Exploring Tahaa - 4 X 4 Expedition

Tahaa Expedition Tour, Friday, August 6, 2010

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky on Friday morning when we got up.  Apu Baie was as calm as glass.  This was going to be a beautiful day for an expedition.  Russ and I had our breakfast, donned our swimsuits and walking shoes, grabbed our snorkel gear and water bottles and were in the dinghy motoring to shore by 8:20.  We were to meet our guide in front of the Yacht Club at 8:30.

Our ride appeared about 8:50.  We met Ivan, a young Polynesian man in his thirties who spoke excellent English and is the son of Edwin who is the proprietor of Tahaa Tours.  We got into an air-conditioned truck and were on our way.

First we were going to go up the island to a bay near the Coral Gardens.  Ivan’s father Edwin was to meet us at this location with his motorized outrigger canoe and take us out to the coral gardens.  We only had to wait a few minutes and Edwin with 15 or so other people that he had picked up in Raiatea pulled up alongside the dock where the two of us got on and then we were off, skimming across the water.

Coral Gardens

Within 20 minutes we were gliding across the area where we had gotten stuck on a coral head two days before and into waters that were only knee deep.  We were instructed to wear our water shoes and not to wear our fins, as we were to walk across the motu to the far side near the barrier reef. We would be swimming back but would need to put our feet down every once in a while.   Between the little motu and the bigger one a series of shallow coral heads could be seen from shore as we trekked the few minutes to the end of the motu. 

Once we were at the end of the motu, our guide showed us where to enter the channel.  All we needed to do was to float face down and let the current (which was negligible when we were there) take us through the channel through the coral heads.  At no time were we in water that was above our chest and most of the time it was waist high.  Because it was low tide, there were times while drifting that we really had to suck it up while drifting over a coral head.  When the current is running, the drift only takes about 10 minutes. When there is a current, it is advisable to wear dive gloves so that if you are moving to fast you can push away from obstacles or hold on for a closer observation. Without a current, we gently glided along and it took us about an hour to get through the gardens back to the boat.

This snorkel was by far the best yet.  The water clarity was beautiful.  The sky was clear and bright illuminating the gardens.  The coral was alive and in brilliant colors of pinks, purples, whites, champagne, and yellowish browns. Clams with purple and aqua frill were embedded in the coral.  There was a kaleidoscope fish.  None of them seemed at all shy and seemed to enjoy swarming around us and swimming with us.  We saw tons of black sea urchins.  Occasionally, our guide would crack one open with a big stick, creating a feast for the fish.  No wonder the posse of fish was so eager to swim with us.  I wish we had an underwater camera to take photos.

Pearl Farm

After our snorkel drift, we boarded the boat and as we headed out of the shallow water, our guide passed around containers of freshly cut pineapple, papaya, bananas and coconuts for snacks.  Our next stop was a pearl farm.  I did not take many pictures here as I had taken some great shots of a pearl farm in the Tuomotus on Fakarava.    Some of the interesting facts of pearl farming though are worth sharing and perhaps repetitive of what I wrote in our last visit.  Some of the photos from that visit are repeated here.

·      Young oysters are collected off of a mesh string hung in rich breeding grounds.

·      They are pried opened less than half an inch and examined (opening their shell anymore would kill them).

·      If they possess a mother of pearl inner rim with an array of desired colors of Polynesian colors (black, grey, lavendars, and greens), the oyster is sacrificed and the fleshy tissue from the color rim is used as a graft in the pearl making oysters.

·      If the oyster does not possess the desired colors, it becomes a pearl maker.

·      Using a small round nucleus of shell and a millimeter or less from the color tissue, the pearl farmer finds a pocket and inserts both into the oyster.

·      Oysters can be used up to four times before the pearls begin to lose their luster. 

·      Each time, an oyster is harvested, a nucleus of the same size pearl that was removed is inserted thereby creating larger pearls with each generation.

·      The color graft is only done once and doesn’t have to be repeated each time.

·      After a nucleus is inserted, the oyster is opened three months later to see if the graft has taken.  If it has it is returned to the oyster bed.  If not, it is destroyed.  Some oysters consistently reject the inserted nucleus.

 

·      It takes 18 months to create the first cultured pearl, then one year after that.

·      After the fourth pearl, the oyster is destroyed.  Meats are eaten and shells are used in crafts.

·      The pearl centers we visited were over the water but close to shore.  Oysters are brought in and hung from no more than a day in the shallow water as there are too many contaminants from natural run off.

·      Oysters when they are returned to their beds are pocketed in flat nets and hung vertically off shore close to the barrier reef.  The nets protect them from predators.

·      All harvested pearls in Polynesia are sent to Tahiti and x-rayed for quality control.  If the coating on the nucleus is less than .08 millimeters, the pearl is crushed. If equal or greater than .08 millimeters it is sent back to the farmer to sell with authenticating paperwork.

·      Pearls are valued by their size, color, and luster.

The tour was very informative, and I guess because this was the second time we had heard the explanation, more of the information stuck with us.  Nevertheless, I thought it best to share it before I forgot it.  We just looked at the pearls here, but weren’t tempted to buy.  We had already purchased our pearls in Fakarava and the ones at this pearl farm seemed very expensive.

Vanilla Plantation

We came to the pearl farm by boat and left in a 4 x 4 safari truck for the rest of the afternoon.  Our first stop was to the vanilla plantation owned by Edwin and his family.  The vanilla plantation on Huahine that we had visited was small by comparison and we had not understood a lot of what the proprietor in Huahine had explained to us as he had only spoken French.  This too is a highly technical endeavor which probably justifies the reason that Polynesian vanilla is the second most expensive spice, second to saffron, in the world.

