Just cruising…….
Friday 12 August – planned to perfection, David and Mari Carmen arrived when we were in the middle of our second pina colada at the Huahine Yacht Club on Friday evening. Very much in holiday mode, we had a tasty dinner together and a few dances to the live music – it was all happening there and a great start to their holiday.
Saturday 13 August – we had to do a bit of provisioning for the boat and the supermarket by the Yacht club in Huahine was one of the best. We were up early as we had been given the inside word that eggs were only available at 8.00am. Sure enough, there was a queue inside the supermarket and when they were wheeled out, there was a bit of a bun fight but we managed to secure 2 dozen. Outside there were market stalls where we stocked up on fresh fruit and then ever-trusting Geoff, left all our fruit and the alcohol they had bought whilst we were queuing for the eggs, in the care of a market trader who put them in the back of his ute, and then off we went and found a little breakfast spot.
Tummies full, Mari Carmen and I then went in to do the boring part of the shop whilst David and Geoff miraculously disappeared. By the time we finished they were nowhere to be seen and had already got the dinghy back to the boat and were having a beer!!!! Geoff returned to pick us up and we got all the supplies in the cupboards and then we were on holiday! Following a quick dinghy snorkelling trip for the guests, we had wonderful leisurely sail down to Avea where we once again moored outside Hotel La Mahana and enjoyed a few sunset pina coladas on the their lovely beach. Perfect.
Sunday 14 August – We encouraged Mari Carmen and David to rent a car and have a drive around Huahine as we had had such a lovely time doing that on our previous trip with Nick, Kate and the boys. No cars available, they settled on a scooter and had a great time riding around and discovering the pearl farm and all the places we had recommended, whilst Geoff and I sat in the hotel and caught up on emails! Following a lovely lunch with a glass of rosé we up-anchored and departed for Raiatea where we needed to be by 8.00am on Monday morning for the electrician’s return visit! It was a great cruise with the sails up and a nice snooze in the sunshine en route. We anchored next to the dock and were right in the centre of town ready for the morning’s jobs of electrician and filling up with diesel.
Monday 15 August – Geoff and I were up at 6.30am and went for a walk and discovered a very authentic French boulangerie where we sat outside with a delicious breakfast of lattes, freshly squeezed orange juice and freshly baked pastries. He then headed back to the boat and I had a wander around. It’s a pretty little town and as I neared the Church I could hear the most melodious singing. Today is a public holiday in French Polynesia – the Feast of the Virgin Mary – and when I found the church, the priest, altar boys and congregation were all in the garden singing to an open-air altar of Our Lady and then in procession, they all walked inside the Church, I followed them in and took a pew at the back.
It’s been a while since I’ve been to Mass but it wasn’t hard to follow the service – even in French I was able to recognise all the prayers, mainly by their intonation. It was so peaceful sitting there hearing the most uplifting singing and harmonies, very special. Back to the dock, I helped Geoff to push the boat along the marina so it could reach the diesel pump and we filled up whilst the sparky was putting the finishing touches to his electrical jobs. All done, we let go of the ropes and then we were off for a sail further down the coast to anchor off a deserted atoll where we had lunch and a swim. Unfortunately, later in the afternoon the weather wasn’t kind to us and the heavens opened. Not to be stopped from enjoying ourselves, we opened the bar early and got the scrabble board out!
Tuesday 16 August – man it rained so hard during the night. We have little leaks all over the cockpit and all the saucepans were full this morning. You won’t be seeing any photographs – I only take sunny ones! Given there are some stronger winds forecast for tomorrow, we’ve bitten the bullet and have set sail for Bora Bora a day earlier hoping for some brighter weather. Geoff is currently out on the deck in his all-weather gear looking like someone in an advert for Fisherman’s Friend! We arrived about 3 hours later and anchored outside the Bora Bora Yacht Club in Vaitape village, the main centre of the island and popped back on the dinghy to have a cocktail before it got too dark.
Wednesday 17 August – well, we’re not putting that wet weather gear away yet. We woke up to another grey, drizzly day, but rather than waste it, we took the dinghy to the main village dock and rented a couple of scooters. The island is 32 kilometres in circumference and has two peaks, Mt Otemanu and Pahia. Just outside the village we passed signs for some of the luxury hotels, most of which are actually located on their own motus across the lagoon so guests are ferried in and out on the hotel’s own boats.
The Bora Bora Beach Club was en route so we stopped in for lunch. The presentation of the food was spectacular – my caprese salad was in keeping with the foliage of the island and looked like a beautiful flower. Also I need to mention that the tarte tatin dessert I had was absolutely delicious, made with warm, caramelised apple and mango. We came across a small marine museum and popped in to have a look. What a find! A Frenchman named Darias Bertram had been lovingly creating models of famous ships since he was 17 years old (and is now a Grandpa!) - the Cutty Sark, the Endeavour, The Golden Hind, the Santa Maria and Resolution to name just a few. The detail on each boat was incredible, all of them made to scale with no detail overlooked, no matter how minute. It was a wonderful half hour spent talking to him and admiring his creativity. Back on the scooters to finish our tour circling the island we arrived back in Vaitape just as the rain was getting heavier so we called it a day and went back to the boat.
