but I'm embarrassed to say that I know very little about the country and the cultures they come from, which is why I'm off on a voyage ` a journey of discovery across the Pacific. Captions by Antony Vlug. Edited by Tom Wilson. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2014 Tahiti has long been seen as the archetypical south seas paradise, but it's just one of French Polynesia's 130 islands, spread over a massive 2,500,000 square kilometres of ocean. Politically, French Polynesia is a bit of an oddity. It has its own parliament and president but is officially described as being an overseas country inside the French Republic. LAID-BACK GUITAR MUSIC My first stop is the atoll of Rangiroa, a circular collection of tiny islands and sandbars surrounding a massive lagoon. This means that people here spend a lot of time on the water. What a great commute. Every day you come out here and go to work? Yes. Yes. Jeez, that must be difficult (!) Very (!) Very (!) (CHUCKLES) Sebastien is taking me to see something truly unique for a Pacific atoll ` a vineyard. This is a special tree we plant all along over there to protect the wine from the wind. Ah, is it a casuarina? Casuar-eena? Why? You know, I look around, and I look at all of the effort and how difficult it must be to grow wine here, and I think, 'Why?' The main owner loves challenge. So it was a new challenge for him, and he loves wine. The French Polynesia consume around two and three million bottles a year, so why not producing locally? Yeah. And when you told all of your friends, you were a winemaker at that stage? Yes. > Yes. > That you were coming here to... (SCOFFS) to grow grapes on a` on a coral atoll, what did they say? At the beginning, they say, 'You're crazy, and it's a` it's a joke. It's not real.' Then when they see photos, years after years, they understand that, uh, we` we did, uh, very hard work. What would be some of the more unusual problems? Uh, main problems are the crabs, which eat the small vine, which is something unusual. (CHUCKLES) I` I bet in all of the books, in the thousands of years they've been making wine in France, no one ever had to write a solution to crabs, yeah. Cos what would they do? They would come in and` and eat the little shoots? It's, uh... The vine is very fragile as it's` as it's starting, when the leaves are very fragile, but, uh, when the vine is adult, there is no more problem with the crabs. Right. And what's that? Right. And what's that? This is an aerial root. Normally, they would go in the ground. Right. Right. It needs protecting from the sun so the wine, uh,... catch by themselves, uh,... the water in the air. Jeepers. So it is so humid that roots that normally grow in the ground... Yes. Yes. ...get confused and grow there. Yes. ...get confused and grow there. Yeah, that's it. Wow. I knew it was hot. I knew I'm sort of sweaty, but that is` that is quite something. What's the best thing about working here? What's the best thing about working here? If you love the sea, the water, it's beautiful to live here. it's beautiful to live here. Gosh, yeah. it's beautiful to live here. Gosh, yeah. But there is no cheese! There is no French cheese. There is no French cheese. (LAUGHS) It's probably too hot. It's probably too hot. It's a very big problem. It's probably too hot for sure. With just over 2000 people on the atoll, Rangiroa is a quiet little place. Kia orana. Kia orana. Kia orana. How are you? Kia orana. Kia orana. How are you? Very good. Rangiroa translates as 'vast sky', but it's not only the sky that's big. It's one of the world's largest atolls, which means that it surrounds an enormous lagoon. Even at a fair old clip, it still takes us over an hour to get to the other side. UNEASY MUSIC The lagoon at Rangiroa is nearly 4500 square kilometres, but here at the Blue Lagoon, we're inside a lagoon literally inside the lagoon. It's stunningly beautiful and thus very popular with tourists, but it is fair to say it's perhaps more popular with some of the more bitey locals. I've been reassured that, uh, they're not all that interested in man meat. Oh Jesus! Oh my God! Oh, it touched me. I touched a shark. Although French Polynesia seems the perfect place for a luxury break, with the global financial crisis, what people are actually taking breaks from are luxury breaks, which means tourism, their biggest industry, is down 40%. UPBEAT MUSIC Although you don't have to visit French Polynesia to appreciate all of its beauty, because one of its major exports is black pearls. So, this is where they're seeded? So, this is where they're seeded? Yes, yes, what we call the first seeding. This is a very... complicated and very simple thing. BOTH LAUGH BOTH LAUGH You know? We'll put inside the animal two things ` the first is the bead, and the second part is live