Here are some interesting facts about Polynesian vanilla.

·      Vanilla is an orchid that grows on a vine.  A vine cutting is used.  The part that grows in the soil or coconut mulch sprouts roots.  The other end sends out a runner for climbing.

·      Each flower produces one bean.

·      The variety of vanilla on Polynesia requires hand fertilization.  They do not have enough bees to do the job. 

·      The vanilla orchid has both the male and female parts for reproduction.  Hand fertilization requires a toothpick and a steady hand.  The front of the flower is pulled down and broken (this indicates that the flower has been pollinated A speck of pollen is transferred from the male to the female portion of the flower.

·      Because it takes nine months to produce a single bean after pollinization, the vanilla farmers call it “marrying” the orchid when it is pollinated.

·      Ivan said he could marry 500 flowers a day.  His mother could marry 3,000.  When flowers are blooming, it takes three workers every day to marry the flowers.

·      Broken coconut shells cover the roots of the orchids so that they stay moist but not too moist.  A fine mesh screen keeps out insects and marauding birds and the harsh sun.

·      Once the beans mature to a good size they are picked.  Sometimes they are still green and other times they have already started to turn brown.  The beans we saw here in Tahaa were 3 to 5 times thicker and more robust than the ones we saw on Huahine.

·      After they are picked, they must be dried in the sunlight until they are brown and stiff.   Because of frequent squalls, the beans are kept in cloths that can easily be gathered up and protected from rain and moisture.  The farmer needs to keep his eye on the sky.

·      During the first month while drying on long tables, EACH BEAN must be massaged by hand to flatten, soften, and distribute the vanilla beans on a DAILY basis!  That would be tedious work. 

Ivan Massaging the Beans

I tried my hand at massaging a bean and must have been too firm because some of the innards popped out of the end which renders it unusable to be sold as a whole bean.  Beans that pop are used to make flavorings.  Whole beans can be used over and over to flavor liquers and other liquids.  Currently, I have whole vanilla beans in a bottle of vodka and rum.  It will take about six weeks for the vanilla flavor to leach out.

Polynesian Lunch at the Plantation

After our morning of snorkeling and touring, we sat down at a table in the plantation’s dining room and were treated to poisson cru (raw fish in lemon and ginger), coconut bread, tarot, deep fried fish balls with sauce, mahi mahi in a cream vanilla sauce, rice, fruit salad with papaya, pineapple, guava, banana, and star fruit.  The bean I had over massaged had been used to flavor the salad.  We also had red wine and coffee with our meal.  The food was delicious….so much better than our experience with the Puddle Jump luncheon.

Belvedere

After our sumptuous lunch, we boarded the safari trucks to head to the top of the island’s mountain through wet rainforests.  The ride to the top snaked through the lush forest on the dry side of the mountain.  We stopped several times along the way so that Edwin and Ivan could explain to us what some of the different foliage was and how it was used.  Edwin spoke to his group in French.  Ivan spoke to his group in English.

Purau – Pronounced Poo Rou (Ou as in ouch)

Purau is the wild hibiscus tree native to Polynesia.  It has big yellow flowers that fall of and turn orangish yellow on the ground.  Flowers are used for medicinal purposes.  When boiled in water, the water is good to bath in.  Helps with diaper rash on babies. 

The large soft leaves were used as toilet paper, and covering over pit fires when cooking.  The bark is used for making hula skirts.   

Bark strips are dried for rope and hula skirts

Edwin showed the group how to cut and skin a branch to make a hollow flute out of just the bark.

Noni – This is disgusting little fruit that is used for medicinal purposes.  It is not eaten and smells like rotting blue cheese.  In Utah, health food stores process this plant and sell it to cure all kinds of ailments.  There were some German woman on our tour who had bought some in Germany and said it didn’t work as promoted and that it was very expensive.  It may not work, but it is a boon to Polynesian agriculture as it really is rather a useless plant here.

Kopak -  This pod produces a cotton that was once used to stuff mattresses, pillow, and quilts.  Today, however, it is no longer in use.  The rodent population apparently loves the almost microscopic seeds on the inside of the Kopak pod.  If it is used in the home, the rats are sure to invade in a few days to find and eat the seeds. 

Belvedere - 4 Wheeling to the Top

When we reached the top of the mountain, clouds were growing thicker and it looked like it was going to start raining.  It is amazing how quickly a sunny day turns to a rainy day here.  We could see three different bays in a 360 degree view.  The photos of the bays are not brilliant because the sky was threatening.

We had noticed from lower elevations these strange trees with a flat canopy.  They looked like something one would see in Africa. 

Ivan explained that 60 years ago these trees were indeed imported and planted on all of the mountains in Polynesia to provide shade for the vegetation that was browning on the mountain tops.  As a result of the increased shade, the vegetation has one again turned lush green and is thriving.

By the time we left the belvedere, it was starting to rain.  Ivan and Edwin pulled the flaps down on the safari truck so that we would not get so wet.  We slipped and slid through thick mud as we descended the mountain.  

 A few times, I thought we would have to get out and push when the pudding like mud engulfed the tires.  Fortunately, we did not as our two guides were skillful drivers in these conditions.

We returned to the Yacht Club by 4:00 in the afternoon.  We had a fabulous day.  Being with Ivan and his father Edwin who were able to explain so much and answer our questions was worth the price of approximately $70 per person for the tour.  We hope to see Ivan again someday when he brings his family to California.

All is Well on Worrall Wind