travelblog

About Anaa

<< Google Earth image of Anaa

Most of the islands of the Tuamotu archipelago are atolls, and usually an atoll can be characterized by a barrier reef with motu (small islets made of coral sediment) laid in strings along its inside margin and a large lagoon in the center with one or more passes that bring in water from the open ocean. Anaa is like this but is has been uplifted slightly by tectonic forces so that the motu all have a raised base of ancient fossilized reef (called feo locally). This means that the motu are larger and the lagoon is much more shallow than a normal atoll. There is no pass through the reef so that there is very little circulation in the lagoon, and it is full of fine sediment that give it a spectacular blue-green color.

<< Google Earth image of Tukuhora Village, Anaa

The color of the lagoon is so brilliant in fact that you can see the reflection of it on the clouds for kilometers away on the open ocean. The people of Anaa are known as the Parata (Paumotu word for gray shark) and in ancient times they were fierce warriors that controlled most of the islands in their vicinity. In modern times Anaa was a center of copra (dried coconut meat) production with 10,000 people living there at the turn of the century in five thriving villages. However in 1904 a massive cyclone hit the island that devastated four of the villages and began the movement of people to Tahiti. In 1984 another cyclone hit the island that destroyed the remaining village, and it had to be rebuilt at a more secure site.

<< Feo along the north shore of Anaa

Today there are only 400 people living there, but a fascinating history lies in the deserted villages, all of which still have existing churches and other municipal buildings, along with graveyards, and old cays. Our visit to Anaa was the first time that they had hosted a large group of tourists and they hope to use this event as a way to start up tourism business. One sector of tourism that Anaa is well situated for is sportfishing. The shallow lagoon is perfect habitat for bonefish and there are many large flats where fishermen can access them. Tahiti Expeditions has already sent fishermen there and we hope to work with the people of Anaa to develop this in the future.

Eclipse Trip: Part 2

<< Eclipse watchers on the dock

The motions of the solar system had scheduled the eclipse to begin at 0714 island time, so we had told everyone that breakfast would be served at 0600. The first thing I did out of bed was buzz down the stairs and check the eastern sky. The day before we had had a lot of cloud cover but to my delight this morning it was at about 40% - the eclipse was on. I then headed for the restaurant, got there at 0615, and everyone was already there – the eclipse watchers were on too. As soon as breakfast was done there was a group migration to the cay, which we had chosen a year before as a great site to watch the spectacle. The cay is where all of the island goods arrive by freighter, and the view east is along the shore. In the foreground there are boulders of coral the size of a small houses that were torn up and rolled up by a cyclone in 1984. This morning the swell rolling in around them was gentle and it was hard to imagine the power it took to create this landscape.

<< Excitement grows as totality approaches, TOTALLY!

As we arrived, tripods began sprouting up along the cay, with some very fancy cameras and lenses attached to them, and chairs were being dropped of by the truckload. The mayors were there as was the priest, who said that he would do his best to keep us cloud free. And then right on schedule the eclipse started, and everyone went for they’re funny-looking glasses, and the wonderment began. Eclipses are slow motion spectacles, and everyone settled into looking up now and then, trying futilely to get nice pictures through the lenses of the funny-looking glasses, worrying about incoming clouds, and just generally hanging out.

<< TOTALITY!!...

Besides our group we probably had about 50 more locals join us on the cay, and old women were sitting together chatting, families perched on boulders, and kids cruising around trying to figure out what we were all up to. When clouds did cover the sun we all watched down wind to try to see when the next gap was coming. The cloud cover had increased from the morning to about 60% now, so there was a bit of drama added to our vigil. As we approached totality the excitement was rising among the group. This was added to by cloud after cloud that teased us by wafting tendrils up to block our view. Finally, at the crucial moment, with the sun about 98% covered by the moon, there was a big gap in the clouds.

<< The dock at totality...
 
I said that eclipses are slow motion spectacles, and for the vast majority of the show that is true, but that doesn’t hold for totality. When it came a cheer went up and I (one of the rookies) was there saying, “is this it, is this it??” Then I saw that all the experienced eclipse watchers had their glasses off.  This was it.  This is what we had all come from all over the place to this tiny remote island to see. This is what we had been welcomed so graciously by the community to see. This is what we had planned for over a year to see, and Bob Nansen had the presence of mind to remind me of this as I stared awestruck at the black face of the moon with the solar corona flaring out behind it.

