Caribbean to Tahiti – Spring 2026

Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for: our shore day. After Nick deems the boat spic and span, we embark on our valiant steeds, Nopadome and Plaai, as fast as we can. We tell Shane to go faster, even though we are all gripping the lines inside the dinghy tightly for fear of falling off. It’s worth it, though: we need to get to shore as quickly as possible. No, we were not pressed for time. No, we had no place to be. The only rush was our excitement to set foot on land once again. It only makes sense that after three weeks we would be desperate to reunite the soles of our feet to the Earth we all missed like our own families—it makes sense as well, I think, that the land, Te Henua, feels familial to us too.
Today marks three weeks since we left the Galápagos. Three weeks ago was our last time on land before our great passage across the Pacific.
We pulled up to the dock, timing our exit with the swell of the waves. We have all become masters at reading the waves, knowing the opportune moment to act. We scrambled on up, leaving Shane behind. We stumbled when we hit solid ground, our bodies unused to something so stable. “Landsick” would be too strong a term, but I believe “vertigo” and “need to work on our land legs” are the perfect way to describe how we were.
The first thing we saw when we got off the dock was a fresh fruit market. What an oasis in the desert for us sailors. Those were the best mini bananas I’ve had in my life.
Now this is where our paths diverge for the day, everyone going off in smaller groups on their own adventures. And yet we kept finding each other again, our paths inevitably intercepting like siblings who can’t escape each other, or like soulmates drawn together by a red string of fate. Or maybe we were just in a small-ish town without access to motorized vehicles, so there was only so far we could go.
Despite having no concrete plans or mode of transportation other than our own two feet, I think we all took advantage of the day as best we could, and I think everyone is ultimately satisfied with how the day went. The thing is, I don’t know everyone’s full story, and I don’t believe I have the space to right it all. So I must apologize for this information gap. This is something for all you readers at home to ask your student (or staff) when they return home to you.
I will give a little insight into my day, which may help shed light on what others may have been up to, and then I will describe what happened at 6:15 pm when our worlds all collided again, like the stars do millions of light-years away.

Even though we all “went our separate ways,” a good half of us still ended up at this little store behind the ATM anyway. The lady behind the counter (yes, she was in a small town, but she was not elderly, so alas, she’s not eligible to be the woman in that Pearl Jam song) was really sweet, and we were doing our best to communicate in a little English and a little French. The thing is, though, I wasn’t satisfied with only the two languages. I knew that there was another language here, and I was determined to learn something, even if just one word. I asked her how to say “thank you.” She told me, “kou tau nui.” So I could thank her in three languages: English, French, Te ‘Eo ‘Enana; thank you, merci, kou tau nui.
The first place Stella, Emma, Sydney, and I visited afterward was Tiki Tū Hiva, the statue of the warrior and the woman. She is the “warden of tradition and knowledge”, and with her support, the warrior “steps forward to master his future”. There were many symbols on the ground, and I wish I knew what all of them meant. What caught my eye was the 3D model of the land octopus. Aidan was telling us about how many Polynesian cultures would draw a map of their islands all connected, from Rapa Nui to Tahiti to Samoa to Aotearoa (commonly referred to as New Zealand) and Hawai’i, with Nuku Hiva at its center. The finished map looks like an octopus. He told us that one of the Europeans took their map into consideration, and traveled their pathway on the sea, and found it to be nearly accurate. Aidan has that design tattooed on him. I think it’s a beautiful symbol, with a beautiful significance and history.
We found the Notre Dame Cathedral of Taioha’e, rich with culture and history. We walked around quietly, trying to be respectful as we could. We could feel the energy that the place was giving. We could feel that it was a very special space, and we did our best to honor it.
We found the garden of Tohua Temehea, where we got to stroll among various tikis. Near the outskirts, there was a small building with beautiful art on the outside. We saw that there was a door open, so, being curious, we looked inside. We found a mini artisan market. This is where we joined with Colbie. There were many beautiful necklaces and bracelets, wood carvings…all made by hand. It was all gorgeous. I ended up being the only one who bought anything: a miniature tapestry with a manta ray design on it. I thought it was fitting for us. Unsure, I tested out my new word with the woman. They reacted positively, so I said it again: kou tau nui. How wonderful it was that we wandered in by chance and got to witness a small hint of the rich culture of Nuku Hiva, of Te Henua ‘Enana.
After wandering around for some time, we stumbled upon a little pink building with “snack” in the title. We went in, hoping for some snacks. What we found was some of the best food we have had on land. I had the shrimp, Colbie had the chao maen, and we ate as much as we could. I also had one of the best vanilla ice creams in the world served with it. Every bite filled us. What a wonderful thing it was that we saw this cute little building and decided to wander in.
We took a moment to relax under a tree by the beach. No talking, no rushing, just peacefully existing—us, this tree, and the sound of the waves.
We reunited with more people at Le Nuku Hiva, enjoying the scenery while chilling in nice chairs. I must take a moment to let you all know that the scenery is stunning here. Anyway, I figured that I was ready for more words in Te ‘Eo ‘Enana, which I learned is a dialect spoken in the Northern islands where we were. So I asked the lady behind the counter (also in a small town but not elderly, so alas she too is not yet eligible to be the woman from that one Pearl Jam song (PNW for the win)) how to say two other words I thought would be important to know: hello and goodbye. I got my answer: “ka’oha” and “apai” respectively. No, three words are not enough to really know a language. I know that it is futile to try to learn a language in one day. Still, I found that the deeper connections I made did not come from me saying “merci”, but from me saying “kou tau nui.” This was my way of showing that I cared about this little language on a little island in the Pacific.

