The island of Hikueru, one of the atolls of the Tuamotu archipelago (the same island group that was home to Pahoa a Tahiaroa) is a rocky atoll in French Polynesia – it is a build-up of volcanic rock so shallow that its highest point is only 30 feet above sea level. Most of the island is so low that a deep lagoon fills the interior, leaving only a narrow rim of dry land above water.

In 1903, the island supported a small permanent village consisting of some native huts and frame buildings – including both LDS and RLDS chapels, as well as one Catholic and one Protestant church – and a solid stone government building built on a heavy concrete foundation. By contrast, the Mormon elders’ home was built on a foundation of four-foot-high coral pillars, allowing the occasional high sea to wash underneath the building. There was a thin layer of sandy soil on the island, which had been planted with coconut trees. The only fresh water was rainwater, which was caught in barrels and which seeped into shallow cisterns dug into the sand. Continue reading The Winds and the Waves, 1903 →