We headed back to Rikitea to tour the island and drop off the customs official. We were met dockside by residents dressed in traditional costume and of course, the market. They treated us to a dance created especially for us.
After the dance, we toured the island. There are two major exports, lychee nuts and black pearls. They export over 2,000 tons of lychee berries. The trees are everywhere. They bloom in September/October and are harvested and shipped before Christmas. Most of the trees around the old church are lychees.
After a quick bus tour, we were back on the way to the ship.
Always a challenge to board the ship from the barge. Thankfully it wasn’t rough.