After Pitcairn: Mangareva

Our flight back to Tahiti wasn't till the afternoon, so we had most of the morning free.  Anneka, the Norfolk guys, and I decided to climb Mount Duff, the highest peak on Mangareva.

View from Mount Duff

After hiking for an hour and a half, we reached the summit, the highpoint of Mangareva at 1,447 feet.  The view was spectacular.  We could see the village, the lagoon, and many pearl farms over the lagoon.

We climbed down, grabbed all our stuff from the Claymore, and took the water taxi to the airport.  From there, we took a four-hour flight back to Tahiti.

At the Tahiti airport, most of us went our separate ways.  I said farewell to the couple from Wales, and I gave Anneka a good-bye hug.

I planned to stay in Tahiti for a few days before moving on, and I had booked a rental car.  The Norfolk guys planned to stay in Tahiti for a couple of days before flying home.  I asked the Norfolk guys if they wanted a ride to their hotel, and they accepted.

I picked up my rental car and drove the Norfolk guys to the Royal Tahitian, a moderately nice hotel on the northwest side of the island.  We ate dinner together at the hotel, and they paid for my meal for driving them.  During dinner, we discussed our itinerary for the next couple of days.  None of us really had an itinerary, so we decided that we would hang out together.  We made a deal that I would drive, and they would pay for all my meals.  I hadn't booked a hotel, so I checked into the Royal Tahitian.