Rikitea, 7th of January

Kouaku, 31st of December

Eggs and Chicks on Motu Kouaku

After Christmas, we motored from Onemea Bay to Motu Kouaku which is a small coral islet inside the barrier reef. Motus lie only a few metres above sea level and therefore provide very little protection against wind or swell.  Since the barrier reef is mostly submerged in the south, incoming swell may make the anchorage quite uncomfortable but luckily, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we spent the sunny and windless days snorkelling, sun bathing, and observing white terns (Gygis alba) that nest on the motu.

Like in so many Tuamotu atolls, there is ciguatera also in the Gambier Islands. This means that the fish inside the reef carry neurotoxins that are extremely dangerous, even lethal, to humans and other mammals but quite harmless to the fish themselves and the seabirds that feed on them.

Due to ciguatera, there is no fishing inside the barrier reef, and the fish here are generally big/old and not particularly afraid of humans. Hence, the coral reefs provide an underwater world par excellence for diving and snorkelling! (Unfortunately, our so-called waterproof camera got water inside and ceased to function.)

Besides snorkelling, Kouaku was also rewarding photographing-wise because, unlike most terns, white terns lay their eggs on bare tree branches without bothering to build a nest, and their eggs and chicks of various ages were easy to spot in the thicket that covers the centre of the motu.

Because the egg does not have any protection against strong winds, it may fall off the tree, but should this happen, the tern is quick to lay another egg in its place. The chicks are more fortunate, however, as they have well developed feet with which they can hang on to their precarious home branch. 

The white tern is also known as Fairy Tern or Angel Tern and, in our opinion, the last name in particular is most appropriate for this beautiful bird!