As I walk through the soft talcum-powder white sand searching for shells, the only sound to be heard is the sea gently lapping the shoreline. The shallow surrounding lagoon, almost twice the size of the island of Tubuai, is a shimmering swathe of jade and turquoise. Lost in my thoughts, I venture further along the beach and suddenly I’m broken from my reverie by a passing bus ‒ the one I should be on for the morning excursion.
Usually this would be a cause for complete panic, even more so in a place called Bloody Bay, and with no way back to my ship moored way beyond the cove. Thankfully, things are now very different on the spot where Fletcher Christian, of 18th century mutiny-on-the-Bounty fame, fought a fierce battle with local warriors and local performers are packing up their instruments following the rousing welcome that greeted us ashore and explain my predicament.