Thursday 18 August – we woke up to a brilliantly sunny day – that’s more like it! Eager to make the most of it we packed our bags and headed off past the Beach Club and tied up the dinghy. A lovely walk along the water’s edge and we arrived at a beautiful sandy beach where we secured a great spot in the shade of the palm trees. The water was crystal clear with the odd ray floating around, it was heavenly. Lunch was in a little café on the beach and then back to the sand for a snooze. A quick change back on the boat and we met up with Bryan who has flown up from Auckland to join us for the last few days in Tahiti and the passage to Tonga. It was also Mari-Carmen and David’s last night so we had a welcome/goodbye dinner at the famous Bloody Mary’s (whilst I spent most of the night conversing with a scammer that I thought was my daughter, but that’s another painful story!).
Friday 19 August – we motored back into the dock at Vaitape so Mari-Carmen and David could get the free ferry to the airport – what a lovely way to catch your plane – it’s the only way to get to the local airport! Bryan and I took on the task of provisioning for the next ten days, whilst Geoff sat in the ferry dock guarding the boat in case he had to move it. We managed to get three big trolley’s full with Bryan running them back to the boat whilst I kept on shopping in the supermarket. A good, boring, job out of the way, we rewarded ourselves with a motor over to a motu and an afternoon of perfect peace floating around and swimming in the sunshine and a delicious dinner at Les Delices in Vaitape (one of our best actually!) .
Saturday 20 August – we are still having trouble with the batteries on the boat which means we have to go back to Raiatea to our trusty electrician who is sourcing replacements and putting them in for us on Monday, so we have left Bora Bora and are now in Tahaa which is located in the same lagoon as Raiatea. It is spread over 8 villages along the shore, lots of pearl farms have been built here as the lagoon water is ideal for black pearl farming. Along with vanilla this has become the major economic resource of Tahaa. Vanilla Tahitensis grows on a vine. It’s flowers must be fecundated to produce a fruit, the vanilla bean. The local variety is renowned all over the world for its powerful fragrance and strong taste. Very rich in oil, its beans are shinier and more scented than other species. We’ve anchored in Baie Tapuamu on the west coast – it’s beautiful.
Sunday 21 August – we have had the most wonderful day today (again!). We took the dinghy into the little village dock – one shop, one petrol station and more importantly the Mana’o Rum distillery which was in a little Tahitian fare, Geoff bought a bottle to add to our bar supplies - well it would have been rude not to Back to the boat, snorkelling gear at the ready, we motored out towards a couple of motus where the water was pale aquamarine. We took the dinghy in a little further next to the Tahaa Island resort and spa, and stepped out of it, yes - it was that shallow! We walked to a channel and had the most beautiful snorkel through the passages of coral.
Now snorkelling is new to me and I haven’t done much, but this one was absolutely exquisite – the colours and beauty of the fish and coral were incredible. Deep purple, pink, pale lemon and orange corals, fish that opened when you got near so you could see a luminous midnight blue inside, so many different colours of fish, yellow and black, blues, purples and pinks, turquoise even some that had yellow backs and rainbow colours on their fins, it truly was like an advert for Crayola. It was a wonderful experience, I’m so glad that Geoff taught me how to snorkel, imagine missing all of this beauty!
We’ve now headed back to Raiatea and have anchored in Baie Vai Nui which means we can return to Fare Vai Nui for another delicious dinner – and we weren’t disappointed – we had a lovely evening and even managed to dodge the showers going back in the dinghy to the boat.
Monday 22 August – we’ve had a beautiful sail around the coast in the sunshine and are now moored back in the same spot we were last week (near the French patisserie!). Richard is back on the boat putting in new batteries. Tomorrow we are heading back to Bora Bora as we have to check out of Tahiti at the Gendarmerie and collect our laundry at 6pm. We are intending to go to Maupiti on our way out, you can’t clear out there, so that’s why we will do it in Bora Bora. Maupiti is located 50 kms away from Bora Bora, and is the most remote of the leeward islands. Maupiti means “two mountains” and it is famous for its white sand beach at Tereia and known for its tranquility and beauty. I am not sure what the internet will be like there so I am now signing off on this blog and hoping to get it out and posted from Raiatea.
We arrived in French Polynesia on 15 June and have had the luxury of sailing through the Marquesas Islands, the Tuamotu Islands and the Society Islands, Apart from a quick trip back to New Zealand it’s been an incredible 8 weeks of adventure, discovery, awesome scenery both above and below the water, beauty, laughter and above all, fun and happiness. But it’s now time to say our goodbyes to this exquisite part of the world and head one step nearer to home, to Tonga. It’s around an eight day sail and we will be leaving on Wednesday 24 August, so I’ll be back in touch after that.
In the meantime………….
Alert: For those of you who haven’t seen the post on Facebook, I have been caught in a scam which has compromised my phone, whatsapp, texts, email etc. I am having to change my sim card and mobile phone number, but I can’t do this until the next guest brings a new one up from Auckland on 18 September, so you will not hear personally from me until then. I’m hoping to find a way to keep my blog and photos going in the meantime.