The Tuamotus - Makemo, Fakarava & Rangiroa before heading to the Society Islands of Tahiti, Moorea & Bora Bora

Having read so many books on the area like Landfalls of Paradise by Earl Hinz & Jim Howard and heard so much from past participants about how heavenly this place really is; I was expecting a lot and could not wait to see it all for myself!! I had never seen atolls before as I have never been to the Maldives, for example, but have always enjoyed to imagine what it might feel like to actually be present in a landscape I have dreamt of so often. One thing that definitely stood out to me was how desolate but electric turquoise this place really is. Would it just remain a haze of perfection in all its idealism or would it be a place where I could reflect and feel a part of through my daily experiences?!

​Two and a half days too long and a huge Mahi Mahi and Tuna later, we arrived in Makemo, early morning on Tuesday 9th April, to a sparkling bright and crispy anchorage south of the atoll; with only a few houses, a school, a church and lighthouse. 

Upon arrival, the first thing to do was to go in search of Beco, a local fisherman who had supplied Ron our friend on board with black pearls from the area that he had sculpted on with Tiki symbols. Marc and I had not realised what an important part this had actually been to Ron's trip the year before, having brought home these sculpted pearls for all the ladies in his family. Since there had been another couple of additions and knowing how fair Ron plays; it was definitely a must for every female to have a little piece of something that Ron had so loved about his trip to the Pacific! 

After trying to locate Beco for a couple of days we unfortunately had to give up. We had learnt from his family he had gone out fishing for long days and then had to travel to see family in Papeete for personal matters. We had also summed up he might not be sculpting the pearls anymore as prolifically as he had done previously. So instead we tried to provision and see what the place had to offer but now we had entered the part of French Polynesia where very little happens. Almost nothing to visit, nowhere to eat out and really time to chill out, have a few walks and make a few sketches. 

I had actually never really seen such beautiful clear turquoise water before and we were anchored right in the middle of it for two days. When we arrived we had our fellow rally mate Nusquama on the beautiful 59m Perini Navi SY Sea Hawk with it's flash red lines. Other than that Makemo did not seem to be the busiest, with very few visits to the south side at least. 

Having been one of a very few of the rally participants to visit Makemo as part of our free cruising time, it felt like the right time to update Jenevora (Nev) from the rally control about our atoll experience culminating in my vibrant Japanese brush and ink wash. This culminated in a wonderful first article by the World ARC Rally.

Next to Fakarava South & North 

The fun part about this World ARC rally in my opinion is the connections one makes with others on the rally and some are very good at organising small gatherings of 5 or more boats arriving in a place at once. This time was quite unique as we entered with blue skies and only half an hour later we found ourselves all running away from the beach for shelter from the huge downpour. Unfortunately this weather stayed with us for several days leaving no other choice but to hibernate inside the boat until it was suitable to pop our heads outside. What had happened to the world for so many days??!! 

Now it was time to go snorkelling on one of the best snorkels I have ever experienced with so many fish, coral and sharks. This drift snorkel was the moment I got over my fear of sharks. Having been brought up in the era of "Jaws" the sequel, I have always had a weird fear for sharks although these were much smaller and more friendly than what one anticipates from sharks. When in a school of 5-7 of them they can be quite over bearing but Ron onboard reassured me they won't even bother about me and if they are smaller than me there's not really that much hope of enjoying a whole meal out of  me.
​Based on that I guess so! :)))

In those few days in South Fakarava there was very little to do except for swimming activities and had started to really miss my figure drawing. Ron was the perfect person for this next figure drawing as he was often able to sit in a position for a while. He was also very excited about the idea of having a portrait made of himself since he had never really had the opportunity. I truly enjoyed the chance to paint him and revive my figure drawing skills; Japanese brush and my new Japanese watercolours made all the difference to the vibrancy and resilience of my work from here forward. 
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North Fakarava with more happening 😀

It did not take us too long to get to the north except it was quite hairy experience with it's pearl farms to really test us. We had been warned but did not realise the extent of it until we found ourselves unable to move forward blocked by a line across the fairway. Jumping overboard to cut the line was our only decision and it was up to me! The sea was rather rough and so I did hesitate a moment but knew I would be the most agile and definitely the best swimmer, especially after having swam for Malta when I was younger for so many years and recently again with the Maltese former Olympian & long distance record holder in swimming events, Neil Aguis. Wave of Change, a recent swim Neil did to give hope & change to Malta and it's citizens has really impressed me in such a positive way that I too hope that my work too might one day help towards making the world a better place. 

One night in Fakarava on a very wet evening we decided to visit the local Rotorava Grill where I have to have had my best "poisson cru" to date. Here is where I met my new local friend Malika wearing the beautiful flower head dress and immediately handed it to me on commenting how much I really liked it. I felt she was the perfect person to ask about making another for me and possibly about teaching me how to make these beautiful head pieces. If I was to try making these pieces the hardest thing would definitely be where to source all the flowers from and therefore preferably a dried option as the pieces would last longer too.

