.

Air Tahiti Magazine 54
destination ile d akamaru / akamaru island > outre tous les sites a visiter, les possibilites de balades et de randonnees sont nombreuses et variees a mangareva. l ascension du mont auorotini (dit mont duff ), haut de 441 metres, est tout simplement splendide. de la crete, la vue plongeante, a 360 degres, sur les baies de mangareva et les iles, est inoubliable des fonds translucides du lagon au bleu profond de l ocean, les nuances de couleurs semblent irreelles. le chemin des 12 apotres part des ruines du couvent rouru, qui abritait a l epoque plus de 80 religieuses, pour mener a deux magnifiques plages de sable blanc. la liste est loin d etre exhaustive : belvederes et autres chemins traversiers vous promettent un sejour fantastique, si vous prenez le temps et la peine de les parcourir. pour decouvrir les autres iles des gambier, une solution ideale est d en faire le tour en bateau, l archipel ayant la particularite d avoir toutes ses iles dans le meme lagon, tres proches les unes des autres. l ile d aukena est un petit bijou. la vegetation, epaisse et lumineuse, abrite plusieurs vestiges interessants. four a pain, four a chaux, ruines du college des freres, tour de guet... et les plages sont tout simplement paradisiaques. de grandes etendues de sable fin, bordees d une vegetation tropicale luxuriante... a quelques kilometres de la, sur l ile d akamaru, le temps semble s etre arrete. une majestueuse allee couronnee de cocotiers mene a la petite eglise consacree a notre dame de paix, construite en 1841. on remarquera que les deux tours de l eglise sont de hauteur differente. en effet, honore laval avait souhaite cette dissymetrie pour lui rappeler l architecture de la cathedrale de chartres, non loin de son village natal. souci de generosite ou d esthetique, dans cette eglise, la vierge marie porte un magnifique collier de perles la montee vers la croix, chemin de pelerinage des mangareviens, est un incontournable. la vue sur mangareva et aukena y est feerique : des silhouettes aux contours harmonieux, posees sur un lagon qui decline des bleus a faire fremir tous les impressionnistes l immense lagon de l archipel en fait egalement un lieu ideal pour la decouverte d une faune sous-marine riche et preservee. plonger, simplement muni d un masque et de palmes, est un vrai bonheur. comme le sera sans doute le souvenir de votre sejour dans cet archipel de reve. land" that today is occupied by the primary school. the rest of the historic structures, such as some little stone look out towers with conical roofs, make up an architectural collection that looks entirely out of place on a polynesian island. in the hills of mangareva the little cemetery is dominated by the imposing tomb of king maputeoa. all the monuments in the gambier are painted in blue and white, the colors of this king. other than the numerous sites to visit, there are many various walks and hikes on mangareva. the climb to mt auorotini (also called mt duff ), to an elevation of 441 meters, is simply splendid. from the peak is an un-forgettable 360 degree view that plunges down and across to the bays of mangareva and the surrounding islands. the translucent blue tones of the lagoon down to the bottom of the ocean create nuances of color that seem surreal. the trail of the 12 apostles begins at the ruins of the rouru convent (which in its day housed over 80 disciples) and leads to a magnificent white sand beach. the list of walks seems never ending: view points and crossmountain trails help make a visit to this island become beyond fantastic if you take the time to follow them. to discover other islands in the gambier, a boat tour is the ideal solution. this archipelago has the particularity to be entirely within the same lagoon and all the islands are very close to one another. the island of aukena is a jewel. thick and luminous jungle encloses interesting sites such as an ancient bread oven, a lime making oven for white wash, the ruins of the father's college, a look out tower and more. the beaches are a slice of paradise with their long stretches of fine sand that are fringed with luxuriant tropical vegetation. a few kilometers from here, is the island of akamaru where time seems to have blatantly stopped. a majestic avenue of coconut palms leads to a little church, called our lady of peace that was built in 1841. it's noticeable that the two towers are different heights - father laval built the church this way on purpose to remind him of the chartres cathedral not far from his home village in france. for reasons of generosity or aesthetics, the virgin mary in this church wears a magnificent strand of pearls. the climb to the cross, which is a pilgrimage for the mangarevans, is not to be missed. the view over magareva and aukena is enchanting with its silhouettes and harmonious contours sitting over the lagoon which descends into blues that could make the greatest impressionists tremble . . . the immense lagoon of the archipelago is also a place to discover incredible underwater fauna, which is as rich as it is well preserved. find true happiness with a swim with a mask and snorkel. but this sort of happiness is what you'll take with you after visiting this dream-like archipelago. motu aux oiseaux / birds motu 16 r e v u e d e b o r d n ° 5 4 / a i r ta h i t i / o n - b o a r d m a g a z i n e n ° 5 4 3 3
Powered by fluidbook tm