Blogs from French Polynesia, Oceania - page 37

The sun shines brightly on our balcony this morning, now this is the French Polynesian weather that we know and love. Alan and I eat breakfast while catching a last glimpse of Moorea. A brown ribbon of river water colors the lagoon, the only evidence of yesterday’s heavy rains. Today, Mariner sails from Moorea to Papeete, a short two-hour ride. We’ve been invited to a special party for frequent Regent customers. So, as the ship sails from here to there, Alan and I sit near the rail on the back deck of Horizon Lounge. The caviar and champagne flow while we watch Moorea slowly fade away. Our arrival in Papeete is hot and steamy. Since we’ve toured here before, a day lounging on the balcony in the warm sun sounds perfect to us. Besides, we have ... read more

When you’re visiting an island famous for its beautiful lagoon, it would be a crime not to get in the water. And, since Alan and I have hauled our snorkeling gear through airports, around New Zealand and across the Pacific Ocean, we’re determined to use it. So, even though clouds threaten rain, we take the tender to shore and the beginning of our “Stingray Ballet and Snorkel Safari.” We board a covered boat that has two rows of long benches facing each other. Placing our gear underneath the seat, Alan and I wait for fellow cruisers to select from a large bin of fins and masks. Most passengers choose to use the equipment provided by the tour and there is much grumbling and griping about its condition. “Don’t you have any extra-large fins?” one man asks. ... read more

So here we are on a tropical island. Tropical in the sense of never-ending torrential rain that is. Apparently rainy season started the day we arrived. Being outside is like having a shower with lots of other people (avec clothing naturelement!). We spent the first day wandering around the waterfront area of Papeete (in the rain - did I mention the rain?). We stopped for a spot of lunch and Bill accidentally spent $20 on some apple juice. Nice juice, but a little overpriced we thought. My schoolgirl French is not getting us far but I did manage to say Je voudrais un croque monsieur which made Billy happy. Yesterday we spent the day on Moorea. It rained all morning (am I repeating myself?) but was fiercely hot in the afternoon and I melted. We trespassed ... read more

Having missed out on Nuie and Rarotonga where the sea was too high to get people onto tenders - although landing would have been possible - we arrived at Tahiti a day and a half early, on Sunday morning rather than Monday evening. However, we also had the promise of an extra stop at Bora-Bora, all being well. We were able to disembark very early - at about 8 am - and this being French, we had no problems with the cash machines. In fact, we had decided on the basis of both advice and documentation to spend the day on Mo'orea, a neighouring island where we wanted to hike. Mo'orea was formed as a volcano 1.5 to 2.5 million years ago, the result of a Society hot spot in the mantle under the oceanic plate ... read more

English translation: a little further down as usual... Meine Zeit in Französisch Polynesien war recht kurz. Dementsprechend erlebte ich auch nicht viel, was jedoch auch daran gelegen hat dass ich vor allem eines tat: Meine Füsse hochlagern und ein gutes Buch lesen welches ich von einem Schweizer auf den Osterinseln geschenkt bekommen habe. Aber erst der Reihe nach: Die Frau von Josef (siehe letzten Eintrag) flog per Zufall am genau gleichen Tag wie ich nach Tahiti. Da ich von anderen Travelern gehört habe dass in Papeete (wo ich um 12Uhr Nachts ankam, ideale Zeit um eine Bleibe zu suchen) die günstigste Unterkunft 70$ kostet nahm ich ihr Angebot dass ich bei ihren Verwandten übernachten könne gerne an. Da ich aber mit dem grossen Rucksack die Kapazität des kleinen Citroens gesprengt hätte musste noch ein Taxi her, ... read more