GIA: Alumni Association: 2007 Alumni Travel Program Photos

Participants on the 2007 GIA Travel Program tour had "experiences of a lifetime" as they toured cultured pearl farms in Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia. Below are some of their photos:

Tahiti

The program participants were divided into smaller groups to tour Marutea Sud, Robert Wan's private cultured pearl farm atoll. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

Mona Lee Nesseth, Bruno Wan and Akira Hyatt. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

Sunset beach parties gave tour participants a chance to get acquainted. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

The beauty of the South Pacific made every excursion seem like a visit to paradise. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

Michele Kelley and Ann Mell on the dock at Marutea Sud. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

Ann and David Mell. Photo courtesy of David Mell.

65140 Tahiti, Robert Wan's operation

Workers tie shells onto lines. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

Cleaned oyster shells ready to go back in the
water. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

Reema Keswani examines a sea cucumber. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

65152 Hermit Crab in Tahiti, photo by Blaire Beavers

A colorful hermit crab. Photo by Blaire Beavers.

Tahitian cultured pearls are sorted by color and size in trays at the Tahitian Pearl Ministry. Photo by David Mell.

Bruno Wan (right) relaxes with (from left) David Mell, Anton Heldwein and David Bryant. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

New Zealand

The pastoral New Zealand coastline. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

65153 Group enjoys dessert in New Zealand, photo by Blaire Beavers

Russell and Donna Key (left) and Betty Sue King and Mona Lee Nesseth (right) enjoy a treat. Photo by Blaire Beavers.

Host Roger Beattie talks about the colors of the abalone shell. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

Barrels of abalone are hoisted onto a boat. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

Roger Beattie separates life-sustaining seaweed from the abalone while Betty Sue King snaps a photo. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

65151 New Zealand pearls, photo by Blaire Beavers

Round mabe cultured abalone pearls. Photo by Blaire Beavers.

Australia

Paspaley Pearling Company flew everyone to their operation on the company's seaplane. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

65155 Australia coastline, photo by Mona Lee Nesseth

A view of Kuri Bay from the plane. Photo by Mona Lee Nesseth.

65146 Australia Paspaley-tour group examines pearls

Tour participants loved getting their hands on the cultured pearls. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

65156 Sea of Pearls, Australia, photo by Betty Sue King

Paspaley cultured South Sea pearls. Photo by Betty Sue King.

Sorting cultured pearls. Photo by Akira Hyatt.

65157 Measuring Pearls in Australia, photo by Betty Sue King

The group got to measure the cultured pearls for size. Photo by Betty Sue King.

65154 Stringing Pearls in Australia, photo by Mona Lee Nesseth

Stringing a strand of cultured pearls. Photo by Mona
Lee Nesseth.

Paspaley designs and builds its own boats.
Photo by Akira Hyatt.

A group returns from lunch during their tour of Paspaley's Kuri Bay operations. Photo by Akira Hyatt.