PARTING IS SUCH SWEET SORROW
Time to say goodbye to the friends we have made in the village of Otepa, in the atoll of Hao, and go exploring.
How could we say we had ‘visited’ the atoll of Hao, when all we had done was moor up at the village. With parts in, boat repair completed and the month long Heiva celebrations over it was time to go exploring and for tearful goodbyes.
We were not going far, to begin with. We promised we would be back in a week or so and then again next season. The villagers of Otepa had won our hearts.
So off we went to explore a bit of Hao’s lagoon. Lovely settled waters, great for sailing and testing the repaired auto pilot. Just keep a keen eye out for those spots of isolated shallow reef called ‘bommies’.
Having a few friends aboard
Going away presents
BOAT STUFF:
Navionics charts the north end of the lagoon very well as it used to house a large French Military base for Nuclear testing on the atolls to the South.
The South end of the lagoon is uncharted and the concentration of bommies increases. We used Ovitel maps satellite images to plan a route throw and a keen look out.
We found most of the bommies, along the eastern reef, well marked and well spaced making sailing a pleasure.
WHERE TO GO EXPLORING?
Hao has some unique reef formations. They are spirs of coral that run from the surrounding reef out into the lagoon for a mile or more. The locals call these formations kawau. The teachers from the local collage said they often ran into Manta rays when they visited them. So that sounded like a good place to start our exploration. There was a dirt track running south from the village to the first kawau, so we decided to continue South to the next kawau.
The kawau looks so tiny on Google maps. But you will see it stretches over a mile into the lagoon here at Hao
SECOND KAWAU
No sooner did the humans have the ‘pick’ down than they spotted the distinctive ‘wing tips’ of the Manta ray lifting out of the water as they feed on the surface. Off they went!
The snorkelling was very good at this location and I put my hairy paws to work to make you a little video. Hope it makes you feel like you are here.
For all our mates with slow internet, we sympathise. Here are a few snap shots. But the video gives a much better view of the reef.
We love the majestic Manta ray.
The colourful lips of the giant clam are beautiful.
The motu (reef top island) here at the anchorage was once a pearl farm. The flood of pearls on the market dropped the price and may farms were no longer profitable. This farm was one of the many victims in the Tuamotus and was now abandon. Young coconut trees were now planted in neat rows and the motu owners obviously returned regularily as an elaborate water collection system was set up off the roofs of all the abandon structures.
When in French Polynesia…… a coconut is as good as a tennis ball.
FRESHWATER! In the dry winter months in the Tuamotus is a blessing. With little rain my humans had been working their tiny watermaker hard. No extra water for cockpit cushions or exterior canvas. So the silly humans were very excited to go ashore and do a big laundry. The motu owners had set up extensive clothes lines and even a pick to open the coconuts that were within easy reach on the young plants.
GOOD KARMA. Sailors are such a superstitious lot, and my humans are no different. They made sure to leave the island as neat and tidy as they found it.
OFF TO THE FIRST KAWAU
The anchorage at the second kawau offered some great wave protection from some brisk east/southeasterly winds. When they eased we sailed back north towards the village, stopping in at the first kawau.
Lovely lazy sailing inside the protection of the lagoon
The sailing did not even interupt my afternoon siesta on the back hatch.
The first kawau was a lovely snorkelling spot, but because of it’s proximity to the village and the road in, it was evident it was heavily foraged. But they humans did have a fun time with Eagle rays.
We heard that the monthly supply ship was in the village from friends still anchored there, so we decided to stop back in before heading off to our next atolls….. Amanu.
See you there!
