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Hawk, Beth Leonard and Evan Starzinger see 18th Oct

Report
Rikitea – 23°06.59'S, 134°57.73'W
French Polynesia - Gambier Islands - Rikitea
The local Gendarmerie handles immigration clearance and has stocks of customs documents to be completed and posted to Papeete on arrival and departure.
There is no bank and whilst the local post office will change currency notes it won 't supply cash against a credit card.
Several small local stores have basic provisions but also deal only in cash.
One also runs the local boulangerie with a rod of iron. Most of the population queue up at 16:00 hours to have their names called and orders handed over - to ensure ones own supply its advisable to visit before to order and pay.
There is one store opposite the Gendarmerie run by a Chinaman and his wife that 's reasonably well stocked and does accept credit cards.
An ex-German sailor operating from a small shack at the eastern end of the bay runs an Iaora WIFI connection that can be picked up in the anchorage and paid for on-line.
He also offers a laundry service and a free supply of perfectly acceptable water.
Diesel might be possible when a supply boat calls but is more problematic.

News from Rikitea
The good things are:
Nowhere else have I experienced a man driving by in a pick-up truck to stop, welcome me to his island and give me a pumpkin. Nor workmen whom I stopped to watch as they twisted breadfruit off a tree before handing two of them to me.
A lunch of raw fish in a marinade with onion, cucumber and a little tomato was delicious when accompanied by a couple of pieces of French bread and a bottle of water.
There is a bakery here and I managed to get some after waiting an hour longer than advertised for it to finish baking with most of the island population also waiting there to collect their pre-orders. There 's also a store with some vegetables, beer, wine and a limited selection of dry goods and cans.
There is an old German salt who is the WIFI agent and also offers the use of a washing machine and clothes line and a free supply of well water he says is potable. He also found me a sewing machine from another cruiser, unfortunately not powerful enough to repair my Yankee.
Petrol and Diesel are more problematic but may be available when a supply boat calls in a few days time.
The not-so-good things are:
There is no bank. The post office will change hard currency notes but won’t process credit cards. Local merchants will accept payment only in French Polynesian Francs.
Everything is very expensive – e.g. my lunch cost FFr 1,500 = US$ 16:50.
I have only a very limited supply of cash in US $, AU $ and UK pounds so I can’t afford to buy very much or stay here very long even though things I’d like are available or likely to become so.


Click here for pics. (http://picasaweb.google.com/michael.bickell/GambierIslands?authkey=Gv1sRgCOPDsLO3vIGb-gE&feat=directlink)
Mike Bickell- extract from Grandpa 's Maps.