Hello to you all once more.
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| Bastille Day, Nuku Hiva |
French Polynesia – A French overseas territory consisting of
about 130 tropical islands strewn over some four million square kilometres in
the South Eastern Pacific Ocean. It is made up of five main groups.
The Marquesas Islands are the most northerly sitting between
8deg.-11deg. south of the equator. They are high volcanically formed islands of
which there are twelve.
The Tuamotu Archipelago is made up of approximately 78
islands, all but two being coral atolls. The atolls are made up of coral reefs
and motu (small coral islands on which many have been planted with coconut
palms) surrounding beautiful lagoons. Many have one or two navigable passes
into these lagoons. They lie around 550 miles south east of the Marquesas and
extend almost 1,000 miles in a NW-SE direction.
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| Tuamotus |
The Gambier Islands are located at the south eastern end of
the Tuamotu Archipelago, and situated 1,700km east of Tahiti. This group of 5
high islands and 18 motu lie in a lagoon surrounded by a single coral reef. As
they are close to the Tropic of Capricorn-25deg. south of the equator, lush
vegetation and fruit trees thrive here.
The Society Islands lie approximately 250 miles west of the
Tuamotu Archipelago. This group is made up of twelve major islands and divided
into the Windward and Leeward Islands. The main islands of the Windwards are
Tahiti and Moorea. The main islands of the Leewards are Raiatea and Tahaa,
Bora-Bora, and Huahine. The Society group are a mixture of high volcanic
islands, and atolls. They extend over 400 miles.
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| Tuamotus |
Lastly, the Austral Islands. This group are spread along the
Tropic of Capricorn for over 800miles. There are 5 islands, some surrounded
with a reef and lagoon. Again their situation makes for fertile lands where
coffee, oranges and tropical fruits are grown.
As for our visit, we are given a three month visa on arrival
into French Polynesia. There is no way we can explore this vast area, so time
will tell just how much we can see.
