Craig and Amy in the South Seas: Voyage to Pitcairn and Beyond. Part 5, Mangareva, Gambier Archipelago

“Tahiti is certainly the paradise of the world and if happiness could result from situation and convenience, here it is to be found in the highest perfection. I have seen many parts of the world, but Tahiti is capable of being preferable to them all, and certainly is so considering it in its natural state.” - Lieutenant William Bligh, 1778

It was about 1000 kilometers from Amanu to our next destination, the island of Mangareva in the Gambier archipelago. So Day 4 was spent at sea, sailing south east at about 15 knots. What does one do during an entire day at sea? The Aranui had planned a couple of lectures, there was a movie to watch (the Marlon Brando version of Mutiny on the Bounty, 1963) and of course, three tasty meals. And there was just hanging out and reading. My book on this trip? The third volume of Nordoff and Hall’s brilliant trilogy about the Mutiny on the Bounty (1934), called Pitcairn’s Island. This is a novelized account of the violent history of the mutineers’ lives on Pitcairn. But more on that later.

Different then the Tuamotus, where the actual islands are long gone from erosion, there are still several islands left in this lagoon. The main one is Mangareva and its town is Rikitea, population about 1000. Pearl farming is the main business and the best black pearls come here. The island is supplied by two cargo ships and there is an airport with weekly service from Tahiti, 5 hours away.

Dawn on Day 5 found us coming into the giant lagoon of the Gambiers. It’s a shallow lagoon and the captain had to be careful on where he took the ship, eventually anchoring about a 10 minute barge ride from the town Rikitea. Once again, there were several musicians who greeted us with Tahitian drums, ukuleles and even a baking pan being used as a percussion instrument. You use what you got.

We were to have a dance and music performance in town, so Amy and I walked the opposite way, down the coast to check out the more rural feel to this island. Walking, we were hailed by Helmut, a German live-aboard sailor, who asked if we were headed to Pitcairn. When we said yes, he asked if we would deliver a letter to Randy Christian, a resident of Pitcairn. But of course we would!

It’s hard to write well how beautiful and familiar it felt to walk the road along the shore. The building style and large lots with spare boats and chairs and whatever scattered around among fresh flowering plants, with high volcanic cliffs behind, was like being in older parts of Hawaii. Yet we were thousands of miles from there.

As we walked back into town, we went past the small craft store selling, you guessed it, many black pearls. Our guide, Steven, who is from the Marquesas, was talking to a local lady. He later told me this was a cousin whom he hadn’t seen in years! You just never know who you are going to meet.

One of the tourist attractions here is a large Catholic cathedral ornamented in mother of Pearl that seats 1200 people. But — this building has a dark history, it was built by slave labor. The first missionary to come here was a “Mad Priest” who came from Chile in 1820 and forced the population to build this church and about 100 other stone towers and chapels and convents. Because so many islanders died from being overworked under his reign, about 40 years later the French authorities finally arrested him for murder and he ended his days in jail in Tahiti. Nevertheless, the mother of Pearl altar is quite beautiful and there are many Catholic statues draped in fresh flower leis which is not something you see every day!

Outside, the women of town had set up another amazing buffet of snacks, including banana crepes, coconuts cooked in various ways, fruit, breadfruit, and the fresh coconuts with fresh milk. Soon, the local young dancers regaled in ti-leaves and pandanus performed wonderful dances for us, all to the music of the local musicians and drummers. After the performance, when the kids were back in their street clothes, Amy struck up a conversation with some of them and we talked about their island and they asked us where we came from. Nice kids!

But we soon had to get back on the Aranui, as we had to get to our next destination by the following morning. This next island would be the reason many on the ship had come on this adventure, for it was Pitcairn Island we were now headed to, the notorious speck of rock in the vast South Pacific, land of the HMS Bounty mutineers, their Tahitian wives, and now the 8th and 9th generation of their descendants.

Arriving in the Gambiers at dawn...