Hiking in the Gambier Islands: the 12 Apostles

Where we saw ruins in the jungle and snorkelled with our dog friend 🤿

We had already hiked up the two largest mountains in the Gambier Islands, and wanted to check out a different walk and potentially find some good snorkelling. Off we went to the 12 Apostles trail which hugs the coast of Mangareva.

We ended up hiking this trail twice. The first time, we’d started later in the day and had to head back before we got stuck in a random part of the island in the dark. The next day we got up early so we could spend more time there.

Here’s what I noted down afterwards.

Day 1

It’s lunch time when we decide to go for a walk to try to find the 12 Apostles trail.

We meander through the cemetery, to check out the tomb of King Maputeoa which has an aito (pine) growing out of the ceiling. We explore the ruins of the Convent which feels lonely and desolate.

Then the descent. It’s 12 zigs and zags, hence the name of the path. We plunge down into the shadow of the jungle.

The path is full of trees with orange and yellow and burgundy flowers. At one point we go through the trees to check out the water.

The sand is pristine and white, sinking deliciously under our feet. A short distance away two brown, mostly naked children play on a paddle board. They wave and call out to us. They’re the last people we see for a long time.

We keep walking, stopping every now and again to check out a beach. Endless, empty, completely our own. We come across ruins in the jungle. Crumbled grey stone houses with no roofs, trees growing out of them, left to decay.

At one point we stop to have a dip. We have a vague aim to find a place to snorkel and to get to the end of the trail.

Eventually, when we realise it’s gotten quite late, we decide to call it and start heading back. We float in the warm lagoon as the sun begins its descent and throws long fingers of golden light over everything.

The sun sets and the sky is purple as we walk back towards town.

Day 2

Back to the 12 Apostles! This time we set out early with a 5am start. The aim today is to find a good place to snorkel.

It’s faster this time now that we know the markers. We find a couple of promising options as we walk. When we come to a wonderful little beach, with the reef not too too far away, we decide to pause and have our breakfast.

I can’t help being anxious. I keep thinking about how I don’t know the local emergency number, how I have no phone reception, how emergency services would even get down here if something happened. A stonefish sting, a shark attack. Why do I torture myself with these thoughts?

But it’s all good. The place is AMAZING. The coral structures are so different to home, like a fish city constructed with tall buildings, wide valleys and highways. The fish are massive, parrotfish in blues and oranges, the angelfish as tall as a basketball.

Later, Martin asks about fishing here and we find out that none of the locals fish on this side of the island due to the toxins in the coral which transfers to the fish. Martin looks devastated; one fish could feed a whole family!

Kura-iti (our pooch friend I wrote about here) follows us into the water. The only problem is that she panics a bit and wants to stand on you in the depths. Martin tells me to swim away from her but she keeps coming after me and putting her paws on my shoulders. Her long nails leave big red scratches all over my skin.

What a weird dog.

We're going to blame the terrible photography skills on the underwater camera.

We decide after some eating, sketching, drinking and swimming to see if we can find the end of the trail and another spot to snorkel. After a long while of scrambling up and down, with one really steep bit with a rope, we call it quits.

I’m glad we did. Turns out the path goes all the way around the island. That’s a long hike!

The illustrations for this post were originally created for a story published in Going Down Swinging called The Stored History of these Corals. You can read the full thing here.

Interested in learning more about the Gambier Islands? Here’s my first post on our stay. Stay tuned for our electric bike tour of Mangareva, and our boat tour of four different islands within the lagoon.