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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Mar 21, 2015 08:00 PM 8 hours on the pier and... nothing!
First surprise was in the morning: ship arrived but due to the stormy weather it is sailing around the island looking for the best place to anchor... Wow! So it cannot dock in the little port of Moerai. -No, Moerai port is too small to accommodate the only ship who serves Austral Island. It was big enough to dock the old ship years ago, but they buit a new one- bigger!
My host Variamu took me to the Moerai pier at 10 am, ship was drifting out of the port and they just sent first barge with a container to the pier. But no crane on the pier to unload the barge!!!. The crane is broken, it will be repaired... I was waiting. Crane arrived at 2.20 pm - thanks God!
They started unloading. Next barges with goods arrived from the ship one by one. But day was to short to finish unloading and depart.
I am back in my pension in Rurutu after 8-hours waiting on the pier. Expected departure: tomorrow afternoon - if they will work (tomorrow is Sunday)
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Mar 20, 2015 08:00 PM Ship on the horizon!
The number of visitors on beautiful Rurutu is limited also by accommodation: no hotels, Rurutu lodge is closed. So you have a choice of 4 b&b, 4-6 rooms each. My "Teaumatea" offers the best level but is located far from the shops - you have to hitchhike to Moerai if you want to buy food. They offer free wi-fi internet - that's why I can send messages from such a remote place.
Peak of the tourist season is in Aug-Sep, when hunpback whales arrive here to give birth to their babies. (I saw them in Ogasawara Is. - do you remember?).
I visited city hall in the "capital" of the island asking if I can have a picture with a flag of Rurutu. -Why you want it?- monsieur secretaire general was very courious. They did not know that the flag of their island is very similar to the flag of my country - they checked it in the internet and then allowed me to take the flag down from the pole :)
Ahoy! They say that the little freighter is already on its way to Rurutu.
I hope that tomorrow I will sail away from this lovely island. Domage!
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Mar 19, 2015 08:00 PM South end of the island
Most of the Rurutu people live in the northern part of the island. There are main four villages, intitutions, churches. South remains empty, wild and beautiful... I started a day from climbing the ring road from Avera to Narui. Up and up, No pavement on the upper part, but what a views. On the pass they have coffee plantations. Along the completly empty road there are banana, lemon, guyava trees. After a pass there were steep descent to the roaring ocean.
He was so surprised that I walk the road that he left all tools on the roadside and took me to his house. Bananas, papaya, coconut appeared soon on the table. Smiling he was repeating: manger, manger!
An this was my lunch... Maururu! I took a picture of the grave of his ancestors - here they are buried near the house.
Then I was continuing further south to the nice and empty beaches of Toataratara. Imagine white, coral sand and all beach for youself!
But this was onlu half of the route. South of Rurutu is very hilly - not for bikers. I started to climb gravel road again to single houses of Pupuhi, Paparai to reach Auti at 3 p.m. - the full circle of the island was done!
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Mar 18, 2015 08:00 PM Climbing Mt Manureva on Rurutu
The highest point of Rurutu Island - Manureva rises to 385 m above sea. It is easy to get to the trailhead on the little pass on Moerai to Avera road. Then I took a little road through the forest -it was easy walk in the shade. The hardest part started at the bottom of the grassy summit - narrow and very steep path is overgrown an could be difficult to pass after rain when wet due to the mud. But is was dry today so after another 20 minutes I was already on the top. The summit is covered by bush, so to have panoramic view you have to get to the roof of the little antenna house buit there. And... I must tell you that the view of Avera Bay from Manureva is one of the best I saw during this voyage! The rest of panorama - hills covered by dense forest are also nice. Back down on the pass I took a ridge road through Pito to Domaine Atai.
No shade on this trail, so it could be a challenge. Then steep descent by 4x4 road to Auti, where I was already yesterday. The lady from the first house in the valley offered me 4 big bananas (not for money, but for 4 kisses - good price -don't youthink?) Powered-up I was able to continue walk to the Tiana Taupee cave near the beautifull beach. Locals helped me to find the way to the entrance - normally guidetake you there for 2000 francs. The grotto is some 50 meters deep with two nice pillars in the interior. Tiring but very interesting day!
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Mar 17, 2015 08:00 PM Around Rurutu Island
The ocean is thumbling all the night on the barrier reef just nearby, but I sleep well to this monotonous music. Sun is rising around 6 on the other side of the island so we eat our continental (included) breakfast in the shade, enjoying the silence of the tropical morning. Then I take my camera bag, the bottle of water and I start my walk around the island. Our host offer free bikes but only the north of Rurutu has flat roads and in general I like to walk: to stop wherever I want, to go to the local's houses and do not care about the bike... So I walk, greeting the people: ia orana! I turn to the cliff to visit "grotte Mitterand" (French president once was here). This hugo open cave in the cliff with many stalactites and solid stalagmites is worth a visit. Then I walk onward to Moerai - the sleepy island's capital. The pickup overtakes me and stops ahead: ia orana! Do you want a lift? People are lovely here... In the "city" there are three (!) Chineese shops and little market near the tiny port. They sell bananas for bunches not for pieces, but it comes to 10 francs for banana, 25 for huge papelmouse... South of the port they have medical center and school and thenthere is picturesque cliff with grottos on the upper level. I walked the ring road as far as village Auti with nice protestant church. Then started to climb the ridge to the other side of the island passing banana and taro gardens. Sweaty, 4x4 only road! No traffic at all. Village Avera on the other side of the ridge is very picturesque with nice sandy beach and jetty. Ladies in the bar refilled my water bottle (Rurutu's tape water is safe to drink!) And I started to climb the cliff road going north to Vitaria. Hardcore climb, bot the view of the Avera Bay from the cliff view point was great!
