A lagoon on a human scale
We enter the Ahe lagoon through the Tiareroa pass. From there, we sail for nearly an hour to reach the village of Tenukupara.
The atoll is not very large and you can see all the motus that surround it thanks to the coconut trees that you can see from far. In the lagoon, there are large fields of buoys that belong to pearl farms and are used for oyster farming.
We anchored just in front of the village. The anchorage is very calm, we hear the sound of the ocean carried by the wind and the fishes wriggling around the boat.
Sweetness and joy of life in the village
In the early morning, we are awakened by the crowing of roosters from the land. The sun is barely up and locals are fishing all around the boat in their Va'a, the Polynesian pirogues. They don't have any big fishing equipment, only a nylon line with a few feathers on the troll!
At 7 am, we are already up since 2 am and ready to venture into the village. We disembark on the main pier.
There are only a few streets to discover, but it seems to have everything: a church, a school, a sports field, the town hall, an infirmaryâeuros¦
We buy fruits and vegetables at the inhabitant's, then pass to the two stores for the remainder of the provisioning. The village is colored and flowered, there is music in all the houses.
To the north, we can see where Bernard Moitessier had settled. Today, on the motu, two houses on stilts are used as guesthouses.
The warm and friendly welcome
As often in Polynesia, the population welcomes us with open arms. All along our walk, the inhabitants approached us, asked us questions, oriented us and advised us on what to see in Ahe. Since the departure of the navigator, the village has probably changed a lot, but the atmosphere is friendly and it seems to be a good place to live!
At the beginning of the afternoon, the schooner in charge of supplying the village docks along the quay. It unloads its goods in music and the place is the place of gathering of numerous inhabitants. Until late in the afternoon, the village will remain very animatedâeuros¦
It's hard not to understand why the navigator loved this atoll so much! From sunrise to sunset, Ahe will have seduced us by its authenticity.
