Each of these islands is an incredible destination but together they make for the voyage of a lifetime and memories that will last forever.

We start this part of the journey at Easter Island, the land of the lost civilisation of the Rapa Nui with its mysterious giant stone 'Moai' heads.  Easter Island, lies 2,100 miles west of the South American coast.  Depending on the inbound flight schedules you will have 2-3 days exploring ashore prior to joining the ship to commencing your voyage.
Much has been written about the giant stone heads, or Moai and the mysterious culture of the ancient Rapa Nui, but to stand beside these monolithic carvings as their enigmatic faces look out to sea, is to understand the people’s motivations and the lessons we can learn from their demise. Guided tours can be arranged locally for a modest cost (US$18-20). Setting sail we head west across the heart of the Pacific.

1,300 miles or 12-13 days sailing from Easter Island we navigate to a tiny speck in the South Pacific. The coordinates are 25 04 S, 130 06 W - Pitcairn Island, the last hideaway of the Bounty mutineers. What has helped to perpetuate the romantic fascination with the mutiny is the existence of a small community on Pitcairn Island directly descended from the mutineers and their Tahitian wives.

Sighting Pitcairn from the decks of a square rigged sailing ship puts one in rare company. Living on a 1¾ square mile volcanic outcrop that is surely one of the most isolated in the world, the contemporary Pitcairn Islanders still bear the surnames of the eighteenth century mutineers (Tom Christian, for example, is the great-great-great-grandson of Fletcher).

The Pitcairn islanders speak a dialect that is a hybrid of Tahitian and eighteenth-century English. We hope to stay several days anchored off Adamstown, depending on prevailing conditions, enjoy the islanders’ hospitality and thoroughly explore the island, visiting the Lookout Peak and Fletcher's Hideout cave.

From Pitcairn we sail northwards into French Polynesia and the spectacular Marquesas islands. The soaring volanic peaks covered in lush rainforest are as spectacular now as they were 100 years ago when Paul Gauguin lived and was buried here. Vivid green clings to cliffs that plunge vertically to bays and anchorages and here local Polynesian culture survives in this least visited part of French Polynesia. It is 900 miles westwards to Tahiti which will navigate through via the idyllic Tuamotu archipelago.

How long we spend at each landfall will depend on our  passage time from Easter Island and the Captain will decide this en passage with reference to wind and chart, just as tallship navigators have done since Cook and Bougainville first explored these waters.

Sighting Otaheite (or Tahiti as it is now known), on the horizon will signal the completion of our unique journey. To arrive in the Society Islands of Polynesia by square rigger, after a great sea journey, is to experience the sense of wonder as the first European explorers here. Our final destination will be the capital Papeete.

On arriving onboard you will be shown your berths, introduced to the crew, and signed on Ship's Articles as Voyage Crew members. Much of the morning will be spent introducing you to the ship and explaining the various routines, safety procedures and equipment and how the watch system works.

During a ocean passage the ship is sailing 24 hours a day and as voyage crew you will stand deck watches and participate within a normal 4 hours on / 8 hours off watch system. While on watch the voyage crew are under the care and instruction of the watch officer and other permanent crew. Everyone stands a trick (a turn) on the helm, takes lookout on bow watch, helps fill in the ship's deck log and helps handle sail as required.
Today we have the benefit of modern electronic navigational aids but you might want to try your hand at using a sextant and see the principles of traditional navigation demonstrated in an authentic ocean setting.

The true joy of ocean sailing is to experience the unique sense of escape and freedom that comes with having an uninterrupted horizon and knowing that land may lie hundreds of miles away in any direction. At sea each day is unique and the dynamic of the ocean and beauty of the skies leaves a profound impression on those who have not experienced it before.
If you have a particular interest in traditional tallship sailing there is plenty of time to master the brigantine rig or become adept at working aloft in the rigging. Going up the mast is certainly not compulsory (nor is any other activity that you are not comfortable with) however it is an experience that is not available to any other type of sailing and is considered by many as one not to be missed.

The camaraderie of a crew that sail many miles together is very special and friendships that are made aboard a sailing ship can last a lifetime. It is a prominent part of ocean sailing and the bonds that are made between those that share such a voyage are beyond measure.

About the Søren Larsen
Now famous for providing sail training adventure voyages and as the star of the BBC’s classic series "The Onedin Line", the Soren Larsen was originally one of the last cargo carrying sailing ships trading throughout Scandinavia, northern Europe and Britain. Built of oak by the Danish ship building company of 'Soren Larsen & Sons' in Nykobing Mors in northern Denmark, she carried timber, grain and general cargo from 1949 to 1972. Purchased in 1978 by her present owner Tony Davies and his family, she was taken to Colchester on the east coast of England and lovingly restored and rerigged as the graceful 19th century brigantine she is today. Captain Davies specialised in period film work and so the Soren Larsen began her working life again in early 1979 starring in "The Onedin Line". Other projects followed including "The French Lieutenant’s Woman" and "Shackleton". In 1982 she was invited to pioneer sailing for the disabled for the Jubilee Sailing Trust in Southampton before being chosen, in 1987, to be Flagship of the First Fleet Re-enactment Voyage to celebrate Australia’s Bicentennial. She led a fleet of squareriggers on an ambitious 22,000 mile voyage from Portsmouth via Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town, arriving to a tumultuous welcome in Sydney in 1988.

She came to Auckland in 1989 to represent Britain in the 150th Celebrations and was made so welcome that she adopted New Zealand as her base from which to cruise the idyllic South Pacific Islands, taking many first time sailors on adventure holidays to Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji and Vanuatu. In 1991 she made a passage back to Europe along the Clipper Route across the Southern Ocean and in December 1991 she became the first British tallship to round Cape Horn since 1936. She is presently the only authentic square rigger to have sailed around Cape Horn in Australasia.

After a major refit in the UK at Gloucester, Soren Larsen returned home to Auckland. She established herself as 'Flagship of the City of Sails' and has won Tourism Awards for Adventure and Experience categories. This illustrious ship  celebrated   the Millennium with a spectacular round the world voyage, the 2000-2001 Global Odyssey, visiting 25 countries and sailing 30,000 nautical miles. In 2004 the ship celebrated 25 years of voyaging under her present ownership. This 2005 project sets out to visit the very best of the untouched tropical South Pacific.