Hiking and biking in Mangareva, Gambier

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One of the things we really looked forward to in Gambier, was the possibility to hike one day and snorkel by lovely motus the next. Here in Gambier you can do both, as the archipelago has a combination of hilly and lush islands with white sandy and palm clad motus (islets).

The biggest island of Gambier, Mangareva, has two peaks that are visible from quite a distance, Mount Duff (441 meters) and Mount Mokoto (423 meters). The hike to each of them takes about 2 hours from town. One can also combine both peaks in one hike, which supposedly takes 4.5 hours. 

We hiked Mount Duff in beautiful weather, and the views from the peak were really quite astonishing. We could see the full archipelago and had a full 360 degrees view.

Two happy campers starting off on the main road from town

Visible marking as we entered the forest
The trail splits into two different section, to each of the two highest peaks, Mount Duff (also called Auorotini) and Mount Mokoto
Wild raspberries could be found on the way up
We also found pamplemousse (grapefruit) trees, the first we have seen since the Marquesas islands
Pine forest most of the way to the peak

Ropes helped us through the steepest parts of the hike
Beautiful views through the forest on the way up
Views towards the neighboring island, Aukena
The peak is on a narrow ridge
Stunning views from the top
View towards the South and Taravai island
We made it!
The admiral hanging on for dear life… it was fairly hairy at the top…

Besides the awesome peak trails, there are several other trails on Mangareva. There is a ridge running in the middle of the island, splitting the West and East sides. This was the first trail we tried right after we arrived. A total of 1.5 hour hike, taking us through a pine forest, and providing great views of the village, anchorage, and both sides of the island.

Views of the anchorage
Ridge trail
Views of Noxoma at anchorage through the branches
Some areas were secured with ropes

There is also a trial, The Trail of the 12 Apostles, that took us by the waters on the Southern most side of the island. We found little information about this trail online and locally, and were not really prepared that it was as long as it was. We ended up turning around after about an hour into the hike. We later found out that this trail connects with the trail system of the two peaks. This means we would have spent something like 4 hours on this hike, if we had not turned. As we had little water and no food with us, it was probably a wise decision.

The start of the trail was impressive with rocks on the edges of the path
Markings on the trees made it easy to follow
Trail along the water – best accessed during low tide
We found an area where they had cleaned the forest, and the captain picked a piece of wood and made supports for our cell phones and tablet on board
The final product – new mobile holders made by the captain

We have two bikes onboard, and we also enjoyed doing a circumnavigation of the island on them. We discovered that there are several small villages along the coastline on the Western side of Mangareva, as well as an abundance of pearl farms. The circumnavigation took us almost 3 hours, with a few stops here and there.

The Western side with pearl farms in the horizon

We have yet to hike the second to highest peak, Mount Mokoto, and are also looking forward to hiking more trails on the other islands. Lots more to explore!