The island of Akamaru, together with its small satellites of Mekiro to the north and Makapu to the south, lies only 5nm to the southeast of Mangareva, but it feels a world away. Three or four families live on the island, and residents either work on one of the nearby pearl farms or on the small vanilla farm that’s been started.
The pride of the locals clearly shows in the tidiness of the main settlement. There’s only one small street, but it’s verges are neatly mowed and lined with bougainvillea and hibiscus blossoms. The small church from the 1800s is still well kept and in good condition.
While strolling up the street, we were greeted by Diana together with her 1 year old grandson. Diana spoke little English, and we speak nearly no French. But with some effort on both side we were led to a nearby pamplemousse (or pomelo) tree and offered a stick in order to harvest some ripe fruit from the higher branches.
Then, Diana took us to the local vanilla farm and explained the production, as best she could to the idiot non-French-speakers. No sales pitch, and no reason to take the time to talk with us other than being friendly.
A beautiful walk up to the top of Mekiro offers a fantastic view of the surroundings. Life is good in the Gambiers.
