About half the available cabins have been reserved for the
June 17-July 3 2015 trip to Nikumaroro, sponsored by Betchart Expeditions and
co-sponsored by TIGHAR, AAAS Travels, Sigma Xi Expeditions, and the Planetary
Society. So if you’re thinking of
joining us, as the old saying goes, it’s about time to fish or cut bait. For full information and to reserve, visit http://www.betchartexpeditions.com/aus-nz_amelia_earhart.htm.
What can you expect if you come along? Well, with any luck a comfortable voyage from
Viti Levu in Fiji via Tivua, Rotuma, and Funafuti to Nikumaroro, and back to
Viti Levu via Wallis Island and Futuna, with about five days at Niku itself. On Niku we plan to acquaint everyone with the
archaeological remains of the colonial village whose residents very likely
found Amelia Earhart’s earthly remains and salvaged parts from her Lockheed
Electra. We also plan to visit the Seven
Site, where we think Earhart’s remains were actually found, and the Bivouac
Site where a woman’s and man’s shoes turned up in 1991. We’ll cruise the lagoon and view the Nutiran
reef flat where we think the Electra landed. Most importantly, we’ll do some systematic survey
and artifact recording/recovery along the eroding shoreline of the colonial
village – in my judgment the most likely place to find remnants of the
Electra. If you want “smoking gun” proof
of Earhart’s landing on Nikumaroro, the eroding village shoreline is the most
efficient place to look for it – if you can’t afford a systematic search of the
Nutiran reef slope or the unexcavated parts of the Seven Site. If you just want to contribute to the ongoing
research, it’s a great place for that, too.
Meanwhile, plans are proceeding for a late 2014 deep-water
search of the Nutiran reef slope using manned submersibles; obviously the
results of this work may influence our plans for 2015. And new data have emerged in Fiji that may
throw light on the fate of the bones sent there from Nikumaroro in 1940 – the bones
that may well have been Earhart’s. We’re
pursuing leads based on these new data, and there may be work to do in Fiji
before or after we travel to Niku.
All this and exciting, engaging discussions with Ric
Gillespie, other TIGHAR experts, and for what it’s worth yours truly, as well
as non-TIGHAR authorities on the area’s history, culture, and environment. Plus enjoying opportunities to snorkle some spectacular reefs, sun on pristine beaches, and wander the rainforest. And (my personal fave) to enjoy a whole lot of beautiful blue
Pacific. Check out http://www.betchartexpeditions.com/aus-nz_amelia_earhart.htm
while there’s still time.
Tom
