Mangareva

Mangareva is the main island of the Gambier group in the far southeast, a green ridge inside a large lagoon, and its cathedral at Rikitea is the thing to see: Saint-Michel, built of coral lime in the 1840s under the Picpus mission that ran the island for decades, is very large for the population it served and its altar is inlaid with mother of pearl. The lagoon produces some of the most highly regarded black pearls in the territory.

What you actually see

• Saint-Michel cathedral - a coral-built church of the 1840s at Rikitea.
• The mother of pearl altar - the inlay work inside the cathedral.
• The pearl farms - the lagoon that produces the territory's most valued black pearls.
• The lagoon - the wide reef enclosing the island group.

When to go

May to October is the dry season. The Gambiers are cooler and more temperate than Tahiti. Flights are long, infrequent and expensive.

Honest expectations

Getting there means a four-hour flight and then a boat, and services are infrequent. Accommodation is a few pensions. The history of the mission period on the island is contested and not comfortable.

Nearby

The Gambier lagoon surrounds it, and Tahiti is far northwest.