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
Love reading your blog. Keep them coming. 💕
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