Marike Van Zyl

Author's posts

Dives and Currents – by Franci

The thing that is both the beauty and danger of coral atolls is, well the coral. The inside of the coral rings are speckled by countless ‘bommies’ of coral rising up from the bottom to sit just under the water’s surface. If the light hits the water at the wrong angle, such ‘bommies’ are completely …

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Atolls – by Karin Jnr

Ok, another blog. I guess I’ll write about some pacific place or other, but for now it’s rather undefined. (See that pun? Huh? Huh? Funny right? I am master of all puns!!!)   Well, ok then, let’s get started on today’s subject; Makemo. But first we need to enlighten you on the very last antics …

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Kon-Tiki – by Karin Jnr.

Ok, so this blog has some lessons in history included. Just a warning to all you people out there who’ve already had too much of school, despite the fact that it’s only just started. It’s a pretty cool history story, and I’ll try to keep you interested. If I’ll succeed is another thing, but I …

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Our first atoll: Raroia – by Marike

When Franci and I reached the age where we were reading a lot, my Dad supplied us with many adventure books. Specifically books that he felt had helped further his “sail around the world” dream. Willard Price’s Hal and Rodger series seemed to have played a big part. It was in one of those books, …

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Polynesian Dancing….sort of. – by Karin Jnr.

Frankly, when we arrived in Nuku-Hiva I was quite relieved. We had read a book that took place on the island. It was written quite a few years ago, when there were still cannibals prowling about. The place that they write about in the book actually exists. The writer had spent some of his years …

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Nuku Hiva – by Marike

Nuku Hiva didn’t have very clear water, but it wat GREAT to see land again! Nuku Hiva is an imposing island, with shear walls curling around the sheltered valleys. Once we were anchored inside the little bay, we were almost surrounded by land, as the opening to the bay isn’t that big. What do I …

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Operation Mahi-Mahi – by Sophia

  Now before I start with this story  I must say that we are not the best fish caching people. So if you happen to be a good fisherman then it would probably be a good idea for you not to read this, because you would get a heart-attack.   We as a family have …

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Intermission – by Franci

During the three week crossing from Galapagos to Marquesas we, (i.e. my Dad), had time to plan our route through the Pacific and at which islands we’d have time to stop. Unfortunately, because of our long delay in Panama and our deadline to be in Fiji at 1 October, we only had about 3 months …

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Galápagos overview add-on – By Franci

First of all I want to apologise to all our readers for the time it has taken for us to put up a new post. During our stay among the Pacific Islands we had the very legitimate excuse that there simply was not enough internet for blogging. But I’m afraid no such excuse can be …

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Coconuts – by Karin Jnr.

Coconuts rock. I opened coconuts. There is this niche where three coconut trees grow. They are out of the way, sort of on the edge of the jungle, so their coconuts weren’t harvested early to keep the population safe.( Falling Coconuts have caused more deaths than sharks).   The first time I found a coconut …

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