It only took us less than a day to get here from Tahiti. It already was a nice change of pace. I was more than ready to have left the big city of Papette. Where do I start, - well, we came, we saw, we biked. Actually, this was one of my favorite islands so far, better than Rangiroa or Moorea. This island was beautiful and had a surprisingly gargantuan super market! They also had a happy hour bar and some roulette food carts (Fish Burger, mmmmmm) that were great for snacking.
The floating Pearl Farm - so cool!
Paula, Mona, Bri and I set off early the next morning on new rental bikes. Paula immediately turned hers in for an older, but smaller model - one that fit her better. Then, we were off. This was a blast and a great way to see everything. We visited all the Marae’s (archeological, ceremonial sites) along the water’s edge, took in some pristine beach views, went for a swim, visited an art gallery (just missing the artist or curator), broke for a hike, and took a free boat shuttle out to a pearl farm. Lastly, we feed the massive river eels and climbed a huge hill. Mona’s bike peddle fell off just a couple kilometers from the finish of our loop ride. Guess they forgot a screw in that new bike!
Off the bike & on a hike
Brian & Mona 
The beautiful gallery
What a poser!
Off to the super market we ran for a much deserved ice cream and who did we run into? Jim and Brendan off s/v Escapade. We had run into them in Tahiti even though we were in different anchorages. The sailing community is a very small world. The morning we were to set sail so was a traditional Polynesian boat, complete with a live pig on board. There was a festival honoring their voyage that the gang went to, but I stayed behind to have a little alone time - ahhh. We would see this boat again and again at different islands.
View all photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katnbrian/sets/72157624876841093/