Fakarava is definitely the place I found most exciting to date as it was here I learnt to make flower crown head pieces or "umu hei" as they are called in Polynesian. Apparently within this region women believe that by wearing a crown of flowers heightens their sensuality and makes them more attractive to the opposite sex. Having a fascination for headpieces and having recently spent a day in Amsterdam learning how to make them in a workshop with Leonie and 7 other girls, I was getting to know something I could really enjoy making. The piece I made below during the workshop in Amsterdam was for my mum's 50th birthday in Capri, a year ago before setting off on this big adventure. 

Malika and I had so much fun together making the head dresses that I asked her if she would kindly pose for me in her own time. She was immediately thrilled by the idea of getting a figure drawing of herself so in order to thank her I made 2 for my collection (below) and this one here on canvas material which I dedicated to her. This made her so happy and a real highlight for my trip!! I had been able to leave a little part of myself here to stay :))

Rangiroa 

Leaving Fakarava for Rangiroa was a rather hard one as we had really enjoyed it here. Provisioning before we left quite an ordeal, as it was nigh on impossible to find any fresh produce. Unless one arrives at the supermarket in the exact moment stuff is laid out; fresh produce such as eggs and vegetables are nabbed immediately. Luckily on arriving in Rangiroa there seemed to be quite a few restaurants allowing us a few days to learn where to source produce before Marc's children, Emma 23 years and Daniel 19 years would join us.

Anchored inside the atoll in front of the Kia Ora Resort & Spa, we stayed there for almost 10 days, with mixed weather again unfortunately. Cycling most days to the far west of the atoll past the airport towards the town, having sunset drinks at the Kia Ora Resort and Relais de Josephine and snorkelling in the "aquarium" as it was called, summed up our visit. I managed to get a commission from the owners of the Relais de Josephine but have to admit it was rather odd turning up at 3pm to be told the couple were tired and would be going to sleep instead of sitting for me. So I took some shots and painted on site as if they were there in front of me. 

The following day the weather was excellent and this was so important as Emma and Daniel were arriving that morning and the plan was to collect them by tender from the airport. Once we had welcomed the kids onboard I asked Daniel to take me over to the beach to paint, and what fun exploring all these shades of turquoise I loved so much. The only people to join me here were a couple of stray dogs. 

Tahiti 

We left in perfect time before the weather changed for the worse!! It only took us one day and we arrived into Pointe Venus at midday. This is the first stop where everyone arrives to when they come from the Tuamotus.
Upon arrival I was struck by Tahiti's deep green landscape and high mountains rather similar to the Marquesas in so many ways. I felt immediately inspired to paint the landscape, oozing so much emotion. 

The next few days we spent in the lagoon further on round, towards the capital of Papeete as we waited to get access into a marina berth. Had we only known it was going to be so difficult we would have organised this much better. At first I had wanted to be based in town but on visiting the marina to meet Michael the Marina Manager, I realised that this marina was far too close to the main road in and out of the city of Papeete and not safe or ideal especially if we were to hire a car. On Friday after 3 days going into the Capitanerie at the other marina, Taina, to see marina manager Henri on a daily basis , I finally managed to get us a berth and we had a lovely weekend on land exploring Papeete.

On getting into the berth that night we were invited to SY Skyelarke, an oyster in the rally, for drinks followed by a lovely dinner in town at Gobie fish restaurant. I found the town great for shopping, superb for provisioning and good for getting day workers to help us onboard. The Hinano beer company and its beautiful logo were also part of its clothing culture and seemed to be one of the better brands on offer. It was actually interesting to see how this beer brand had now become so much more. Its smart marketing strategy had helped it become synonymous with Tahiti. Giving it a very unique appeal. 

One thing that also struck me about Papeete were the wonderful murals in town which  left me to think how there could be so many more lovely art projects to happen there especially with Gauguin's reputation of having spent time there. The Gauguin museum here was unfortunately under renovation when we were there and was my only ray of hope towards understanding how the artist got by and managed so long in French Polynesia. Of what I have read on "Noa Noa" and now reading in "Gauguin and Polynesia" he was definitely one of a kind but was he as bad as he had been made out to be. How bad could this artist really have been?? He definitely seemed to have had a good time which could have been seen as slightly too outrageous or was he just living true to himself; loving life, colour and the nude form. Some can see the latter offensive but that is understandable coming from a gentleman of his calibre residing in such a religious and naive region of kind indigenous people. Had he been seen as taking advantage of them? 

Moorea - AWeekend Off the Boat 

Having got more than half way through my book on "Gauguin and Polynesia" I was getting more and more excited to know about the region and Moorea had been winking at me from across the marina that week. I had witnessed many changes in the sky; the shapes of the clouds above and around the mountain peaks, the colours in the sky at the different times of day affecting the varying nuances in the landscape and therefore definitely very enticing. This would be the ultimate weekend away after a busy week of boat jobs, we were looking forward to being free from any boat responsibilities for the next few days.  

