Monthly Archives: July 2019

Top of Mount Duff

Hiking Mount Duff

Mount Duff is the highest peak on the island of Mangareva in the Gambier Islands, French Polynesia. It has an elevation of 441 meters.  It also called Auorotini in the Mangarevan language.  But most everyone calls it Mt. Duff, much easier to pronounce.

We had wanted to hike Mt. Duff for several weeks, but were unable to due to weather.  Either there was a dark cloud cover over the top of the mountain or we had rain.  We were told to 2 days after it rains as the trails become very slippery, muddy, and impassable.  In the image below you cannot even see the top of Mount Duff.

Mount Duff on a Cloudy Day

Mount Duff on a Cloudy Day

Below you can see the top of the two mountains on a bright and clear day.

Two tallest mountains in Mangareva

Two tallest mountains in Mangareva

Hikers:  Sugar Shack (Matt & Christine); Agape (Josh, Rachel, Wilky), Halcyon (Andrew), Argo (Simone and Torsten) and a random little, fluffy dog.

Welcome Sign to Start Hike at Mount Duff

Welcome Sign to Start Hike at Mount Duff

It was a pretty stiff hike, straight up, through mud, pine needles and over fallen trees and rocks.  Our group of 2 teens and barely 30-year olds seemed to skip up the hill while I struggled a bit.  Lucky for me, one or two of them would hang back and wait with me as I caught my breath.

HALF WAY STOP

At the half way pint, Simone and Torsten picked some fresh pomplemouse for everyone.

Pit stop at half way point for a snack

Pit stop at half way point for a snack

Along the way we had gorgeous views.

View Mid-Way from Mount Duff

View Mid-Way from Mount Duff

View 3/4 of the way to the top Mount Duff

View 3/4 of the way to the top Mount Duff

Being at the top of the highest peak on the island was breathtaking!  It was well worth the effort to hike up the 441 meters.

Of course, the last 100 meters of the path narrowed down to 1 meter in width with dramatic drops on both sides – little nerve racking.

Top of Mount Duff

Top of Mount Duff

Must admit that I had a difficult time up and down, but I made it.  It was a huge accomplishment for all of us, but I was particularly proud of myself.

3 of our friends decided to stay at the top for a bit longer to enjoy the view.  Since I knew it would take me a lot longer to get down the mountain, Matt and I left first, then Josh, Tortsten and Simone followed 5 minutes behind us.  The three that stayed were privy to a gorgeous rainbow

Rachel and her beautiful rainbow

Rachel and her beautiful rainbow

Almost 6 miles, 14,570 steps and 116 floors climbed.

Kirimiro Tunnel

KIRIMIRO: A Gentle 6.7-mile walk

It was time to move our legs, so we gathered the troops and picked a trail.  For the first hike, we decided to hike the Tunnel trail called Kirimiro which is in the center of the island and takes you across to the other side of Mangareva.  With us today: Agape: Josh, Rachel and Wilky and Halcyon: John and Becca.

Start of Kirimiro Hike

Start of Kirimiro Hike

As you can see, we had some outstanding views along the way.

View from Kirimiro Hike

View from Kirimiro Hike

Our anchorage was pretty crowded with almost 30 boats squeezing in between the reefs.  It is pretty amazing to see so many boats in this tiny anchorage.  The bottom photo is a pearl farm just off a large reef.

View from Kirimiro Hike

View from Kirimiro Hike

We found the little tunnel (or bridge) which was a bit anti-climactic.

Kirimiro Tunnel

Kirimiro Tunnel

The coolest part of this hike was searching for fresh fruit.  Pomplemouse is abundant here and can be found on the side of the road.  It is a cross between a grapefruit and an orange.  We procured several coconuts, and avocados as well.

Coconut Hunting

Coconut Hunting

Matt found a huge stalk of bananas that we will share amongst 3 boats.  The top photo has Matt carrying it over his shoulder but that grew tiresome quickly so we took turns having two people carry it at a time.  The lower left corner photo has Wilky on Josh’s shoulders with a machete attached to a long stick.  They were attempting to get one avocado.  We didn’t get it.

Banana Hunting

Banana Hunting

The boys sharing the load of our bounty.

Sharing the load

Sharing the load

Overall it was a great day.  We walked 6.7 miles, 17,117 steps and 83 floors.  A super day to be outside.

Cruising Friends in the Pacific

Cruising Friends Jack Pot

Living on a boat makes it pretty easy to meet new people.  Cruisers will swing by on their dinghy to say “welcome” or “hello.”  You meet boaters at the dinghy docks, local bars, restaurants, or where there is internet.  But most of the time, cruisers come and go which makes it difficult to make “connections” with cruisers that are actually cruising in the same direction as you.  Finding cruising friends that you connect with and that are heading in the same direction can be challenging.

