ALSO THE 4UAMOTUS 'AM BIERS -ARQUESAS AND !USTRALS WHICH ARE MUCH LESS FAMILIAR ) HAD ALREADY SPENT TIME ON MANY OF THOSE ISLANDS BUT ) D NEVER BEEN TO THE !USTRALS THE MOST REMOTE AND LEAST VISITED GROUP 3O THAT WAS WHERE ) WANTED TO GO IN LATE -AY
Getting started %ACH ARCHIPELAGO HAS ITS OWN SUPPLY SHIP THE ONE SERVING THE !USTRALS IS CALLED THE Tuhaa Pae IV #ONSULTING MY MOST 40
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL NEWS, February 2020
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TRUSTED TRAVEL ADVISOR 'OOGLE ) LEARNED THAT THERE ARE TWO DISTINCT ITINERARIES AVAILABLE ONE LASTING SIX TO NINE DAYS WHICH VISITS FOUR OF THE lVE ISLANDS 2IMATARA 2URUTU 4UBUAI AND 2AIVAVAE AND A LONGER ITINERARY LASTING DAYS WHICH ADDS 2APA TO THE ROUTE THE MOST SOUTHERLY AND MOST REMOTE ISLAND OF THIS ALREADY REMOTE ARCHIPELAGO !LTHOUGH THE 2APA CRUISE OCCURS ONLY ONCE EVERY TWO MONTHS IT WAS THE ONE ) WANTED 7RITING TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS PROVIDED ON THE WEBSITE FOR THE SHIP DID NOT ELICIT A RESPONSE SO ) CALLED THEIR OFlCE (+689 40 41 36 16) AND MADE CONTACT WITH A WOMAN NAMED -ANAVA WHO PROVIDED ME WITH A DIFFERENT EMAIL ADDRESS (mtauira@ snathp.com) WHICH GOT THE BALL ROLLING -ANAVA WANTED A COPY OF MY PASSPORT AS WELL AS A COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE WHICH SHE SENT !T THE TIME OF MY VOYAGE THE PRICE OF THE LEAST EXPENSIVE SINGLE CABIN WAS BUT IT HAS SINCE GONE UP TO AROUND #REDIT CARD PAYMENT IS NOT ACCEPTED SO IT WAS AGREED THAT ) WOULD PAY IN CASH UPON ARRIVAL 4HERE WERE TWO CATEGORIES OF PAS SENGERS ON BOARD THE LOCALS AND THE TOURISTS 4HE LATTER PAY THREE TIMES THE LOCAL PRICE EAT IN A SEPARATE DINING ROOM AND HAVE EXCURSIONS ON EACH OF THE ISLANDS .ONRESIDENTS CANNOT GET THE LOCAL RATE
The islands ) ARRIVED IN 4AHITI A DAY EARLY TO PAY FOR THE TRIP AND TO PARTIALLY OVER COME THE EXPECTED JET LAG !LTHOUGH ) GOT TO THE SHIP ABOUT TWO HOURS EARLY ) WAS ALLOWED ON BOARD AND SHOWN TO MY STATEROOM MY HOME FOR THE NEXT DAYS )T TOOK US TWO DAYS TO GET TO OUR lRST ISLAND 2IMATARA LOCATED ABOUT MILES FROM 4AHITI 4HERE WERE ONLY THREE NONLOCALS ON BOARD MYSELF AND A &RENCH COUPLE FROM .EW #ALEDONIA !LL OF THE ISLANDS WERE QUITE BEAUTIFUL AND SPARSELY TOURISTED 4HE STREETS WERE CLEAN THE BEACHES PRISTINE AND THE LOCALS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANY FRIENDLIER 7ITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE LAST ISLAND 2APA Call 800/486-4968 to subscribe
IT WAS HARD TO DISTINGUISH ONE I S L A N D F R O M ANOTHER AS THEIR SIMILARITIES WERE S I G N I F I C A N T L Y GREATER THAN THEIR DIFFERENCES "UT ) LL GIVE IT A TRY 0 E R H A P S 2IMATARA HAD THE PRETTIEST BEACHES 4HE POST OFFICE AND RECYCLING STATIONS WERE B E A U T I F U L L Y PAINTED !FTER A BIKE TOUR WE W E R E G IVEN A LUAU LUNCH ,ATER IN THE DAY THE LOCALS SHOWED US HOW TO CONSTRUCT HATS USING ONLY PLANT lBERS AND mOWERS / U R S E C O N D I S L A N D W A S 2URUTU WHERE THE WEATHER DID A luau lunch during our tour of Rimatara, prepared NOT COMPLETELY by our