The start of our Easter Island voyage brings us to the Acteon Island group. The four islands comprising this part of French Polynesia are subgroup of the Tuamotu Islands located about 1,400 kilometers south of our destination in Tahiti. As the undersea specialist on this journey, my interest was certainly sparked when we were told we’d be snorkeling and diving in waters no one had entered before. Needless to say, the experiences had today were once-in-a-lifetime.
9/29/2022
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National Geographic Resolution
A Day at Sea – French Polynesia
Today is the day that everyone dreads, the last sea day of the voyage as National Geographic Resolution powers her way towards the island of Rapanui. We experienced so many memories and powerful moments throughout this voyage. The early morning began with an art tour that highlighted the exhibits on the ship. Ably led by cultural specialist Jennifer Kingsley, guests were captivated by her interpretations of the art as she shared about the artists’ visions and ideas. National Geographic photographer Susan Seubert led a workshop on the workflow associated with digital photography. Afterwards, we began preparing for tonight’s slideshow by gathering the photos that will remind us of each day of this voyage. Mid-afternoon, expedition leader Alex Searle, an expert on Rapanui, began to prepare us for what awaits with a presentation about the island. Teatime was a special wine tasting event, and we ended the day with our Captain’s Farewell cocktail party. Captain Heidi Norling gave a heartfelt recap of the entire voyage, and we completed the day with an auction of some very special items. Kenneth Valdueza, a member of our deck team, illustrated a gorgeous chart of the region we have travelled. With fabulous, intricate pencil drawings, he brought the undersea world to life with representations of a blacktip reef shark, a spotted eagle ray, a sea turtle, and various creatures from the reef. Guests were blown away by his artwork, and two of our guests made a generous donation to the crew fund for the opportunity to take this beautiful artwork home with them. Cheers, everyone.
