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FRENCH POLYNESIA, PITCAIRN & HENDERSON

Saturday 11th September - Thursday 30th September 2010
(20 days)

Marquesas Islands Pre-Tour Extension from Friday 3rd September (8 days)

Rimatara Post-Tour Extension to Sunday 3rd October (3 days)

Leader: Mark Van Beirs

Group Size Limit: 11

Tour Category: Easy to Moderate

The Tuamotu Sandpiper is one of those birds you see in books but never believe you have a chance of seeing! Join us on this fantastic voyage and your dream will come true! (Pete Morris)

(Note: This is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)

How many chances does one have to visit a scattering of largely uninhabited tropical islands where deserted white sand beaches are fringed with luxuriant vegetation, haunted by rarely seen endemics, and the seas are enlivened by a host of little-known seabirds? Not many, but here is one fantastic opportunity! Add into the mix the romance and violence of the Mutiny on the Bounty story, the classic, real-life tale of putting love before duty and its tragic consequences, and you have something extraordinarily alluring.

The Polynesian triangle between Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island stretches about 8000 kilometres across the central Pacific Ocean. This vast area is dotted with numerous tropical islands, many of them of volcanic origin and never connected to the continents. Amongst this scattering of tiny isolated dots on the map of the world, there are two broad island types: the first being the high volcanic islands where erosion has produced gentle windward slopes that often contrast with the steep and rugged leeward cliffs, frequently encircled by fringing reefs. The second consists of the low-lying islands, mostly coral atolls and or raised former atolls. Both island types have evolved endemic birds, reptiles, plants and insects, the existence of many of which is under threat from introduced rats and human activity, and during our travels we shall explore fascinating examples of each.

This exciting journey focuses on some of the rarest and most exciting island birds in the entire Pacific region. French Polynesia covers a vast expanse of the South Pacific, equivalent to a region stretching from Finland to Spain! Its farthest flung outposts are the remote Gambier Islands at the eastern end of the Tuamotu Archipelago, and still more remote, far beyond the Gambiers, are Pitcairn and Henderson islands.

MV Braveheart, our home for two weeks, is a very well equipped and comfortable vessel, 39 metres (about 128 feet) in length, with capacity for 12 passengers and five crew. Built in Japan, she was later converted for expedition-style cruising and is now based in New Zealand. She has six twin-berth, air-conditioned cabins and three shared bathrooms for her passengers (some cabins have double berths), modern safety equipment and three zodiacs (inflatables with rigid hulls) for making landings in remote areas. There is a spacious mess (dining area) and a smaller lounge/library area with DVD player, power points for computers etc. A large, shaded area on the deck towards the stern is excellent for seawatching. Braveheart offers much more space and comfort than a yacht and is the perfect vessel for a cruise of this kind.

Our journey through the islands will start in Tahiti, the largest and highest of the Society Islands, where we will arrive in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia. This cosmopolitan city with over 100,000 people will provide a great contrast with sparsely inhabited or uninhabited islands we are soon to visit. Here, on the beautiful island where so many of the Bounty’s crew fell for the local ladies, and from where they eventually set sail to seek refuge from the King’s justice on remote Pitcairn Island, we will mainly be birding in the interior highlands, dominated by two old volcanoes. Here we should find such endemics as Grey-green Fruit-Dove, Tahiti Swiftlet, Tahiti Kingfisher, the extremely rare Tahiti Monarch and Tahiti Reed Warbler.

From Papeete we will fly far to the southeast, to Mangaréva in the remote Gambier Islands. Here we will board our boat, the Braveheart, and set sail for the end of the world, or so it will seem to us.

First we will explore famous Pitcairn Island, last refuge of the Bounty mutineers, their Tahitian ladies and some male relatives (the ancestral mix of today’s Pitcairn islanders), where Pitcairn Reed Warbler will be the main target.

Moving on to uninhabited Henderson Island, we will be looking for the fearless Henderson Island Crake, Henderson Island Fruit-Dove, the stunning Stephen’s Lorikeet and Henderson Reed Warbler, while on Oeno we will see an extraordinary seabird colony at eyeball to eyeball distance.

In the Acteon Group in the easternmost Tuamotus we will visit Tenararo, home to that Holy Grail of Pacific birding, the extraordinary little Tuamotu Sandpiper (surely one of the most endearing birds of the trip). Considered one of the rarest waders in the world, this unusual endemic species is most definitely a long-dreamed-of bird for many people. Tenararo is also the haunt of Atoll Fruit-Dove, the delightful Polynesian Ground-Dove and the endangered Bristle-thighed Curlew (another of the world’s rarest shorebirds, the majority of which winter in the Tuamotus).

To cap it all, as we sail between these tiny specks in the vastness of the Pacific, we are going to see the most glorious collection of tropical and subtropical seabirds possible, including Tahiti, Phoenix, Murphy’s, Kermadec, Herald and Henderson Petrels, Christmas and Tropical Shearwaters, Polynesian Storm-Petrel, Red-tailed and White-tailed Tropicbirds, Masked, Red-footed and Brown Boobies, Great and Lesser Frigatebirds, Spectacled (or Grey-backed), Sooty and Common White Terns, and Black, Brown, Blue and Grey Noddies, plus a selection of visitors to the area such as White-necked, Collared and Cape Petrels, and White-bellied Storm-Petrel.

