TOUR OF THE GAMBIER ISLANDS

I woke up at 06:30am. The weather was very nice. During the breakfast, Bianca asked me if I would like to go for a boat trip with her eldest son to visit all the islands around. I accepted with a great pleasure all the more so it was totally unexpected!

Just before the boat trip I decided to go back to the CED (the specialized school of engraving on mother-of-pearl) to visit the workshop. There were 2 engraving teachers and their students. They explained to me how the school and the workshop worked and showed me their work. I took a lot of pictures and above all I had the big pleasure to see the famous masterpiece: the bouquet of mother-of- pearls of the Saint-Michel Cathedral which were restoring... It was truly magnificent!!!

Here are ties made up of mother-of-pearls. This was one of the projects the students needed to create within the year.

The students of the school are trained during 5 years. Then they can continue their training in a school in Tahiti during 2 more years. Contrary to what I thought, there were far more girls than boys in the classes of engraving on mother-of-pearls because they need to do a mandatory cooking and sewing course if they choose to do the engraving course. The sewing course is not very popular for boys!!!

At 09:30am, departure for the boat trip with the son of Bianca. We docked first in the island of AUKENA and went visiting the vestiges.

Then, we went to the island of AKAMARU to do the same.

Then we docked on the island of MEIKIRO.

We stopped to have lunch (sandwich) and short swim in the warm water of the lagoon.

Then, we ended the boat trip by going to the island of TARAVAI.

Then return to Mangareva at 3:30pm. The weather was particularly sunny and I had some red Mangarevan colors!!!

Then I came back to the Pension and had a rest until the dinner. Bianca prepared a corori salad (muscle of the mother-of-pearl), a gratin of breadfruit, grilled mahi-mahi and a fruit salad for dessert.

I went to bed at 8:30pm.