Finally, after hours of wandering, hiking, resting, comparing and contrasting grocery stores, it was time for us to reconvene at the Restaurant Moana Nui. “Moana” means “ocean” in most, if not all, of the Polynesian languages (I bet Moana (2016) is making a lot more sense now), and “nui” means “big” in most, if not all, Polynesian languages. So literally, this restaurant was called “Big Ocean,” which is also how I would describe the Pacific.
Together we all sat at this table made for 25, and we had a blast. Dinner was pizza, and we got front row seats to it being baked in a traditional pizza oven. Our voracious appetites were only appeased when the second servings of pizza pies came around. There were lively conversations around the table as we ate pizza and sipped our drinks (everyone grateful for the signout night). Shout out to Will, talking about knee-pits. The staff covered the pizza, and we covered our own drinks and extra food. When Shane came back to the table, he only had one thing to say: “There is one water that has not been paid for yet.” Shoutout to Jonas, aka Big J, for taking one for the team and paying for that water.
On the way back to the dinghy, Shane and I talked about our favorite show, One Piece, and we had a dog following us. Most likely because the dog smelled the pizzas in Shane’s hands. I adored every dog we saw today. And we saw many.
At the docks, our bodies all hesitated before people got in the first dinghy back to Argo. We had just gotten land back. We were reluctant to give it up again so soon. But it matters not, for this won’t be the last time we set food on solid ground before we set sail again.
We got to see the local fishermen cut up some big tuna. I’m talking tuna that is easily bigger than Ani. Sometimes I forget that fish can get that big. It really puts things into perspective.
We were also incredibly captivated by the fishermen cutting up the fish. They had such precision and skill that you could tell came from years of practice and generations of teaching. The best part, though, was when they tossed bits of the tuna back into the water, and a shiver of sharks (yes, that is what you call a group of sharks) swarmed to it instantly. We all watched in fascination, some of us reluctant to board the dinghy to keep watching. Finally, though, we have to relinquish the land and the shark watching. I will note that once it was established how many sharks there were in the area, the dinghies started picking us up far away from where the fishermen tossed the leftover tuna scraps.
(Mom- please don’t worry about me. Although I found it very cool, never in those few minutes did I think it would be a good idea to get in the water with the hungry, hungry sharks. My feet were rooted to the ground. We were all very safe on the dock and in the dinghy away from the sharks. I promise.

The sky is so dark, and there are many stars out tonight. I want to sing and dance to them. Maybe they will sing back.
Overall, today was a good day. And there is nowhere else in the world we would rather be right now.
Best fishes (there are many benefits to being a marine biologist),
SkylAr (the better Skylar)