hosts, included delicious fruit and fish. COOPERATE "UT THE OVERCAST SKIES MADE FOR SOME ONLY -C$ONALD S IT WILL EVER SEE GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY .EXT UP WAS 4UBUAI THE ADMIN 5NIQUE TO THIS ISLAND WERE ITS ISTRATIVE CAPITAL OF THE !USTRALS CAVES WHICH WE GOT A CHANCE TO 3IGHTED BY #APTAIN #OOK THE ISLAND EXPLORE 4HE ISLAND WAS FORMED WAS VISITED BY A SECOND %UROPEAN ABOUT MILLION YEARS AGO BY THE &LETCHER #HRISTIAN AFTER HIS INFAMOUS -ACDONALD HOTSPOT PROBABLY THE MUTINY
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL NEWS, February 2020
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LIFESTYLE WITH US 3EVERAL OF THE CREW AND ISLANDERS SPOKE %NGLISH BUT SPEAKING SOME &RENCH REALLY CAME IN HANDY 4HE FOOD WAS ADEQUATE BUT WAS FAR FROM THE &RENCH GOURMET STANDARD THAT ) HAD EXPECTED -Y FELLOW TOURISTS SAID THAT THE SHIP SERVING THE -ARQUESAS HAD MUCH BETTER FOOD !LL TOLD IT WAS AN EXCELLENT VOYAGE AND ) WOULD LIKE TO RETURN SOMEDAY TO SPEND MORE TIME IN THESE ENCHANTED OUT OF THE WAY ISLANDS ✦
Photograph bears in Slovenia
Our little group, after a lesson on hat making. 3TILL SOMEWHAT TROPICAL IT WAS NOTICEABLY COOLER THERE THAN IN 4AHITI !LONG OUR TRAVELS WE STOPPED AT A LOVELY PENSION CALLED Toena AND HAD TEA WITH ITS &RENCH PROPRIETORS !NOTHER OVERNIGHT PASSAGE DELIV ERED US TO OUR PENULTIMATE ISLAND 2AIVAVAE /F ALL THE ISLANDS THIS WAS THE MOST MANICURED 4HERE WERE SEVERAL BEAUTIFUL PENSIONS AND THE PROPRIETORS OF ONE TOOK US TO THEIR PRIVATE ISLAND IN THE LAGOON AND FED US A SCRUMPTIOUS LUNCH ,AST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST WAS 2APA WHICH WAS FOR ME THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE TRIP 7HEREAS THE OTHER ISLANDS WERE TROPICAL IN APPEARANCE THE LAND SCAPE OF 2APA APPEARED MORE LIKE .EW :EALAND OR 3COTLAND 7HILE NOT
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INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL NEWS, February 2020
FRIGID THE TEMPERATURE IN EARLY *UNE WARNED OF WINTER S IMMINENT ARRIVAL 2APA IS ALSO UNIQUE IN ITS GEOLOGI CAL CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC HISTORY !ND LOCATED SO FAR SOUTH IT TOOK US THREE FULL DAYS TO GET BACK TO 4AHITI FROM THERE %VERYONE ) MET FROM THE STAFF ON BOARD TO THE LOCAL PASSENGERS AND THE NATIVE ISLANDERS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE FRIENDLY 4HEY DID EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO SHARE THEIR CULTURE AND
/ N T H E D A Y GUIDED EXPERIENCE h-OTHER .EW BORN #UBS v GUESTS MAXIMUM WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO PHOTOGRAPH BEAR FAMILIES IN 3LOVE NIA S ,OKA 6ALLEY WHILE SAFE IN A BEAR BLIND 3LOVENIA IS HOME TO ABOUT %URASIAN BROWN BEARS WHICH CAN REACH MORE THAN POUNDS AND OVER FEET IN LENGTH 4HE MOTHER AND CUBS TOUR DEPARTS -AY *UNE AND !UG &ROM € NEAR PER PERSON DOUBLE INCLUDES INN LODGING AND MOST MEALS #ONTACT 3LOVENIAN"EARS (Markovec 15a, 1386 Stari Trg pri Ložu, Slovenia; phone +386 41582081, slovenianbears.com)
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