Here we pass again through the already familiar narrow passage at the designated time.
We managed to find a mooring place in a tiny harbor among corals. How people sailed without satellite systems in the past is absolutely incomprehensible. The passage is not more than five meters wide.
The harbor proper is the size of an aquarium in a decent office, but one can swim there.
Watch sea inhabitants.
Find the most beautiful corals.
In the coral reef, there are small houses on stilts.
On the seaside, there are also quite a few charming structures made of palm leaves and straw (very convenient: if it’s blown off with the wind – just cut new leaves and a house is ready).
By the way, they use palm leaves not only to build houses but also to make pretty hats here.
The locals travel either by pirogue, which is already habitual.
Or by swimming with their stuff in a box.
Tiny quiet cars and battery-powered scooters move across the island.
The main business here, as well as everywhere on the archipelago, is pearl farming (in the picture, you can see nets on which they place oysters).
And collecting seashells which are used to make pearl buttons and buckles.
You’d better walk away from the places where seashells are drying and the farther the better, as the smell is so strong that the eyes water.
It’s better with supplies here than at Manihi atoll, though there’s only one store, the choice is wider.
The vessel delivers foodstuff as often as twice a week.
However, they sell bread – baguettes – on reservation only. The sign says “Reserve your bread before 10:30 there is no more bread surplus.”
The locals will be happy to offer you freshly caught fish.
In the evenings, the locals play petanque and arrange male and female championships.
At the store, we saw a funny device for making copra.
In Apataki, there are repair shops where you can hoist a yacht and, if necessary, leave it there till the next season. The manager’s name is Tony. You can find him on Tamaru island.
At parting, we gave the local kids a ball that we found in Martinique.