<< A diamond ring through the clouds...

It was dark, there were stars and planets shining around us, yet out over the horizon, beyond the shadow of totality you could see sunlight on the clouds. I took pictures in various directions, walked down the dock for other angles, and then watched as clouds slowly began to mist over our view. A collective groan went up from everyone there as the mist wafted and waned, and then… bang, totality ended with an incredible “diamond ring” where the first rays of the sun that creep around the moon refract into a brilliant jewel of light on the edge of a fine crescent. The groans of the group also refracted quickly into gasps and cheers, and shutters clicked, and glasses were poised to go back on, and twilight was lifting, and then the clouds came and the curtain dropped.

<< Group photo as the eclipse wanes...

The second half of an eclipse is obviously redundant and for most, except scientists and hardcore photographers, not worth worrying about. So it wasn’t all that big of a deal that most of it was covered by clouds. Our group dispersed so that some went off for a swim, some went back to our home base, and some stayed on the cay for the whole show. I stuck around and then went back in the truck with a load of chairs and was dropped off at Bernice’s house to watch the second half of the World Cup final match between Spain and Holland. The plan was, for anyone who wanted to go to church at 1100, and as I sat down I found that the other person watching the game was the priest. It was about 0945 and still 0-0. He had to leave before there was any scoring but I saw the one goal before I had to go.

Lunchtime that day was a great Paumotu feast with fish raw and cooked, taro, coconut bread (ipo), taro leaves and chicken (fafa), Tahitian poe, and pork cooked with cabbage. Everyone ate their fill and music was played and then it was time to say goodbye. Our farewell included a song that the group had made up and practiced so that we could show our hosts that Americans really could sing. It went over very well and, by the end of all of the speeches and thank yous, a few tears had been shed and many pledges had been made of visits and welcomes to come. Over all this was an amazing visit to a very special island that rarely gets tourists. The mayors and the NGO Ganatoa did an incredible job of taking care of us and the islanders at large couldn’t have been more hospitable. We left hoping that this experience had been as good for them as it had been for all of us.

Eclipse Trip: Part 1

Tahiti Expeditions, working with Betchart Expeditions, hosted a group from the Planetary Society that came to see the total solar eclipse that occurred on Sunday July 11th. There were only four easily accessible Tumaotu islands that would experience the total eclipse and we chose Anaa since it is the most interesting of the four. Here is Part 1 of my description of this trip.

<< Bob Nansen addresses our hosts at our welcome

After five days of tours and great adventures on Tahiti and Moorea our group of 50 guests, Bob Nansen from Betchart Expeditions, Jim Bell from Cornell University and the Planetary Society, Hinano, myself, and our two children Kohina and Temakehu caught our charter flight to Anaa arriving at about noon on Friday. 

There were about 40 people there to greet us including the Mayor of the Commune of Faaite and Anaa, Gerard Teiri, and the deputy mayor of Anaa, Bernice Utia, who had done much of the arrangements for our group. A local non-profit cultural group called Ganatoa was there to do a traditional welcome complete with speeches (translated by Hinano) and dances. After the welcome we walked to the village and went straight to the restaurant for lunch. Bernice and Ganatoa had transformed a section of the grounds of the mayor’s building into a classic local-style restaurant and bar with a stage for performances and small shops on the perimeter that were selling beautiful Paumotu handicrafts. 

For this lunch, and all future meals, we were serenaded by the well-known singer Mareva, who had grown up on Anaa, spent her career touring the world singing Tahitian music, and had been asked to come back to Anaa by Ganatoa to lead the music and dance performances. This was truly an exceptional treat. 

That afternoon we toured the village and snorkeled at the cay, and before dinner that night Jim gave a talk on solar eclipses. For Jim’s talk we invited people of the community to come and Hinano translated for them. This was greatly appreciated and many of the locals commented later that it was great to learn about the eclipse.

<< The BLUE of Anaa's lagoon as we approach the motu

On Saturday after breakfast we set out on a full-day expedition across the lagoon to visit old abandoned villages and explore the motu. Getting together enough boats to haul 60+ people on a small island like this is not a simple thing and the flotilla that set off from the beach was made up of fishing boats, aluminum skiffs, local-style plywood boats, and one 30 ft local-made speed boat owned by the mayor’s brother. The trip across Anaa’s spectacular blue lagoon is amazing no matter what kind of boat you are in, and at the other end of it we landed on a motu with an old village to explore, called Putuahara. 

