We have found a slice of paradise here on Motu Tiapaa (One of the islets in the lagoon). The wind blows most of the time making the temperature much more bearable. At the place we are staying, Maupiti Village, there is a wide stretch of white sand beach, dotted with coral and shells. The lagoon is bright turquoise and clear and offers some great snorkeling with an amazing variety of fish.
About ten years ago, Maupiti was hit by a tropical storm which destroyed a lot of settlements on the island, but also damaged the reef and the coral formations in the lagoon. It is great to see that the coral in the lagoon is recovering so well. Almost everytime we go out snorkeling, we see new varieties of fish and coral. Even though the lagoon is quite shallow in most places, there can be a strong current at times. We think this may have to do with the fact that we are not far from the only pass in the reef through which the entire lagoon draws and fills.
The reef gloves we brought with us come in really handy because when wearing them, it is possible to hold on to a rock and hover underwater in one spot effortlessly. When you lay silent for a while, more and more sealife comes out of their hiding places. The lagoon here also hosts large numbers of clams that have brightly colored mouths and look just like the giant clams we saw in Aitutaki's lagoon, just much smaller; no bigger than an outstretched hand. Apparently, there are two kinds of rays; manta rays and leopard rays. Niels sees them almost everyday, especially when kayaking or going anywhere by boat. Twice, Niels has had the pleasure of seeing them underwater. It is an amazing sight, they are so graceful and just fly through the water without disturbing anything. As soon as they spot you, though, they fly away really quickly. From a boat, they are easy to spot in the shallow waters - they look just like a dark shadow moving across the white, sandy bottom.
The owners of the pension where we are staying are very friendly and we have found it to be quite peaceful and relaxing. We plan to stay about a week here since it is so lovely. Our room is again very basic; and old bed, no privacy and shared bathroom facilities but it is clean and the location is great. Grapefruit, avocados, and bananas grow well and are free for the taking. The meals were are eating are made here at the pension as there are no restaurants on the motu. The food is fresh and made with mostly local ingredients of vanilla, coconut milk, lemon, and fish of course. Despite the remoteness, the food is quite varied and wonderfully prepared by the owners. We can certainly spend some time here living the good life.
