Acteon - Pitcairn - Rapa Expedition

A 25 day voyage from the Gambier Islands to:

Teneraro (Acteon Group)
Oeno Atoll (Pitcairn Group)
Henderson Island (Pitcairn Group)
Pitcairn Island (Home of the HMS Bounty Descendants)
Iles Marotiri - Bass Rocks (French Polynesia)
Rapa Island (French Polynesia)
Raivavae Island and then finishing at Tubuai Island
With the option to continue on to Rurutu, Rimitara and Tahiti

2012 date:
14th Feb - 9th March
(plus optional extra dates of 10th - 15th March)

Mangareva (Gambier Islands) & Teneraro (Acteon): After meeting the SRV Discovery at the main wharf in Rikitea village, every passenger will be assigned his/her own bunk. All food will be supplied during the voyage. The Gambier Islands are like a large version of Bora Bora, but without the thousands of tourists to ruin the view. We plan to depart mid-afternoon. After one day at sea we will visit Teneraro Atoll in the Southern Tuamotu. This isolated and pest free atoll is home to the Tuamotu Sandpiper and Tuamotu Ground-dove.

Oeno Atoll, Henderson Island and Pitcairn Island: On the way to Pitcairn we plan to stop at Oeno Atoll and Henderson Island - birding paradise indeed - see the bird list below. At Pitcairn Island you will be staying ashore with local families; which family you board with can be arranged in advance, or more often is arranged on your arrival at Bounty Bay harbor by local families (the traditional way). There are also some private bungalows for rent. The cost for your stay ashore is not included in our pricing and should be budgeted at approximately US$70 per night per person for full board. This includes laundry and some guiding around the island - this is to be paid direct to your host family in cash (USD or NZD are preferable). This type of ecotourism has been encouraged in the last few years as a way of boosting the islands economy in a sustainable way.

Iles Marotiri (Bass Rocks): After five days of down wind sailing we arrive at these half dozen basalt pinnacles that rise straight up out of the ocean from a large shallow reef system ( which is about 20 to 40 metres deep and 10km across). Landing is impossible in anything but perfectly calm conditions as large swells wrap their way around all sides of these small islets. The sky is thick with seabirds - something you will never forget.

Rapa Island (Austral Islands): Rapa is the remnant of a much larger land mass that was emergent during the height of the last ice age ca. 20,000 years ago. This helps explain the very high rate of endemism in the plants and animals of this remarkable island. The geography is dominated by a massive central lagoon - this is the caldera of the long extinct Rapa volcano, and forms a perfectly sheltered anchorage from which to base ourselves for our three days of shore excursions. The surrounding mountain tops are littered with the remains of ancient stone fortifications - something unique to Rapa, but with some surprising similarity to the ancient mountain top 'Maori Pa' of New Zealand.

Raivavae: After a two day downwind sail we arrive at this high island surrounded by a large deep lagoon. The pass onto the lagoon is wide and the anchorage is excellent for our shore excursion. There is one main road around the island. The interior is very steep with pockets of native forest. The native population of Raivavae was decimated on first contact with Europeans, when 90% died of introduced dieses during the first half of the 1800s. Today you will find a green and pleasant land. A slice of Polynesia at its best.

Tubuai: After an overnight sail from Raivavae this is where we finish our 25 day expedition. Tubuai is geologically similar to Raivavae and is the main administrative center of the Austral Islands group of French Polynesia. The HMV Bounty mutineers built a small fort here in 1789, but abandoned it when they where attacked by a mob of angry locals. They later went on to found the small colony at Pitcairn Island that survives to this day in extreme isolation.

You will need to catch one of the regular Air Tahiti flights back to Tahiti - we suggest staying ashore in one of the local pensions for few days to enjoy the local French Polynesian hospitality and good food before your flight back to civilization.

Extra voyage to Tahiti : We are continuing to Rurutu and Rimitara where we will be going ashore at both Islands. We finish at Tahiti on Thursday the 15th March.

Bird List:
Likely pelagics include:
Kermadec Petrel, Herald Petrel, Henderson Petrel
Murphy's Petrel, White-necked Petrel, Black-winged Petrel
Tahiti Petrel, Audubon's Shearwater, Christmas Shearwater
White-bellied Storm Petrel, Polynesian Storm Petrel
Rapa Shearwater, Wedge-tailed shearwater
Great Frigatebird, Red-tailed & White-tailed tropicbirds
Red-footed Booby, Masked Booby, Brown Booby
Black Noddy, Brown Noddy, Blue-grey Noddy
White Tern, Sooty Tern, Grey-backed Tern
Great Crested Tern

Shorebirds: Bristle-thighed Curlew, Pacific Golden Plovers & Wandering Tattlers

Tenararo (Acteon): Large population of Tuamotu Sandpiper and Polynesian Ground Dove

Oeno Atoll: No endemics, but large seabird colonies of gadfly petrels, plus Christmas Shearwaters, Great Frigatebirds, boobies, terns, noddies and Spotless Crakes

Henderson Island endemics:
Henderson Crake, Henderson Lorikeet, Henderson Fruit Dove, Henderson Reed Warbler. Plus Reef Herons and possibly Long-tailed Koel (both species also on the Austral Islands)

Pitcairn endemic: The only endemic bird is the Pitcairn Reed Warbler, which is common

Bass Rocks: Large seabird colonies – spectacular and isolated islets - little known

Rapa endemics: Rapa Fruit Dove and Rapa Shearwater. Plus large and little know seabird colonies on the offshore islets along the southern and western coasts

Raivavae, Tubuai & Rurutu: No endemic landbirds

Rimitara endemics: Rimitara Lorikeet and Rimitara Reed Warbler


Price: US$5,500 (plus extra $900 for the six days from Tubuai to Tahiti via Rurutu and Rimitara).