Hinano and a local guide Christian, led us through the village to see the old graveyard, the taro pits, the old church, and eventually to a monument that was built to commemorate a gendarme that was killed protecting priests in a violent episode in Anaa’s history. This episode led to the Mormons leaving Anaa and the Catholics having a monopoly here.

 

  

  

Above, Hinano talks about ancient village life at Putuohara Village, then lunch is served. 

From here we went to the south end of the island to a beautiful motu with a long sandy beach for lunch where we were served a traditional meal of ipo (coconut bread) and barbequed lagoon fish, served on plates made from woven palm fronds.

After lunch and a swim it was back across the lagoon to our home base. That evening after dinner we were treated to a dance show featuring Mareva conducting the music and local dancers from the village. It was really amazing that all of this was put on for our group and of course many people from our group got into the show as well, brought up on stage to try their hips at Tahitian dance.

Tides in Tahiti

This morning the moon was a beautiful crescent low in the morning sky. It is moving towards a rendezvous with the sun on Sunday morning where they will line up to present Tahiti and her islands with a rare treat - a solar eclipse. Tahiti Expeditions is working with Betchart Expeditions hosting a group of eclipse enthusiasts from the Planetary Society, including astronomer Jim Bell. On Friday we will be heading out to a remote island in the Tuamotu Archipelago called Anaa, which is one of only four islands here that will get to see the total eclipse. Tahiti and all the other islands will see about 98% totality though, which is still a spectacular sight. 

But there is another phenomenon created by the interaction of the sun and the moon that we experience all the time - although here it is tweaked a bit. Many visitors to Tahiti and her islands have noticed that the tides here have a pretty minimal range. In fact the total range from the highest highs to the lowest lows is about 70 centimeters, or a little over 2 feet. An obvious response to this that visitors also notice is that people build their houses very close to the water. Interestingly, this is not the only thing that is distinct about the tides here, they are also regular every day – highs at about 12 noon and midnight, and lows at 6am and 6pm. So what is going on? 

The tides on earth are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun. Since the moon is a lot closer it exerts a stronger pull on the tides than the sun. Our “day” is 24 hours because that is how long it takes for the earth to do a complete rotation on its axis in relation to the sun. To do the same thing with the moon takes 24 hours 50 minutes and 28 seconds. So the time of the tides following the pull of the moon advances by about 50 minutes every day, and this is the way it is over most of the earth. 

Near Tahiti though the lunar tide is cancelled because of an interesting phenomena called an amphidrome, or amphidromic point. As the lunar tidal swell passes around the earth and through the ocean basins, it gets broken up into lots of smaller swells, bouncing off continents and islands along the way, and it also gets affected by the Coriolis Force which bends it north and south. The ultimate effect is that there are places where a crest of the lunar swell meets a trough of the lunar swell, and cancels the tide out completely and these are the amphidromes. So with a lunar amphidrome located here we just have a solar tide, which is weaker, thus lower in amplitude, and locked into our normal 24 hour solar day. As you move away from Tahiti, into the Tuamotu Archipelago for instance or to the Marquesas, you get away from this amphidrome and the lunar tides begin to play a stronger role in the tidal cycle. 

Click these links if you would like to read more about tides or amphidromic points.

TE Book List - "The Song of the Dodo" by David Quammen

With the TE Book List section of this blog, my plan is to choose books off my shelf that I think are
particularly good reading about the South Pacific, or topics related to it, and tell you a bit about them. Some will be new, most will have been out for a while, and some will be old, but all of them can be found pretty easily on the net these days.

I went around and around about what the first book I present should be, but in the end I chose this one because besides being about islands it is one of my all-time favorite books. Quammen is always good, and here he mixes travel, science, history, and great story telling, to explain why islands are important to science, and how islands played a role in our understanding of evolution. There is almost nothing of the South Pacific in this book since most of the action takes place in the islands of South East Asia as Quammen follows the historical travels and research of the founding father of Biogeography, Alfred Russell Wallace. But everything relates to the South Pacific where island research is still going on today notably in Fiji and on Moorea where scientists at two top-notch research stations follow in the footsteps of Wallace and Darwin. The Song of the Dodo is an adventure into island science, and with Quammen as a guide it is an amazing journey.