This was another stop we made 5 years ago. It is a tender port. After exiting the pass we had crossed another reef to starboard the last time. This time we bore off slightly to port and dropped anchor. This is south of the pass. Our tender pier is on this side. The last time we were anchored north of the pass and we tendered to the north side. Oceania Marina occupies the other side.
CHANNEL INTO LAGOON -PACIFIC OCEAN IS AT TOP
Our recollection is that the north side was rather primitive with few structures near the pier. The roads were gravel until we reached the ocean. Here a paved road followed the spine of the atoll near the ocean. On the south side all of he roads are paved, and there are many buildings. We visited craft tables at the pier, and started our walk.
The post office came first. It was busy with tourists buying stamps. Across the street a small stand sold drinks and snacks. We passed a few homes and turned onto a street that paralleled the lagoon. Passing more homes, some very nice, some ramshackled, took us to the first church. It had an enclosed worship space and an open, but roofed, outdoor space. It was old, but well kept.
PROTESTANT CHURCH
CATHOLC CHURCH
We kept walking, and visited a small grocery store. The stock consisted mostly of canned and bottled staples. It reminded us of stores we had visited on some of the smaller Virgin Islands. Prices seemed reasonable.
We arrived at another more imposing church. It was the Catholic Church. It was fully enclosed with nicely carved woodwork.
More homes and gardens. Then we turned onto a road leading toward the lagoon. At the water's edge ahead of us a woman siting on a bench invited us to join her. This was Wilma. She explained that her mother was married to a German man. This is how she got her German name. We were on the sea side of a modest home. It had been her grandfather's, and stayed in the family. Wilma was very friendly. She insisted that I sit on the bench next to her. She talked about her family and her history. She explained that there were 1,300 inhabitants on this side of the channel. The other side has 1,000. Everyone is happy when the ships come in. This is their chance to earn some money, and today there are two ships. As we started to leave, she gave Alice a woven leaf. She explained that this was a Tahiti Twist. How gracious she was.
VIEW FROM WILMA'S HOUSE
We now went looking for the road that would take us across to the ocean side of the island. It turned out to be straight ahead of us, when we left Wilma's. As we started down the road we could barely see the breakers along the oean shore. About halfway there we found a cemetery that spanned the road. The graves were well kept and very interesting. We spent at least half an hour here. We could not determine the reason for it being on both sides of the road. It may have been denominational. It did not seem that one side was older than the other. Perhaps they just ran out of land. Finally, we reached the ocean. The shoreline was very rugged, and the waves came crashing in over the reef. The color of the water was a beautiful turquoise. The lagoon far down the coast showed even more colors.
RANGIROA CEMETERY
As we stood watching the waves Alice noticed a pinching on her leg. Looking down she found that we had collected a vast number of stickers from the weeds in the cemetery. Ever so carefully we removed them one by one from our slacks. We were glad we had worn slacks and not shorts.
We started to follow the road along the shore in the direction of the channel. We could hear the waves breaking ahead, but could not yet see the channel. Finally, there it was around the bend. The waves were crashing over the reef on either side of the channel. Again, the colors were beautiful. The road turned to follow the channel, taking us past some modest homes and a bed and breakfast with its own beach. The sand looked nice. Some kids were enjoying the water. Walking on led us to the tender pier and our ride home. Amsterdam truly has become our home.
We decided to attend the sailaway because of the narrow channel we must traverse. The festivities were not so special, but the passage was a lot of fun. The captain did the traditional blasting of the horn, and the people on shore waved frantically. All were smiling.
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