We set out on a grand voyage. Part 1

Aranui to Pitcairn, Part 1

“I, whose ambition leads me not only farther than any other man has been before me, but as far as I think it possible for man to go.” - Captain James Cook, 30 January 1774

In 2013, we sailed on the Aranui 3 on an amazing 2 week journey to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. The Aranui is a unique vessel, as it is not only a cargo ship, but a passenger ship as well, carrying over 200 passengers on its every three week voyage to the Marquesas. 

Since we were on the Aranui 3, a new ship was built and put into service about 3 years ago, the Aranui 5 (the Chinese owners skipped the number 4, as this is bad luck). But our trip wouldn’t be going back to the Marquesas, but to a new destination all together, Pitcairn Island. Many of you are familiar with the tale of the HMS Bounty, the mutiny on the ship and the eventual settling of this small island in the South Pacific by the mutineers. 229 years later, about 40 descendants of Fletcher Christian, Ned Young, Matthew Quintal and the other mutineers still live on this 3 mile wide island. The Pitcairn inhabitants want to establish a relationship with the Aranui, hopefully to deliver cargo in the future. This, the maiden voyage, was a test run, without cargo, to check out what might happen. 

In addition to Pitcairn, we were to visit three archipelagos in French Polynesia, the Tuomotus, the Gambiers and the Australs. 

But before this voyage, we were to spend a couple of days in Tahiti and four days in Huahine.  After the voyage, we had a couple of days in Mo'orea to hang out before our trip home.