On Arrival

We cleared in with the Gendarmerie Nationale in Rikitea, Mangareva.

There is no need for a bond or departure airline ticket if you are really clear about your onward intentions from French Polynesia.  In our case we were adamant we would be out within 90 days and they were good with that.

Check in with the police station.  They do the immigration check in and prepare the customs paperwork.  You are required to mail the customs paperwork onto Tahiti within 24 hours.  It costs about US$1 to mail the paperwork.  The Post Office is close to the police station.  You must still fly your quarantine flag until checked by customs (as written in the paperwork we were given but no other cruisers were following it except us).

Fees

We paid no fees for customs/immigration (other than the stamp for mailing).  After check in we were directed to “city hall” to pay some fees.  When we went there we discovered it was for garbage disposal.  Cost was approx US$12 for two weeks.  While expensive, we chose to think of it as a community improvement fee as otherwise we would not have paid anything for the community for our stay.

Internet and WiFi

All transmission is done via satellite and it’s horrendously bad. You can only get SIM/Data from the Post Office.  Unfortunately they (the Post Office) would not sell us a SIM card as the “network was full”.  Other cruisers from other islands had SIM cards from there which worked but we could not get one locally.  We could only buy a WiFi card which only worked at the Post Office and cost US$20 for five hours.  While it was the best internet in town it was still marginal.  We couldn’t download emails, it was tough to open websites and we found it was best in the really early morning.

There are a couple of other WiFi spots available around town.  They each had their own home router. However, as soon as there were more than one or two people on them, they became un-useable for anything, including texting.

Food

Most anything is available in town if you shop around.  There are five “stores” and between them there is enough to get by.  Don’t expect to find much in the way of fruits and vegetables. The locals all grow their own so there is no demand for it other than by cruisers.  To find fresh stuff one must befriend a local and usually the further they are from town the better as they do not get hit up as much.

What vegetables are available are extremely expensive US$17 for a 10lb bag of potatoes, US$17 for 30eggs,  US$35 for a bottle of local rum,  US$5 for a can of beer,  US$2.60/liter of gas,   US$10/load of laundry – just washed and you have to provide the soap. Expensive living there if one has to buy things but locals do okay with home grown fruits, vegetables, chicken and pigs.

There is a bakery beside one of the stores.  Open early morning, but is usually sold out and closed by 0445 each day.  Baguettes US$1.70.

There is a local who will “trade” with cruisers for fresh fruit/veggies.  Ask for Nico.  His house is just past the recreation hall.  He usually wants to trade alcohol.  We gave him some mahi mahi and he was super happy.

Bonjour!

Lots and lots of “Bonjour” as one walked on the streets, but tough to get much more local engagement than that.  Reportedly nearly everyone is “too busy” working on the Pearl farms. Lots of fancy new cars on the island so work must be good.  Our best local engagements came from areas way from the “town”.

Some fantastic anchorages away from Rikitea with good snorkelling/diving and nice beach walking.  Ask around though, as some locals are not welcoming of cruisers, while others are fantastic and friendly.

Rikitea Yacht Services run by cruisers Juliet and Tito seems to be the go to place for most issues and they can provide advice as needed.  

Warning:  Don’t eat the fish – reportedly there are lots of ciguterra issues in the islands.

Our recommendation is get off the boat and go for a hike.  There are some great walks above Rikitea including a ridge walk and to both nearby peaks.

We sailed from Gambier to Hao in the Tuamotus, but only spent just over 24 hours in Hao. We found it to be sad, desolate and depressing so moved on quickly. Makemo, where we have just arrived, is fantastic so far. More about the Tuamotus in our next instalment.

Brent Crack and Mary Bevan
SV Knot Safety

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About the Authors:

Brent Crack and Mary Bevan are two Canadian citizens who are currently sailing across the Pacific.  They are on a Lagoon 400 catamaran and are heading for French Polynesia via some of the more remote islands of the South Pacific.

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.

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Read more about Brent and Mary’s journey westward across the South Pacific:

• Pitcairn Island – Well Worth the Journey
  
• Rapa Nui (Easter Island) – Nothing Short of Amazing
  

See more “Off the Beaten Path” articles and resources here.

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