Another sunny day in French Polynesia commenced as National Geographic Orion navigated through the North Pass of Fakarava into the town of Rotoava. After a morning ashore that included cycling, sightseeing, and shopping, we repositioned to the island of Toau for an afternoon of water activities.
4/18/2019
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National Geographic Orion
Rangiroa, French Polynesia
Our last day of our expedition took us to Rangiroa, the largest atoll in French Polynesia. Its name can be translated as “Big Sky,” and the name suits this place, as the vast lagoon of this atoll is so sprawling that you can’t see the other end. Guests enjoyed the day visiting a pearl farm. Black pearls are one of the main industries on French Polynesia, and at the farm, we could see how they use surgical precision to insert the mother of pearl bead in the black lipped oysters to produce these pearls. This island has become a center for the pearl farming industry in French Polynesia, as it is the only one with a school dedicated to the teaching of this trade and the research of the species on which it depends. We also enjoyed the lagoon’s gorgeous waters, where we set our snorkeling platform and enjoyed big numbers of fish in a coral garden. Enjoying the pristine conditions of this lagoon, our guests snorkeled among hundreds of snappers, big moray eels, and sharks. A high point of local color, it was a perfect ending to an incredible expedition in French Polynesia.