cells. And these live cells produce mother-of-pearl. Finally, after two years, when it's finished, we'll have a pearl with a bead coated with mother-of-pearl around. we'll have a pearl with a bead coated with mother-of-pearl around. It looks very repetitive. Uh, yes. That's why not everybody can do this job, you know? Uh, one` one operation, one graft, he lasts about 15 seconds. So he has to do that all the day, and after, uh... after the day ` a big siesta, we say. Big siesta. Because I` you know, I imagine if they` if they get it wrong,... no pearl; oyster might die? You're right. You're right. In fact, we have a success rate of about 70%. Now the` the shells have been seeded, so we have to attach them. We attach them in rope like that, and then just after, we protect them in some kind of plastic cages and put on the lagoon and wait for two years to grow the pearl. Is there anything out there that` in the lagoon that wants to eat them? (LAUGHS) Unfortunately, a lot. A lot of things. You know, I love to eat fish, but I hate some fish because they eat our shells. So we have really to protect the animals. So they'll go out there now, and that'll be... In another two years, you'll haul them up, and you` and you won't know what to expect. Some good ones, some bad ones. Some good ones, some bad ones. Yeah, that's right. It's always a surprise. UPBEAT MUSIC LAID-BACK GUITAR MUSIC Ah, the business end. Yes, this is the harvest. When we harvest, we don't kill the animals. We give again to the technician, and we carefully open the shells the same way in the first operation and try to remove the pearl without damaging the` the shell. This must be quite the complicated part of the business. This must be quite the complicated part of the business. Yes, yes. He has a lot of pressure. And a lot of patience. I don't think I'd have steady enough hands to hold the little pearl, even going over to there. Unfortunately, the pearl industry's sheen has also been clouded by the world's economic woes. How many people do you employ now? 20 people. Still working from the 80 we were a few years ago. But, uh, still waiting for the best days. Cos that's a` You know, in a community as small as this, those extra 60 jobs ` you know, it must have quite an impact. Yes, right, right. You know, in Rangiroa, a place like that, they still can fish, uh, make the copra, and also everybody help... everybody. So it's still very friendly. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. To the oyster and all of the people who labour so intensively to create that beautiful pearl. LAID-BACK GUITAR MUSIC For all intents and purposes, that appears to be another palm tree, but if you look closely, you'll see that it is in fact a cunningly disguised telecommunications device. The great thing is if you sit underneath that, no danger of being hit by a falling coconut. You'll just be subjected to a low level of radioactivity ` how fitting for French Polynesia. Why? Well, one of the most recognized parts of French Polynesia is Mururoa Atoll, just one of the places France used to test their nuclear bombs ` beginning with an atmospheric test on the atoll in 1966. POIGNANT MUSIC Everyone has their moments in NZ's past that makes them proud to be a NZer. For me, one of the most significant was in 1973, when Prime Minister Norman Kirk sent a frigate to protest French nuclear testing in Mururoa. He told the crew of the Otago their mission was an honourable one ` to be 'a silent witness with the power to bring alive the conscience of the world'. Well said, Norman Kirk. Well said. The protest forced the French to move all further testing underground. They finally stopped in 1996 after a total of 193 nuclear tests. This is the island of Raiatea, home to one of Polynesia's most sacred sites, the ancient Taputapuatea marae. Established 1000 years ago, it was for centuries the hub of Polynesian religion and wisdom where tribal leaders, priests and master navigators would gather to share their knowledge, leading to expeditions as far afield as Hawaii, Easter Island, and NZ. Many Polynesians now make the return journey on pilgrimages back to this very spot. It must be ` and` and I guess you've seen it a number of times ` a very emotional moment for people when they first come back here on to the marae. Yeah, sure, sure, because, uh, at one time of the life, you... you have, uh, to... wonder, uh, who you are, from where you come from. Because this land belongs to all of the Pacific. It is our land. It is the land of, uh, Maori. It is the land of, uh, people of, uh, Rarotonga, uh, of, uh, Rapa Nui. We are all brothers and sisters. It is, uh,... the place. It is the place. It is not around. It is the place. Everything begins here. REFLECTIVE MUSIC Guy and the other guardians of Taputapuatea are currently working to have