Holiday Cruise VII

Greetings from the Disappearing Island of Nuka Hiva,

Yesterday at 11:52AM we crossed the equator at latitude 0°0.0’.  Here is a photo I took at the precise moment we cruised over.  If you look really closely you can see the yellow line that marks that important geographic location on the ocean.

Just kidding about the yellow line, but I made ya look.

How did Nuka Hiva “disappear”?  Well, we expected to wake up yesterday looking over our balcony at towering mountains, pine forests, dry plains and high waterfalls.  Instead….more Pacific Ocean.  Seems the high seas and strong headwinds prevented us from making the port in Nuka Hiva at 7:00am, as planned, and it was going to be 5:00PM.  So our Capitan cancelled our visit to Nuka Hiva and we spent another day at sea, cruising directly to Fakarava.  We arrive there tomorrow morning just as the sun rises at 5:00AM.

Fakarava is the largest atoll in a chain of atolls just east of the Society Islands where our ultimate destination will be Papeete, Tahiti.  An atoll is formed from the deteriorated rim of a volcano.  Wind, rain, and ocean water erodes large portions of the rim down below the surface of the ocean. The resulting lagoon and coral and land area covers 652 square kilometers.   Coral grows and flourishes, providing a sanctuary for every tropical fish and sea creature you can imagine. 

Fakarava is a rectangular-shaped atoll and has two entry points that are large enough and deep enough for our ship to enter the huge lagoon which is formed by the crater of the volcano.  We will enter through the Garuae Pass and anchor by the only village on the atoll, Rotoava.  This has a total population of about 600 people.  We will tender to a small dock and Vicki and I will go snorkeling with some of our new friends in some of the most gorgeously clear water on the planet.  Hope to have some good photos for you next post.

Next stop, Boro Boro!  God bless,

Jud and Vicki