1/59: Already while approaching Raroia boobies were circling around Pitufa--a good sign!
2/59: Sailing in the lagoon is tricky, because of many coralheads and pearlfarm buoys.
3/59: Anchoring's difficult between many coralheads, but the motus are gorgeous.
5/59: The atoll is popular with cruisers...
6/59: ...but most don't explore further than the Kontiki Motu and we had the rest of the atoll mostly to ourselves.
7/59: Virgin Mary grotto on a motu.
8/59: We couldn't believe how many birds we found in Raroia.
9/59: Many pearl farms have closed, but a few big ones are still operational
10/59: Gigantic pearl farm field
13/59: Untouched bird paradise.
18/59: We use our time in the Tuamotus to get many boat projects done.
19/59: Christian checked the rigging...
20/59: ...and to take pics of the landscape.
24/59: A local gave us a Tamanu tree to plant on his motu and we found a nice spot for our green passenger.
25/59: Primary forest on a coral motu--that's what all atolls in the Pacific looked like before the forests were burnt down for palmtree plantations.
28/59: Harvesting heart of palm
29/59: White terns soaring above the 'Kontiki' Motu where Thor Heyerdahl stranded with his raft.
30/59: Kontiki commemorative plaque
32/59: Rugged landscape on the outer reef.
33/59: How did those gigantic boulders get tossed up on the reef?
34/59: Leeloo's still having a good time at the age of 19...
43/59: Endemic Tuamotu sandpipers everywhere...
44/59: A little manta-ray came by our boat.
45/59: Baby reef sharks come close and sometimes bump into our shoes.
46/59: This young masked booby was hanging out on our dinghy for hours.
48/59: Not scared at all...
50/59: The underwater world's inside the lagoon is fascinating.
51/59: Unfortunatley some coral is bleached, some dead and algae overgrow parts of the reefs.
52/59: The healthy bits are havens for small fish.
53/59: Giant clams everywhere
54/59: The coral in the pass is healthier than in the lagoon
57/59: Each time snorkeling we had a dozen reef sharks with us.
