Kauehi
Wayward Adventure
Sun 3 May 2009 20:26
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15:49.584s 145:07.140w
Anchored in the Atoll of Kauehi. Arrived
yesterday afternoon. Once inside the atoll it took about two hours to
cross it to the anchorage site. Traveling across an atoll can be a
dangerous affair with the waters littered with "boomies" as they are called
locally. Boomies are coral heads that rise up from the lagoon bottom and
can be easily seen with a lookout on the bow. I think the nickname
speaks for it self so we traveled slow and cautiously. The size of
the lagoon is impressive as you can barely see to the other side. This is
the first time I have ever seen truly turquoise water. All the sand is
white and the entire atoll is lined with picture perfect coconut
trees. It is like an Oasis in the desert here. There is a village
here that we went into yesterday and has probably 100 people living there.
The main form of income here is Black Pearl farming as the lagoon has
buoyed areas with oysters strung on a line. We plan on getting a tour of
one of the farms today by someone we met yesterday and can give more details on
the Pearls later. We both had our best sleep in months as the waters of
the lagoon are extremely tranquil as apposed to the rolly anchorages of the
Marquesas. We are going to relax and enjoy for 3 or 4 days then move over
to Fakarava, one atoll over. Fakarava is acclaimed for its scuba diving
and actually has a few hotels and an airstrip to bring in supplies and tourist
daily. That's all for now,
AP
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