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LEGENDS OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC:
TAHITI TO EASTER ISLAND
EXPEDITION TEAM & EXPERTS
Chris Rainier, a National
Geographic Explorer, is
considered one of today’s
leading documentary
photographers specializing
in indigenous cultures.
Chris was the co-founder of
National Geographic's All Roads Photography
Program and is a co-director of National
Geographic's Enduring Voices Project,
which seeks to preserve endangered
languages and cultures. He also serves as a
contributing editor for National Geographic
Traveler. Chris currently directs the Last
Mile Technology Program, which empowers
endangered cultures to save their ancient
traditions through modern technology. He
has won numerous awards, including the
Lowell Thomas Award, given by the Explorers
Club for his work documenting little-known
cultures. He was recently elected a Fellow
at the Royal Geographical Society in London.
Chris will join a diverse team of experts on this
expedition. ABOARD THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ORION
EXPEDITION HIGHLIGHTS
» Dive and snorkel the reefs of Fakarava, part of a UNESCO Biosphere
Reserve, and the Pitcairn Islands, one of National Geographic
Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala’s Pristine Seas preservation areas.» Trace the legend of the ill-fated H.M.S. Bounty from Tahiti to Pitcairn
Island, where descendants of its mutineers still live today.» Explore the unusual geology and wildlife of Henderson Island, a
UNESCO World Heritage site, and look for some of its endemic bird
species.» Delve into the intriguing lost culture of Easter Island and examine ancient^
burial sites and towering moai with an archaeologist.“Mysterious and totally dark, Easter materialized on the predawn horizon like a purple
cloud. All of us on deck stared quietly, thoughtfully, at this tiny seat of venerable culture
standing alone and defi ant amid a million square miles of empty ocean.”
–HOWARD LAFAY, “EASTER ISLAND AND ITS MYSTERIOUS MONUMENTS,”
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE, JANUARY 1962buriall ssiittess aa
“M“M“M“M“M“MMysys
clclclclllououou
stststttaanaaannEaster Island, shrouded in mystery and guarded by the famous moai statues.