ATLANTIC CRUISING FRIENDS

Matt and I were blessed to meet several cruising friend boats in the Atlantic.  We hung around with them through several countries, dives, excursions, hikes, and dinner parties.  We crossed through the Panama Canal and enjoyed Panama’s Pacific archipelagos.  But then, Matt and I turned left toward Costa Rica and many headed south toward Galapagos.  We were not too worried at the time as we only planned on visiting Costa Rica for a few weeks and then catching up with them in French Polynesia.

Although, that was not in the cards for us.  We were struck by lighting and delayed 6 months which changed our cruising schedule drastically. We decided to take the next 6 months to cruise to Galapagos, Chile, Robinson Crusoe, Easter Island, then French Polynesia.

With the new sailing plan, we did not have an opportunity to meet other cruising friends.  We met lots of other boats, but did not make the “connection.”  So, we traveled a lone, making new friends along the way, but none that were really traveling in our direction – until now!

PACIFIC CRUISING FRIENDS

Three other boats will be in French Polynesia for 6-12 months that we hope to enjoy many months of travel together.  Sailing Argo has the fabulous Diesel family (Jason, Lisa, Torsten and Simone).  Argo is a 48’ Leopard that has the most amazing interior space.  It can comfortably hold 20+ people in the cock pit and interior.  They were the only boat that could host 12 people around their table for dinner.  We hiked Mt. Duff and around Taravai with them, swapped lots of stories, fix it tips, recipes, and a few tall tales.

Sailing Argo Family

Sailing Argo Family

Voyages of Agape

Voyages of Agape with Josh, Rachel and crew Wilky. Rachel and Josh are experienced mountain climbers, divers and free divers.  Rachel is a marine biologist and Josh is a professional free diver.  Well, he never used the word “professional” but he can hold his breath over 5 minutes and dive way beyond my comprehension with nothing other than flippers.  Wilky, their crew member is from Chile (and is affectionately called “Chile boy”).  He is a professional pastry chef and is fluent in multiple languages including French.  He has the innate ability to make friends with everyone and everyone loves him. Each are truly amazing people and have incredibly enriched my life.  You can follow them on Instagram or Facebook at @voyagesofagape.  Agape’s crew photo taken on Sugar Shack at Baie Onemea with Rachel’s sister Rianna (far right).

Voyages of Agape

Voyages of Agape

Halcyon Wandering

John, Becca and crew Andrew are on Halcyon Wandering.  They are truly experienced sailors having traversed the arctic and all over the world.  They too are experienced mountain climbers and divers.  Becca is a very talented writer, yoga guru and runs a small accounting business on the side.  John is incredibly smart and witty and gave Matt a run for his money.  The two of them often played off one another and picked each other’s brains.  John is a spectacular spear fisherman and took Matt out several times to show him how to spear fish.  Super kind and generous people.  Can’t forget about Andrew their crew.  He is from Scotland and is a man on the move.  Hiking, walking, swimming, SUP’ing and working out.  He is very adventurous and kind.  You can follow Halcyon on Facebook and Instragram @halcyonwandering.

We are truly blessed to have met both Halcyon and Agape and look forward to many more adventures together.  Halycon’s crew photo taken on Sugar Shack at Baie Onemea.

Halcyon Wandering Crew

Halcyon Wandering Crew

Adventures with our Pacific Cruising Friends

Hanging out on Sugar Shack on a Sunday Funday.

Agape and Halcyon on Sugar Shack

Agape and Halcyon on Sugar Shack

The girls hanging out in Taravai during a Sunday BBQ.

Girls at Taravia

Girls at Taravia

We’ve had some great days!  We had a “Toes and Toddies” party where the girls did pedicures while consuming some tasty prosecco and wine.

Toes and Toddy Party

Toes and Toddy Party

A playday with Peggy Sue on Sugar Shack.  We managed to get all 4 girls on her back without falling in the water. However, all hell broke lose when John decided he wanted to join the girls.  Unfortunately, Peggy Sue was beheaded and will have to be retired.

Peggy Sue, Rest in Peace

Peggy Sue, Rest in Peace

We had a fabulous bonfire / cookout one night where we cooked fish we caught earlier in the day.

Bonfire Dinner Party

Bonfire Dinner Party

Cruising friends come and go as the nature of living on a boat.   But, when you have an opportunity to cruise with like-minded people for an extended period of time it really makes my heart sing.