the marae listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The stillness of Taputapuatea seems a world away from the bustle of French Polynesia's most famous island, Tahiti, which, it's fair to say, has a more recent mythology all of its own. When many people think of Tahiti, they think of the work of Paul Gauguin. In his paintings, he depicted the place as an erotic Eden where the natives lived solely to sing and make love. I used to think that about Hamilton. It was, of course, a total fabrication designed solely to arouse in his Parisian audience a sense of titillation. The irony, of course, is that a lot of the marketing for Tahiti uses a similar sense of sexual mythology. Hamilton doesn't ` it's probably why they have far fewer visitors. The people of French Polynesia aren't just French or Polynesian. There's also a large Chinese community, especially in the capital, Papeete. RHYTHMIC DRUMMING LAID-BACK GUITAR MUSIC I'm meeting NZ-born Ruth Chisaka at the heavily Chinese-influenced night markets the locals call Les Roulottes. Isn't this quiet? What a wonderful little night market. Isn't this quiet? What a wonderful little night market. Yes, indeed. > And I noticed that obviously there's a lot of Chinese food. Chinese food ` highly influenced by Chinese. Tahitians are good eaters but not necessarily good cooks. Can I have a, uh, chow mein special? And the... Uh, raw fish ` poisson cru. Yes, merci. A manger ou apporter? A manger ou apporter? Um, a manger. A manger ou apporter? Um, a manger. D'accord. How did the Chinese come to be here? How did the Chinese come to be here? Ah, the Chinese. In fact, during the Civil War in the United States, an English man, uh, ` oh, Scottish, I believe ` uh, came to Tahiti and made a cotton field here. He had a hard time explaining to Tahitians that they had to work to earn money to feed themselves. They were already feeding themselves. I imagine big coconuts falling out of the sky and fish swimming up out of the sea. Yes, and so he thought of, um, bringing in Chinese coolies. At least they knew why they were there ` why they were working and the money they were earning. First arrival ` about a thousand of them coming to work on the cotton field with contracts renewable every seven years. That's a long, long time to be away from home, isn't it? That's a long, long time to be away from home, isn't it? Yes, yes. So they were paying the families of the worker directly in China. Uh, when he finally filed for bankruptcy, towards the end, for the families that didn't save enough money to get their worker back,... unfortunately he just had to` to settle in Tahiti, have a new family, and... So if they hadn't saved up money in China to bring him home at the end,... Bring him home at the end. Bring him home at the end. ...he got stuck here? Too bad for him (!) (LAUGHS) I don't think he was complaining, as you can see. These beautiful Tahitian girls with long hair, uh, come from the Chinese heritage. Oh, thank you. Look at that! Bon appetit. LIVELY VIOLIN MUSIC UPBEAT UKULELE MUSIC This is a breadfruit ` so called because when it's cooked, it tastes like bread. And it's breadfruit that the crew of the Bounty spent an idyllic five months here in Tahiti cultivating in order to take the plants to the Caribbean to feed the slaves. As we all know, they never made it, the crew of the Bounty staging one of the most famous mutinies in history. The irony, of course, is that once breadfruit was taken to the Caribbean, the slaves, well, they didn't really like it and refused to eat it. A quick ferry ride from Tahiti, the island of Moorea is very popular as a tourist destination. But the impact of hotels and other developments has been detrimental to the island's coral and marine life. If we look at there and see all of that dead coral, what's killing it? If we look at there and see all of that dead coral, what's killing it? Humans. Humans. Humans. They made walls and channels. And walls and channels is very... it's a big problem for corals. Waves come in in the wall and make a splash in the wall, and, uh, it, uh,... produce a big erosion. So it, sort of, comes in and` and scours it out and takes it all back out again? Yeah. And the beach is very very important for a marine ecosystem, because it's a nursery for small fishes. And here we have small fishes, but we have too, uh,... big` bigger fishes. And bigger... They eat the smaller, yeah. They eat the smaller, yeah. Smaller. So that's why there is less and less and less fish in the lagoon. And that's why Agnes and others have helped establish marine reserves around Moorea. And it's one of those that we're going to experience today in a very special way. This helmet is a very old principle. So, the first, it was like, uh, bell diving. The first bell diving was in 1630, OK, so it was