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Mar 16, 2015 08:00 PM Rurutu - island without lagoon
No ship Tubuai to Rurutu during next two weeks. One flight per week - I was lucky to get a seat. We were already seating in the turbo-prop of Air Tahiti when captain announced that the fire brigade car on Rurutu airstrip has technical problem. And our flight will probably go directly to Papeete. Wow! We turned back from runway to parking - so if anybody wants to stay in Tubuai...
Fortunately after 20 min captain got next, good message: they managed to repair the car so we can fly. After 40 min in the air I saw new island: Rurutu. Hilly, green, but practicaly with no lagoon - barrier reef is here just 20-30 m from the coast. But Rurutu has high, picturesque cliffs instead and interesting caves. .
They took me to cozy Pension Teautamatea (try to remember this name!) on the western coast. Run by friendly Welsh-Polynesian couple is located in the garden under coconut palms just 30 m from the coast. No mosquitoes! (almost). They charge 7600 CFP ber bed with two meals if you stay longer then 3 nights. Lovely, sunny weather. Another paradise discovered!
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Mar 15, 2015 08:00 PM Climbing Mt Panee
Tubuai Island has two nice peaks to climb. The trailhead is on route traverse - the road tranversing island, Morning was clear so I started early - sorry, no signs on the trail so you just follow the path through the fields and later - through the forest. It became steep and overgrown by bush and high grass. After yesterday's rain the vegetation was wet so you can imagine that soon I was wet too. I am sure that since weeks or maybe months nobody went there... But it is worth! Before you will reach the summit (392 m) there are few nice viewpoints which give you aerial views of the northern and southern coast of the island with turquoise lagoon.Just see enclosed picture. It took me 1,5 hour to get there.
Ofergrown path goes from the top of Mt Panee along the ridge to Mt Taita, which is more rocky and 25 m higher. Sorry, I was too wet to continue there... Back on the road I met local people working near their house. Ia orana! They asked me where I am coming from. - From this mountain!- I pointed the distant summit. They looked at me appreciatively. An old man brought for me from the house a can of cold Hinano beer. Very special appreciacion... Maururu! Thank you!
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Mar 14, 2015 08:00 PM Walking around the island
Sunny morning, but humidity is so high that it takes twodays to dry my laundry. I decided to walk around the eastern part of the Tubuai Island. Just after T-junction in Mataura you will find few fruit & vege- stalls, and also a kind of fast food institution, where most of the dishes cost 1000 francs (10 $). Walking east in Taihuaia I passed the nice college - the only one on the island and few churches. On the coast around 15 people were cleaning the fresh fish. On the eastern side there are nicest motus visible along the barrier reef. On the southern part of the island I turned inland to the ancient marae - place of cult. It is not easy to find because of the lack of a good map and nobody is interested to put any markers showing the direction - you have to ask people, They are very friendly - it is good occasion to see how they live in their sprayed-out houses surrounded by avocado and lemon trees. In fact the low part of the island looks like one great garden. Local boys offered me a coconut drink - directly from the palm groving on the roadside. Then I found an old llace of cult. Stone platforms of marae are surrounded by lush jungle. Do not expect any explanation. I returned to the coast to walk again along narrow, sandy beaches before taking the traverse road back to Wipa Lodge. Mosquitoes are main plague of this island. Tkanks God they have good mosquito nets installed over the beds in Wipa!
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Mar 13, 2015 08:00 PM Bloody Bay on Tubuai
One more "Bounty"-related place
I was lucky to visit in the past Pitcairn, then Timor- where cpt. Bligh landed after mutiny, and also Norfolk Is - where descendents of mutineers were resettled... Few people remember that after mutiny guys from "Bounty" initially wanted to live on Tubuai Island. In May 1789 they landed is the bay in the north of the island. 15 local wariors were killed during the fight. Since then the Bay is called Bloody Bay. I was there today. No monuments or signs there, but nice, sandy beach and a mini-pier built just opposite the passage through the barrier reef. "Bounty" after the fight in Bloody Bay sailed away, but returned to Tubuai to land again on the eastern coast of the island. Mutineers did not feel safe they built there little fort - Fort George and lived there till September 1789 when they sailed out to Pitcairn... Nothing remained of the fort - just the site. In the eastern part of the island there are three picturesque peaks called Sleeping Man. I was climbing the pass below them - the path is still passable and took me to to the main road traversing the island - it was lovely walking the complete emptiness. Large pine trees are the main attraction of the landscape. Probably I am again the only tourist on the island :)
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Mar 12, 2015 08:00 PM Madame la Ministre, monsieur le President...
Madame la Ministre, monsieur le President...
Only 2000 people live on Tubuai. The ring road going along the coast is only 24 km long - you can drive around all island in half an hour... So I thought that it is a joke when they told me that minister from Paris is coming to visit little and remote Tubuai. But this become true. Locals built a gate of flower near the "town hall", local ladies prepared the feast of traditional food and there was full mobilization of army forces (12+1 soldiers inclusive 2 ladies). During the ceremony I liked most lovely school children with garlands on their heads. Guests arrived by plane. There were songs and ukulele music for welcome and Madame got as many flower garlands as she was able to carry. She was accompanied by Mr President of French Polynesie. Kids were singing funny anthem of Fr Polynesie and then anthem of France (sorry, no military band!). Then there were speaches and Madame la Ministre Outre-Mer promised to improve the level of life on the island. Then she got as a gift new chapeau made of pandanus (island's speciality). And then we were eating all this tasty food (me too - as the only non-French correspondent on Tubuai) Oh, mniam, mniam! :)
Madame, monsieur, commanders, journalists and all their court departed 2 hours after the welcome ceremony. Lucky me, what a colorful event! Well... Regarding the islanders I saw them there (excluding school kids) maybe only 100 of 2000. What do you think?
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