CC BY-SA 3.0, FRED / Wikimedia CommonsLandmark· Akamaru· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Our Lady of Peace Church (Akamaru)
23° 10.5′ S · 134° 55.1′ W · approximate
Akamaru's church of Notre-Dame de la Paix, built in 1835-1862 after Father Laval said the island's first Mass in 1834, stands among abandoned stone houses on a palm-lined grassy road.
Practical
approx: Wikipedia names the church but gives no position. The pin is near the village landing facing the anchorage and may be off by a few hundred metres. Tie the dinghy at the concrete dock and stroll the green road. The church with its bell tower is on the right. Behind it are abandoned stone houses in the tree line. The road continues past a few houses and a small vanilla farm to the beach. Only a handful of families live here (22 people in 2012), and Mangareva residents come over to maintain the church.
Best for
A quiet walk through a tiny missionary village
Nearby
- Akamaru Inner Lagoon (shallow draft)0.1 NM away
- Mekiro Islet Summit Hike0.2 NM away
- Mekiro West Side Snorkel0.3 NM away
- Mekiro Gap Anchorage (Akamaru West)0.4 NM away
- Akamaru Anchorage (Gambier)0.6 NM away
- Akamaru Eastern Beach Walk0.6 NM away
- Aukena Anchorage (Gambier)2.5 NM away
- Aukena SE Reef Snorkel2.5 NM away