Gardens of Vaipahi

27. November 2011, Sunday
17° 45' 31" S, 149° 23' 19" W


Stop! Change of plans!
My stomach still has to be patient for the culinary rendezvous with McDonalds.
The wind is just perfect to set a direct course towards the isthmus of Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti.
There is the legendary Jardin Vaipahi, the Gardens of Vaipahi. A huge nature reserve where you can find pretty much everything that grows here on this paradise island.
Just heading to our anchorage makes us go into raptures again.
Black lava beaches, Giant whales in close proximity to the reef, Mountains covered with tropical vegetation.
If such a Hollywood fuzzy came up with the idea of filming the fairy tale of Adam and Eve, this would be the perfect location for the Garden of Eden.
The water runs out of our pores by the liter, because it's almost always uphill and our "little sailors' legs" are no longer used to such exertions.
There is a poem by Villon that says: "...the air almost vomited with fertility..."
With every breath we inhale this lush abundance of nature, feel incredibly alive, although we are totally exhausted after many hours of scrambling... because if we were dead, we wouldn't feel the horrible sore muscles ;o)