At 7:00 am we arrived at Rangiroa, French Polynesia to tender into the dock. Today’s excursion is Discover the World of Pearls. It is late morning when we got on a small bus in the heat for the short ride to the Pearl farm. After an hour talk about the history of pearl farming and describing the process of growing Tahitian black pearls in the black lip pearl oysters, we got to see one of the highly trained workers seeding the oysters that will grow the pearls. This process was perfected about 100 years ago. They know exactly how long to leave the pearls in place to grow the perfect pearl. (18 months at a depth of 8 meters with the oyster shells scrubbed of debris every 2 months) The entire process is quite scientific and precise. See pictures.
Not a lot else to see on this island, other than beautiful beaches and an atoll. An atoll is a ring shaped island including a coral reef that encircles a lagoon. Rangiroa is the largest atoll in French Polynesia and the second largest in the world. There are coconut plantations with signs warning you to watch out for falling coconuts. We were told that this island also has vineyards that have a harvest twice per year on the edge of the lagoon beside the coconut palms.
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