All in all, this is a remarkable opportunity to explore one of the most remote and least touched places on planet Earth today, and see some of our world’s most seldom-seen birds! Put simply, this wonderful voyage is sheer magic!

During the optional pre-tour extension we will explore the Marquesas, a chain of rugged, volcanic islands some 1500 kilometres (or around 940 miles) to the northeast of Papeete. Here we will explore Nuku Hiva, Ua Huka and remote Fatu Hiva and Tahuata in search of such endemics as the strange Nukuhiva Imperial Pigeon, White-capped Fruit-Dove, the beautiful Ultramarine Lorikeet, Marquesas Swiftlet, Marquesas Kingfisher, Iphis and Fatuhiva Monarchs, and Marquesas Reed Warbler, as well as the delightful near-endemic Little White Tern, Blue Noddy and Bulwer’s Petrel.

During the optional post-tour extension there will be an unusual opportunity to visit the remote island of Rimatara in the Austral Islands, far to the south of Tahiti. The island is home to the only surviving natural population of the beautiful Kuhl’s (or Rimatara) Lorikeet and the endemic Rimatara Reed Warbler.

Birdquest has operated tours to French Polynesia since 2002 and to Pitcairn and Henderson since 2008.

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotel in Papeete is of normal Birdquest standard (luxurious in fact!). For details of Braveheart, please see the tour introduction. During the extensions, the guesthouse accommodation is simple but very clean and comfortable, and bathroom facilities may be shared. Road transport will be by minibus and roads (where they exist) are mostly good.

Walking: The walking effort is easy to moderate.

Climate: Warm or hot and humid. Occasional rain is likely. At sea it can feel noticeably cooler, especially early and late in the day.

Bird Photography: Opportunities are good.

Tour Price: £7560, €8921, $12474 London/London (or £6460, €7623, $10659 Papeete/Papeete). Pre-Tour Extension: £2400, €2832, $3960. Post-Tour Extension: £900, €1062, $1485. Please note that, for those taking London/London arrangements, the hotel accommodation in Los Angeles is included (and there is a courtesy bus service from/to the airport), but meals are not included. Price includes all transportation (including all flights), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants ashore, leader services.

Single Room Supplement: £210, €248, $347 (Papeete only), plus £40, €47, $66 at Los Angeles if joining London/London. If you would like guaranteed single occupancy of a cabin on board Braveheart the additional charge is £5500, €6490, $9075. Please note that if you opt to share you will not have to pay the single occupancy supplement even if you do not end up with a cabin-mate. As there are only a small number of cabins on Braveheart, participants travelling alone will have to be prepared to share a cabin with someone of either sex if need be. Bathroom facilities are not en-suite, but elsewhere on the boat, so privacy is assured. If the boat is not full, any spare cabins will be used in the first place to remove the need for any sharing with the opposite sex. Pre-Tour Extension: £400, €472, $660. Post-Tour Extension: £150, €177, $248.

Deposit: £1800, €2124, $2970. Pre-Tour Extension: £240, €283, $396. Post-Tour Extension: £90, €106, $149. If booking more than 12 months before departure, the initial deposit is only £900, €1062, $1485.

The critically endangered Polynesian Ground-Dove, like so many species in the region, has been pushed to the brink of extinction by introduced rats (Pete Morris)

View Map Download Detailed Itinerary 364kb

2 photos View Gallery Photos From FRENCH POLYNESIA, PITCAIRN & HENDERSON

Tiny paradise islands such as this (that have remained rat-free) are the remaining homes for species such as Tuamotu Sandpiper (Pete Morris)

Touamotu Sandpipers can be seen displaying over the tiny islands (or motus) early and late in the day (Pete Morris)

Bristle-thighed Curlews are relatively common winter visitors to these shores (Pete Morris)

Endearing Common White Terns are frequently seen (and in the Marquesas we will see the highly distinctive Lesser White Tern) (Pete Morris)

Blue Noddy is a special seabird with a very localized range (Pete Morris)

More widespread seabirds include Red-footed Booby (Pete Morris)

... and Brown Booby (Pete Morris)

In the Marquesas we will look for a new set of endemics including the lovely Ultramarine Lorikeet (Pete Morris)

... the large and critically endangered Nuku Hiva Imperial Pigeon (Pete Morris)

... and the colourful White-capped Fruit-Dove (Pete Morris)

The air holidays shown are ATOL Protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 2937.
ATOL protection covers those booking a tour with us that includes a flight from London or elsewhere in the United Kingdom, regardless of where in the world you live.

Birdquest Ltd is Registered in England, Company No. 01568270. The address of our registered office is Two Jays, Kemple End, Stonyhurst, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 9QY

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