One moment I remember well on Saturday 4th May was creating this watercolour of Moorea at dawn. The weather this day was exceptionally warm and the sea and sky still and vibrant. There was a haze that I had not experienced elsewhere and was desperate to see how I could best represent it. So I worked on the freedom of allowing the water to create it's own magic; wet on wet is the best way of exhibiting this as colours are given the opportunity to mix in one another and cross borders between sea, sky and the clouds. The Pacific is particularly nebulous and once clouds get caught around mountain peaks they do not easily move but remain stuck circling the peaks creating a very distinct mood which I have tried to demonstrate here.

On Friday 10th May we made our way over to Moorea by late ferry, once we had extended our car rental and finished all our jobs for the week. Leaving the riggers to come fix things the following Monday while we would be preparing the boat to go. I was provisioning as much as I possibly could fit into my cupboards, fridge and freezer, since I knew this would be one of the last times before we arrive in Fiji. So having a restful weekend away from the boat, away from cooking and all my other chores was very welcome. 

By the time we arrived in Moorea the sun had already set. Entering a place at night makes things always so much more intriguing as one never knows what one is going to wake up to and in this case particularly relevant as we had chosen to rent a place in a valley with no sea view but a mountain range protecting this lush valley. Within the valley there were many homes as the location was slightly inland from Cook's Bay; a really lovely area completely still and peaceful. 

Waking up unusually early this Saturday morning I could not wait to get painting. I often do this when arriving to a new place and have time to really absorb and feel part of where I am. I felt my new palette just so perfect with all it's variations of greens. I really enjoyed putting this work together which can hopefully be felt immediately on viewing  it :)

That morning once everyone had woken up we headed off on a hike towards a waterfall on the west side of the island called Afareaitu Waterfalls. A rather small waterfall and not the easiest hike for sure, but beautifully green and cool. The hike to and from took us about an hour and a half with a slight elevation giving us good exercise. After this we were starving and found a great food truck, called Pura Vida, on our way since we had planned to drive round the whole perimeter of the island. 

On the Sunday Marc and his kids had a couple of dives planned in the morning which meant the perfect moment for me to pack a bag and head off to paint. I walked from where we were staying to Cook's Bay and on arrival, as I began to take out my painting stuff I realised some locals were calling me over so I headed there to say hello. Immediately they wanted me to paint them and there was no question that this was going to be my mornings practise, which I enjoyed thoroughly. Not having much experience in painting portraits this was a good opportunity for me. Once finishing the portraits there was no question as I handed them over I had truly made these locals extremely happy this Sunday and this is exactly what I had set out to do :)))

Following this session with Freddie & Sandra I headed along Cook's Bay on foot passing an atelier called Louze.O.Art. I decided to contact the artist to visit their gallery. I was curious to find out what contemporary art was happening on the island. Olivier Louze the artist, got back to me almost immediately offering me a time to pop round that afternoon to view his work. 

Olivier had moved from France to Tahiti 10 years ago and had begun to focus on painting then. In the meantime he had definitely created his own style and in particular a style we can see in the low right side painting whereby he would add paint to wood panel and while still wet, would scrap the paint off using short strokes one next to the other to create a very realistic rendition of his models and their contours. His monotone palette definitely very in fitting with his subject matter giving it a lovely sensual and yet lonely feel through their fixed gaze and pose he had chosen to capture. 

Monday morning came too soon and we were now on the ferry back to Papeete early enough for me to get dropped off at the local municipal market to buy fresh fruit and veggies. After heading to the marina to assist the rigger's in finishing off the job they had started on the week before, Daniel and myself went off provisioning to the huge Carrefour next to the marina. Finally such a pleasure to go shopping here and really stock up well for the next few months. The days of fighting for a carrot were now over  and life felt like it was getting a little easier I hoped!!  

Bora Bora 

After only a couple of days travel, it was a great plan getting to the Yacht Club in Bora Bora in time for the World ARC event that night, Thursday 16th May. Due to a lack of mooring balls available the ARC had decided to host 2 events breaking the group up for  more manageability. This meant the group spirit was lacking in some ways but of course in true spirit I decided to over compensate and had a very good night on arrival doused by copious amounts of Espresso Martini. Wearing a head-dress or "hei" was the secret ingredient towards a good night. 

The next few days we were moored up outside the yacht club, taking it very easy. Unfortunately the weather once again was not very good, making it all not as much fun as it could have been. The bright blue sea had been tarnished by the grey clouds looming over us, so we chose to spend more time catching up on things. Boris, a friend of Marc's  joined us on Saturday morning all the way from Holland to help us sail the coming 10 days sail to Tonga luckily.
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