not a yellow helmet like this. It was a bell without any glass, and they used to put in the water, and they go so the air was inside. But it's closed at the top, so the air goes out of the shoulder. So whatever you do, the water will stay here. So how much does that weigh? So how much does that weigh? It's, uh, 40 kilo, almost, each, uh` each helmet, OK? But in the water, it's full of air, so it's nothing in the water. And so for people who want to do this, they don't have to have` Any experience? No. Any experience? No. It can be their first time? You don't need to be a swimmer, because we don't swim, so we can take people... It's very funny, because at the beginning they are a little nervous, but after, it's` it's one of the easier ways to go underwater ` easier than snorkelling, in fact. BREEZY '60S LOUNGE MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES That was great. I enjoyed that a great deal. In fact, I reckon if more aquariums did this... Yeah. Yeah. You know the big aquariums? The big aquariums, yeah. The big aquariums, yeah. Yeah. You should be able to rent a helmet and walk around in an aquarium. That'd be great. Here on Moorea, I've had the good fortune to spot a little piece of Aotearoa. Kia ora. Permission to come aboard? < Yeah, come on up. That's pretty graceful (!) (LAUGHS) These two waka tapu have sailed thousands of miles across the Pacific, from NZ to Easter Island, and are now on their way home again. And here you are, in many ways amazingly still alive. Yes. It is amazing, isn't it? (LAUGHS) Do you think it's been important for greater Polynesia to make these journeys to prove that they could all be done traditionally in vessels like this? I think the proving that they could be done has been done already in the past. I think what's important now is to` is reigniting those old alliances and those connections back here, so for us coming here is about that ` it's about whanaungatanga. It's about our family connections to the people here. Ever have anyone that signed up and then after a couple of days went, 'This is not for me'? BOTH LAUGH BOTH LAUGH I have to tell you it's too late once you're a day out. We don't go back because somebody says, 'Don't want to do this now.' So if they can swim for a day and a half to get home, then, hey, they're quite welcome. Well, actually, we wouldn't do that, but... (LAUGHS) Well, actually, we wouldn't do that, but... (LAUGHS) Just reassure them that it'll be OK. Once we're on our way, if we get somebody that actually feels like they have to go home, we say, 'We'll send you home from the next port.' But for those that take that extra step, even though they've known fear for their lives, to then carry on ` man, that's courage. You know, that's courage. Now you get to do the manly work of pulling it back up again. That's my forte (!) That's my forte (!) (CHUCKLES) You know, there must have been some moments when you just thought, 'What am I doing?' Oh, there's lots of those moments, mate, yeah. Yep, there's` you get moments of terror. You know, or just, um,... off the bow, not` not even 10ft off the bow, a humpback whale will breach in front of you, and your steerer says, 'Should I turn up?' And you say, 'Of course you turn up!' (LAUGHS) 'Don't hit him!' And then he goes down, and he comes up over here, and you see the big eye looking at you as he goes past, and then he slides down into the deep, and he's gone, and you just... (EXHALES) You see that, eh, and you think, 'Easy to believe in` in sea demons at that point.' Oh no, I don't believe in sea demons. Oh, the Europeans did ` terrified the bloody bejesus out of them. Oh, the Europeans did ` terrified the bloody bejesus out of them. BOTH LAUGH French Polynesia's president recently declared that they should become independent, but with their major industries of tourism and pearls in recession and France subsidising their economy to the tune of around a billion Euros a year, the opinion of locals is certainly split. Even so, it may only be a matter of time before French Polynesia is no longer French. There's over 100 islands in French Polynesia, and you could spend a number of years visiting them all. I've been here a week and seen four, but from them, I can totally understand why it is that for over 200 years, this has been considered the archetypical south seas paradise. However, given the issues and how they'll respond to them, we'll just have to wait and see whether or not it becomes a paradise lost. Maururu, French Polynesia. Au revoir. 'Paradise lost' ` that's the most... pompous pontification I think I've pronounced in any number of years. Sorry, everyone. Just, you know, struck me as being oddly appropriate. BREEZY '60S LOUNGE MUSIC Captions by Antony Vlug. Edited by Tom Wilson. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2014