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These islands seem to have it all. Great water, fringing reefs, comfortable climate and friendly people. We needed to leave the Tuamotus because we were getting low on water plus Norma was flying into Papeete to spend a few weeks on the boat. Papeete is a bustling city with traffic and noise. Even so, we found lots to do and enjoy.
We decided to skip the quay because of the tight quarters and the street noise. We anchored off the church and ran a stern line to shore.
We did all the touristy things, visiting the open market, watched the basket weaving, looked at the monuments, learned how to carve a pineapple, wrap a pareo and swam in the Sofitel Hotel Maueva Beach pool.
At least Marc and Steve did the fun stuff while Ana and Tom did laundry.
Le Truck was a great way to get around when we didn't want to walk or take the bicycles. About $1.00 per person to ride.
The food was generally expensive but we did find a few places to eat that were reasonable. The fresh baguettes were wonderful if eaten the same day. After one day they either turned to rubber if you bagged them or lava if you left them out. Good thing there were cheap, although there was a huge protest while we were in Tahiti. The government decide to raise the price from 30 fp to 35 fp (about $.01 to 1 fp at that time).
Ana did all the cooking and cleaning while under way while Steve, Tom and Marc did all the watches. At anchor, the men did the cooking and dishes. What culinary treats! This did result in eating out more often.
Here is an interesting story. Alberto, pictured in his boat below sailed over from Panama in his dugout. He originally had an outrigger on it but it went too fast and kept swamping his boat so he ripped it off and set it adrift. He navigated with a weight on a string and steered by the stars. Not sure if he would have made it though as mid-way through his passage he hit a storm and through all excess items overboard to reduce weight. I guess he thought of food and water as being excesses. Luck was with him though when a 65' ketch, Shabumi, saw him and stopped. They passed him food and water and wished him the best. As you can see, he did make it. Last we heard, he is living in the Philippines and has a wife and children and a better boat.
Tahiti Iti was less congested and we enjoyed a few days here at the Point Riri Marina while getting a recharge on the refrigeration.
While riding our bikes in Tahiti Iti, we were almost overwhelmed by an incredible smell. We wheeled back to a driveway and walked our bikes down to see a table set out in the sun with vanilla beans drying on it. We made a beeline for the ice cream store after that.
Now it's over to Moorea, only 12 miles or so from Tahiti.
We didn't spend too much time here. Norma was with us and we really wanted to see Bora Bora before she flew home.
Marc met a local family. The dad worked for the French out at the nuclear test grounds as a diver. He taught Marc how to scuba dive and even gave him a Tahitian spear gun. Marc used it to get another octopus which we ate this time. A French lady showed us how to beat the crap out of it and then cook it in a pressure cooker. Delicious.
Wish we could have spent more time on Moorea, but 7 months just isn't long enough to see everything.
Next is Fare on Huahine. A quick stop for just a couple of nights. This island is a definite 'long stop' next time.
Tahaa and Raiatea are 2 islands with a common barrier reef. This is where many people haul their boat and leave it during the cyclone season and fly off somewhere else. Then when they return they can continue enjoying the islands at a leisurely pace. Moorings also has they charter service here. We had them work on our refrigeration. This was turning into a regular problem.
We decided to not explore these 2 islands and headed over right away to Bora Bora. What a place! None of the photos do it justice.
I've marked the locations that we anchored at during our stay.
This was our favorite island.
Marc was able to enjoy himself and found suitable company.
Here he is with 3 kids who cruised on a 27' sailboat with their mother and father. The 2 older ones (twins) were about 17 and the brother about 2 - 4 years younger. With all that youthful energy they were able to make a trek up to the highest peak on Bora Bora and get some fantastic photos. Mike, another kid cruising with his parents, joined them on the climb.
Ana and Steve decided not to be outdone and decided to ride the bikes around the island. Over 30 kilometers, some paved, some not. We were beginning to get pretty thirsty when a truck came by and ran over a coconut in the road. We didn't get any of the milk, but the coconut meat was thirst quenching. Later we found out that coconut shoots are also good to eat. Every stage of the coconut seems to fill a different dietary need.
And no trip to Bora Bora is complete without a hike up to the WWII gun emplacements. If you were assigned to the Pacific during the war, this had to be the best duty of the war.
Another 'must do' on Bora Bora is a meal at Bloody Marys. After all, if it's good enough for Marilyn Chambers, Countess Kinski, Toni Danza, it must be okay. So off we dinghy to shore and to lunch. Pizza and beer, what can be better?
One minor problem at one of the anchorages. Our anchor hung up on some coral. Tom decided to dive on it. He pulled himself down the anchor chain and freed the anchor. In hindsight, he should have cleared on the way down.
Not everyday was perfect, but even on days like this it was still warm.
We made an overnight motor-sail back to Papeete and check out from there. While we were gone, a boat that had been converted into a bar had caught fire. The fire also spread to a boat tied up next to the floating bar.
From Papeete, we headed up to Hawaii and made one more stop at Tikehau in the Tuamotus. A weather trough settled in and we ended up spending over 3 weeks anchored all by ourselves in the lagoon. Halloween came and we had our own private party. See if you can guess who we all are.
(Tarzan, Madonna, Tahitian princess and prince)
North to Hawaii. What a time for the engine to poop out.
