Manihi

Manihi is where the black pearl industry of French Polynesia started: the first farms were set up on this atoll in the 1960s, grafting the black-lipped oyster in the lagoon, and the trade spread from here across the Tuamotu to become the territory's main export after tourism. Farms still work the lagoon and some take visitors through the grafting and harvesting. The atoll is small with a single pass and one village. The atoll is an oval about twenty-seven kilometres long and eight wide, with the village and the airstrip on the southwestern rim and the rest of the ring made up of small motu.

History

Two ancient Polynesian marae built of coral blocks stand on Manihi. The first recorded Europeans to reach it were the Dutch explorers Jacob le Maire and Willem Schouten on their Pacific voyage of 1615-1616, who called it Waterland Island, and the British explorer John Byron, who arrived in June 1765, named it Prince of Wales Island (Wikipedia, Manihi).

What's there

• The pearl farms - working operations in the lagoon, some taking visitors.
• The grafting process - the technique the whole industry rests on.
• The industry's origin - the atoll where Polynesian pearl farming began.
• The pass - the single opening between lagoon and ocean.

When to go

May to October is the dry season. Farm visits should be arranged in advance. Flights are limited.

Practical notes

The pearl industry has contracted and fewer farms operate than at its peak. Facilities on the atoll are very limited. Flights are infrequent.

Nearby

Rangiroa is southwest, and Tikehau is beyond it.

Key facts