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Published: January 26th 2008
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We cruised into Papeete, the capitol of French Polynesia, on a sunny Saturday morning. The docks and waterfront area have been greatly improved in recent years. We were met by a small group of Tahitian dancers and musicians on the pier. When we disembarked we were given flowers to wear behind our ear—left if you are married and right if you are available. Papeete is the major town in all of the South Pacific and is the center of commerce and education for the islands. It is a busy place with lots of cars, trucks and mopeds. There is a distinct French influence from the language with a Tahitian accent, the abundance of patisseries selling long baguettes and the preponderance of French flags. Most of the shops and restaurants sport French names with the exception of the Mana Cafe which is a typical Polynesian word meaning “spirit of life.” We always stop by this bistro since it bears the name of our boat. Once I asked the manager if I could have some napkins or coaster with the name imprinted on them. She thought I was nuts and would only give me one of each. “These crazy Americans—next they will want
a free croissant.” We visited the local market where many of the passengers were buying huge bouquets of red ginger flowers, birds of paradise and orchids to decorate their staterooms.
We hopped on the local open-air bus, called LeTruk and rode out past the Faaa International Airport to the Beachcomber Hotel. This is the first place we stayed in Tahiti back in the 1980s and we love the setting and amenities. The hotel overlooks Moorea some 11 miles across the ocean and they have several lovely pools as well as a lagoon for snorkeling. We went for a swim and were promptly deluged with a tropical downpour. We couldn’t see from one end of the pool to the other. After the storm passed we hung our sopping wet clothes in the trees and within twenty minutes they were dry. The lagoon opens to the ocean and is filled with a variety of local fish and manta rays. When two large rays swam by, it gave us pause, considering what happened to Steve Irwin last year. Actually the rays are very gentle creatures and they have a velvety feel as they brush up against your skin.
The prices in
Tahiti are astronomical especially as the dollar is weakening against many foreign currencies. Last year the exchange rate was 100 Polynesian Franc to $1. Now it is 80 PFF to the dollar. That’s why cruising in this part of the world is such a great deal. You can enjoy all of the beautiful scenery, the spirit of the people and the enchantingly azure water without breaking the bank. Two small pizzas at the hotel cost us $50 and they were nothing to write home about. While the French cuisine is excellent, Chinese restaurants are the most reasonable way to dine ashore (Dinah Shore?!) Every evening the festively adorned restaurants on wheels called ‘roulottes’ set up shop near the wharf and serve a high quality variety of foods such as crepes, Asian food, whole roast pork, poisson cru and steak frites. It is waterfront dining at its best and the price is right. We noticed many of the crew members were enjoying this local style of dining.
After an overnight in Papeete we crossed over to Moorea and anchored in Cook’s Bay. We had a shore excursion for our passengers, which was a full day exploration of the island and
lunch. The Tahitian guides are so good and they have a wonderful sense of humor. Claudine told us about the antics of the “Hollywood types” like Marlon Brando and Mel Gibson who were in Moorea for the filming of “Mutiny on the Bounty” and the later “The Bounty.” We drove past the favorite local hangout named “One Chicken Inn” in Pao-Pao. The guide showed us how to get shampoo from a plant, how banana leaves are used for everything from plates and food and gift wrapping to t.p. We learned that the nono plant is touted to be the great cure-all for body and mind. The vanilla pod comes from a flowering orchid and the bean is used not only for cooking and flavoring foods, but is also fermented into a potent liquor. We were taken to Le Belvedere for an awe-inspiring view of Baie d’Opunohu and Baie d’Cook, the fringing reefs and Tahiti off in the distance. The Voyager looked beautiful anchored in the bay. We saw Moua Roa which is called Bali Hai after the film “South Pacific.” We had lunch at the Ocean Pearl Resort, a first class restaurant set on the rim of the lagoon. We
made the obligatory stop at a black pearl shop. The pearl farms of Tahiti produce some of the world best quality pearls but the prices are tres chic. The whole process of pearl cultivation was explained to us in vivid detail and it sounded like a class in Sex Ed. As we sailed out of Cook’s Bay, Captain Dag made a detour to cruise Opunohu Bay much to the delight of the passengers and the local residents. When he sounded the horn the deep basso echoed hauntingly throughout the steep, lush valleys of the island.
The ship’s staff spent all afternoon decorating the pool deck for a big Polynesian feast. We had just sat down for dinner when the skies opened, chasing most of the passengers inside. A few hardy souls and the singing duo braved the rain and continued on with the party. After all it is the rainy season and we were feeling the effects of Cyclone Funa.
Captain Dag is renowned for fine tuning the cruising itinerary. Thus we got a bonus stop in Polynesia. We arrived in Uturoa on the island of Raiatea for a one day stopover. Raiatea is the market town for
the Leeward Islands which include Bora Bora and Tahaa. It is the least touristic of all of our stops and thus has a rustic charm all of its own. It is a favorite port for cruising sailors as they can pull their boats right up to the quay and pick up groceries from the store across the street. We saw numerous sailors loading their boats with a week’s supply of French baguettes and Hinano Beer. We noticed that the wine is very expensive which probably accounts for the popularity of the beer. We had an exquisite lunch at the Sea Horse Chinois restaurant. It was great to use chopsticks again. Fortunately the chef was Chinese and the maitre’d was a suave Frenchman.
We had just gotten back to our stateroom when a mini-cyclone hit the island. We watched the town and surrounding hillsides disappear in the mist of the heavy downpour. We later heard that roads were washed out and many places were flooded. The skies cleared long enough for the Captain to take us on a sightseeing cruise of Tahaa with its picture-perfect church built on the water’s edge.
We spent the night anchored inside the Bora
Bora lagoon. Probably one of the absolutely greatest times for us on a ship is to be anchored in a balmy cove and spend the night being rocked to and fro. We had dinner on our balcony and watched a full moon rise and silhouette the mountainous backdrop of this fabled island.
The ship arranged to have a picnic on a private motu the next day. Motu Tapu is a small coral atoll located within the reef and thus protected from the ocean waves. Tahitains brought their outriggers to the ship’s tender platform and ferried us to the motu for a day of swimming and beachcombing. Since the wind had increased greatly throughout the day, it made for a wet and bouncy ride but it was well worth the effort. It is amazing that the ship’s crew could get all of the supplies and food ashore in order to host this event for 400 people. They even went so far as to fill a small dinghy with caviar and champagne so that people could swim up for a snack of roe and a sip of the bubbly.
Upon departure from Bora Bora we serenaded our little sister-ship, the
Paul Gauguin
before passing beyond the reef and leaving Paradise for points south.
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