July 25, 2012  Went for an afternoon snorkel among the fishies.  It was a beautiful reward for a hard working day.

July 26, 2012  This morning we took simple gifts and the prints of the photos to the girl putting flowers on the grave.  Met her older cousin, a young mother, with a baby, who communicated quite a bit with French, sign language and some English.  The grave was of a great grandmother.  The girl is 10.  There was area near their 2 houses  which looked like the native trees had been burned so that they could plant coconut.  Again, their yard was nicely raked and clean which is not easy when you live in a forest of trees. We moved east about a mile to a new location for better protection from the swell within the lagoon caused by the strong SE winds.  Fantastic snorkeling with lots of coral and a million kind of fish. We think only God could think up such a whimsical variety of colorful creatures.  Saw a medium sized reef fish trying to shake off a remora.  Poor thing.  Next we took the dinghy to Iles du Recifs, Isles of Reefs.  A flock of eight Bristle-thighed Curlews  with one Golden Plover in the midst came near.  We got a  long close look at them.  They visit the Tuamotus for the winter coming from the mountains of Alaska .  Or the nonbreeders hang around here all year.  All over the ground were coconuts ruined by rats who chew holes in them.  Then we saw the culprit and then another, but they are too sneaky to get a picture.  They were brought to Polynesia to be food by the first immigrants from Southeast Asia (which in hindsight was probably not the best idea).  We were searching for Blue Lorikeets, but there were none.  The landscape on the reef is an unreal jumble of super sharp coral remnants with swiftly flowing and cascading sea water meandering through.  Outside the reef is the violent ocean with spray from the pounding surf rising many feet in the air like a cloud.  Interspersed are many motus with the trees, bushes and rats but very few birds.  We finished up the day preparing the boat for the trip back across the lagoon to town for fuel and groceries and an anchorage suitable for the expected change in wind direction.