April 19 - Tetiaroa: Initial Impressions

Below are some initial student reflections on our time in Tetiaroa. First, though, some pictures of outcomes of traditional weaving we have been learning. The birds (represented in the upper photo) and fish (represented in the lower photo) have an intimate ecological connection as birds feed offshore and, with their guano, bring ocean-derived nutrients to the coral reef environment. This nutrient enrichment supports healthy, harvestable fish populations on the reefs. In conversations with conservation biologists working on Tetiaroa, students have learned about how rat eradication efforts have bolstered populations of nesting sea birds and how studies aim to assess the positive trophic cascades that result from these restoration efforts.  

Magic Moments – Isabella

My first impression of Tetiaroa was that I had stepped into a screensaver or nature documentary because everything around us was so unbelievably pristine and perfect, but what has characterized my time here so far is moments of magic. They say that magic is just science we don’t understand yet, but in the past few days I have had many experiences that can only be described as downright magical.

On the very first night, a small group of us were admiring the stars by the beach when suddenly a shooting star appeared—when we looked back down at the water we were astounded to find a moray eel, seemingly appeared out of nowhere! The next day while exploring Honuea, the sun was shining over our heads with hardly a single cloud in sight, so we were utterly bewildered when it began to rain from what looked like a clear sky. I was in absolute awe at the rainbow that formed right before my eyes, a perfect arch with both ends landing in the turquoise sea. Then there was a squeal of excitement and we all rushed over to see that an octopus had been discovered, with its den right there by the shore!!

Moments like this are what have made Tetiaroa so special, and the fact that places like this can continue to exist amidst all our human destruction gives me hope.

Exploring Honuea – Eli

Our first full day in Tetiaroa began bright and early with a 6:45 departure to the cafeteria for breakfast. Fueled by sandwiches both sweet and savory, we started our journey across shallow waters to the neighboring motu of Honuea. The uninhabited island was small enough to walk its perimeter in a couple hours, so that’s exactly what we did---exploring with the intention of observing different organisms and collecting stray fragments of beach plastic.

Our exploration was filled with curiosity and new experiences, every inch of our walk offered something interesting to catch our eyes. From the early moments of arrival, we observed dozens of ghost crabs skittering away to their dens, hermit crabs of varying color and shape in search for new shells, and large frigate birds flying overhead. As for marine life, we explored coral formations hosting eels like the peppered moray. We also scanned the shore and shallow waters---discovering puffed up pufferfish, a sea cucumber which had recently spilled its guts, and not to mention our very first octopus sighting. As we crowded around it, we witnessed it rapidly change both texture and color, return to its den, and it even gave both David and Jon’s feet a goodbye hug.

Along with our observations, we were also scanning for trash like bags, caps, and other ocean plastics to be identified and separated later in our stay. Near the end of our trek, we were met with a double rainbow---a nice scene to end our short stay in Honuea. As we head into the final week of our trip, we look forward to further exploring and understanding the local ecology of Tetiaroa.