Rangiroa Again

Rangiroa is the largest atoll in French Polynesia and one of the largest in the world: It's over 100 miles in circumfernence. Can you even imagine the size of the volcano around which it was created? When one is in the middle, you can't see land.

We loved Rangiroa when we visited it on our way west two years ago. We had dreamed of returning but thought that it would be too much upwind slogging, but we stumbled on the wind window that allowed us to go East to Fakarava and we were able to sail Northeast to reach Rangiroa. The island didn't disappoint our memories and was as lovely as we remembered it. Our old favorite, Chez Lili, was still presenet, but we were unable to enjoy a meal there since the proprietoress was in Tahiti.

Again, the mayor's office is the enter of municipal life and this is an especially grand building on Rangiroa.

An odd photo, to be sure, but it's Venus and Jupiter at the nearest points (as seen from Earth) for the next 20,000 years. Taken from Wings' deck.

Well, this is why we love Rangiroa. We needed to land with the dinghy and found this deserted sea wall.

Conni-the-baglady hauls our garbage along a Avatoru road.

No doubt that it's French! Baguettes and other luscious breads are stacked for customers, even on this island.

Hot enough to melt candy, all chocolate is stored in refrigerators. We saw this strategy on every island.

Conni opens a cold Orangina, our favorite, as we leave the local market.

No video games for these kids, they play, unsupervised, in the local marina's warm, clear water.

Near the dinghy I caught this ray sliding along the bottom in the gin-clear water.

Wings is all alone at anchor in Avatoru.

The end of a dream, this old ketch sits forlornly awaiting her owners to make a decision. It's always a sad thing for us to see.

Conni and I were paddling along through some shallows when we realized that the we were floating over a beautiful seascape below us. Conni caught this Manta as it flapped past below us. I think that it's an extradinary photo and have provided a larger image of it here.

Wings moored near Tiputa Pass in shallow water. The little town is just in front of us.

Conni and I walk along Tiputa Pass itself, scene of two near-fatal passages. Even in this tiny photo, one can see the turbulance that makes the pass treacherous unless one's vessel is very fast and powerful. When a 100-mile-in-circumference basin is emptying of water through only two passes, there is a turbulance for quite a while.

Among the handful of world-reknown resturants and "road houses" in the South Pacific is Josephine's. Do check her site: http://www.relais-josephine-rangiroa.com/en/. We had sworn to enjoy dinner there since our fiasco of entering Tiputa Pass two years before had taken place in front of the dining public at Josephine's, literally. Conni had also researched the sights of Rangiroa and had already made reservations for us. This is her little bar and one can peer into the kitchen. The meal was fantastic: creative and delicious. It's prix fixe, of course, and Madame Josephine uses only the best local ingredients.

Bill, Madame Josephine, Conni, and the server/chef together after dinner.

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