Bora Bora This is the last of the French Polynesian Islands we will visit. James Michener described it as the world’s most beautiful island. The first impression sailing in to the harbor is really awesome, but I still think Moorea is overall the best. We took a taxi, a mini van, to the famous attraction, Bloody Mary’s, where we had lunch and, of course, a delicious bloody mary. It is the owner and founder upon whom the character Bloody Mary in South Pacific is based. The place is unique, and the drink is indeed good. From there we went out on [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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Whe you think of Tahiti you think of palm-fringed white sandy beaches, but actually most of the coastal areas are lagoons rather than beaches. There are a few beaches, luckily some of these are on the island of Mo´orea where the campsite was. Didn´t do a great deal in Tahiti except relax on the beach a bit. Didn´t even muster the energy to get my snorkel out! We did only have 4 days there though. It was actually very expensive here and probably a better destination for a holiday rather than when travelling for several months and attempting to stick to [View Full Entry]

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At Sea on Playoff Day We were at sea on Jan. 20 when the Packers played the Giants and couldn’t get the game on TV because of no satellite connection. However, one Packer fan brought his computer up to the Sports Bar and set it up for many fans to gather round. He connected to the NFL station through the internet, and, with a 30 second delay, got the plays with a simulated description of the game. He would read this to the crowd, as we cheered our teams accordingly. I must say there were more Packer than Giant fans watching. [View Full Entry]

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Greetings from Nuku Hiva Jan. 19 and we finally saw land! What a glorious sight! We arrived about 7 AM at Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia, the largest of the 10 Marquesas Islands of which only 6 are inhabited. Herman Melville signed aboard the whaling ship Acushnet in 1841 but, after 18 months, he deserted here at Nuku Hiva where he lived for four months among the Typee people. He wrote Typee and Omoo as accounts of this period. Captain Cook was not the first foreign visitor to sight these islands, although he was probably the most famous. The Spaniards, in 1595 [View Full Entry]

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From the Middle of Nowhere Here we are, Jan. 17th, still two days from land. We haven’t seen any thing other than some frigate birds, a few flying fish, and a school of dolphins. No other ships, and no land at all for a week. On Saturday we arrive at Nuka Hiva where there are no roads, as such, but a few friendly natives probably selling trinkets. Everyone will be so glad to get off the ship that he or she will no doubt buy anything. We have gone to several lectures and talks about the planets, the upcoming ports, managing [View Full Entry]

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Still at Sea It’s Sunday, Jan.13 and the sun is shining. We had a nice walk around the deck before breakfast, and are soon going to the lecture by Prof. Dunn about the planets. We set our clocks back another hour last night so we are now on Mountain time. Go figure. We did watch the Packer game until the third quarter when we went to dinner. After dinner we heard the Packers won, but the New England fans were upset because the satellite went out, and they never saw anything and still don’t know who won because the internet is [View Full Entry]

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Over the years, Tahiti and Polynesia have provided novelists and moviemakers with colorful subject matter. Early travelers told of wanton women on tropical shores, and Fletcher Christian added drama to the plot by leading a mutiny against the tyrannical Captain Bligh. In 1934 American writers Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall brought out the Bounty Trilogy. This three-part novel deals with Christian's mutiny on the Bounty, the escape of Bligh and his loyal crew members to Dutch Timor, and the colonization of Pitcairn Island by Christian and his fellow mutineers. The novel was an ins [View Full Entry]

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We visited Tahiti primarily because it’s a compulsory stop off between the Easter Island and New Zealand. We decided to make the most of it and invested 5 days into staying on one of its many tropical islands called Huahine. We were fortunate enough to have a good friend of ours (Natalie) fly in and stay with us while we were there - it was so strange (but great!!) to have a friend from home out there with us! Elsosorban azert latogattuk meg Tahitit, mert kotelezo allomas a Husvet-sziget es uj-zeland kozott. Es ha mar ott voltunk gondoltuk kihasznaljuk az alkalmat [View Full Entry]

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Nuku Hiva is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you’re looking for pristine beaches and shopping opportunities, this island isn’t for you. But, for pure wildness and sense of place, Nuku Hiva tops my list. Horses run free on grassy mountain slopes that overlook an island blessedly free from resort development. On this trip to French Polynesia’s northernmost island, Regent has arranged a Mini-Festival of Arts as a complimentary event for all passengers. It simulates the Marquesas [View Full Entry]

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