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FRENCH POLYNESIA, PITCAIRN & HENDERSON

Birdquest's French Polynesia, Pitcairn & Henderson birding tour is one of those epic birding tours to the back of beyond where we always wonder whether the next trip will be the last, simply because finding a boat available to do this remote islands cruise is far from certain. This remarkable journey takes in islands that really are tropical paradises, with extraordinary seabirds (so tame you can almost touch them), trusting little Tuamotu Sandpipers and many other wonderful endemics of this largely uninhabited and very special 'Edge of the World' place.

Sunday 14th October - Tuesday 30th October 2012
(17 days)

Marquesas Islands Pre-Tour Extension from Sunday 7th October (7 days)

Rimatara Post-Tour Extension to Friday 2nd November (3 days)

Leader: Derek Scott

Group Size Limit: 12

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)

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.

We will be cruising amongst the islands on either MV Braveheart or MV Claymore. Both are very well equipped and comfortable vessel, 39 metres (128 feet) in length in the case of Braveheart and 52 metres (171ft) in the case of Claymore, with capacity for 12 passengers and five crew. Both vessels have been converted for expedition-style cruising and other purposes and are now based in New Zealand. Each vessel has six twin-berth, fan-cooled cabins and three shared bathrooms for her passengers, modern safety equipment and two zodiacs (inflatables with rigid hulls) for making landings in remote areas. (Fan-cooling is fine in the relatively cool, subtropical conditions prevailing in the area of this cruise). There is a spacious dining area and a smaller lounge/library area with DVD player, power points for computers etc. A large, shaded area on the deck is excellent for seawatching. Both vessels offer much more space and comfort than a yacht and are the perfect kind of vessels 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 vessel 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, Grey and perhaps Blue Noddies, plus a selection of visitors to the area such as Collared and Cape Petrels, and perhaps White-necked Petrel 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.

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

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotel in Papeete is of normal Birdquest standard (luxurious in fact!). For details of the vessel, 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: $12940 Papeete/Papeete. Pre-Tour Extension: $3860. Post-Tour Extension: $1600. Price includes all transportation (including all flights inside French Polynesia), 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: $292 (Papeete only). If you would like guaranteed single occupancy of a cabin on board the ship the additional charge is $11160. 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. Pre-Tour Extension: $590. Post-Tour Extension: $219.

Deposit: 25% of the tour price (including any single supplement), rounded down to the nearest $.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.

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 353kb

Report From September 2010/October 2010 59 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)

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