|
| Black Pearl Farm Excursion | On a cruise to Tahiti and the South Pacific, you may take a shore excursion when docked at Raiatea that included a visit to a small, family-operated black pearl farm. You may also snorkel at a small motu that is about a five-minute boat ride from Tahaa, where the Motu Pearl Farm was located. On such shore excursion there is a little for everyone. The covered boat takes passengers from the motu to the pearl farm, so those who are not interested in seeing how pearls are grown may just choose to stay on the island and swim, snorkel, or sit in the sun.
The singing family will greet your covered boat. You will be divided into two groups of about 10 each to listen to the presentation on pearl-making.
On listening to the presentation, you will see why the black pearl, poe rava, are so expensive.
Pinctada margaritifera, the oyster that grows the pearls, is extremely abundant in Polynesian waters. Since ancient times, the shells of the oyster have been used to make jewelry, fish hooks, and lures. Besides, the European button industry used a large amount of the shells prior to the invention of cheaper means to make buttons. The cultivation of black pearl now takes place on about 30 islands in the South Pacific, and has largely replace copra (coconut meat) and fishing as a source of revenue.
The pearls of Pinctada margaritifera vary in color from pearly white to nearly black and include purple, gray, champagne, and greenish colors. And there are no pearls that are completely black in color like an onyx.
Producing pearls is an arduous process, and not just for the oysters. Divers collect three- to five-year-old oysters to be used for the pearl cultivation, or they are raised by the pearl farmer. Farmers can't then just sit back and watch the oysters grow. They must remove the oysters from the water about every three months and wash them with a spray hose to remove any algae that have grown on the shells and prevent the algae from killing the oysters.
After the excursion, you may go shopping in the small shop operated by the farm.
|
|
xn--80aabb9b.xn--90a1af.xn--p1acf