On Sunday, June 12, 2022, Kevin and I hopped on a boat for the "Ultimate Tour" of Tetiaroa. We boarded a boat with the new (only two weeks) manager of The Brando, a sweet couple from outside of London who were ending their "six week holiday" through Hawaii and the Polynesian Islands at the Brando, and a young couple who was not interested in any of the old people on the boat with them.
Our guide was named Teva (pronounced Teh-va). The boat left the shores of the resort Motu (Tahitian word for island) Onetahi and headed to the shores of Motu Oroatera, which is an island where the Tetiaroa Society is focusing conservation efforts on the Aito tree and coconut crabs and different bird species.
We started out our tour walking along the "beach" which is composed of tons of crushed coral shells and rocks. Teva told us to stop, hold still, and look down. After about 45 seconds, it looked like the entire shore was moving because it was so filled with hermit crabs. There were so many that you couldn't even count them and they were in constant motion--some moved lightning quick and some very slowly. We were introduced to a "strawberry" hermit crab that is larger than most and has a beautiful red body with white dots on it, similar to the look of a strawberry.
After that, we walked into the forest of Aito trees.
It looked like what I would imagine a primitive forest looked like--huge canopies formed by tall tall trees and roots and super soft ground underneath. Teva explained the birth of a motu to us and then went into fascinating details about the Aito tree and how it is able to be practically hollowed out in the middle, but continue growing despite that. . . .
We were then introduced to a young coconut crab that was a spectacular shade of blue and climbs like a spider. They live over 100 years and the force of their pincher claw is stronger than the jaw of a great white shark. They are called coconut crabs because they can literally break coconuts with their claws and eat the meat. Unbelievable!
As we were heading out of the forest and going back to the boat, we were all looking straight ahead to the boat. And this is the part that matters . . . Teva put up his hand and said, "Stop. Look down. (we saw the crabs moving again) Look up. (we saw several types of birds circling above) Look around. (we saw the tree we had all walked under as we were exiting the forest)." Lo and behold, there were three different species of birds nesting right over our heads as we left the forest--THREE! Not one of us had noticed it and we walked right underneath it.
Teva encouraged us all to stop. Notice. There are surprises and beauty everywhere you look, but you cannot see any of it if you don't stop. If I remember nothing else of our amazing journey around the world, I hope my heart holds onto that lesson and stops to enjoy my surroundings, because there truly is beauty in everything.
After reflecting on Teva and his spirit, I remembered that "te" in French means he and "va" means go. I cannot think of a more fitting name for our guide--he teaches, he guides, and his lessons will stay with us even after he goes. . . .
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