11th July, 2009 - FlightWe embarked on a very long journey, leaving
London at 07.35. With a change of flight
in Paris and a fuel stop in Los Angeles,
we arrived in Papeete, Tahiti at 21.30 the
same day – having travelled for 26
hours.
We rested overnight at the Tahiti Motel which
is only a few minutes walk from the airport
– across the carpark, across the main
road and then up a steep short slope. It
was very convenient and very comfortable,
albeit basic. The staff were very friendly
and helpful.
12th July – Bora BoraWe flew out of Papeete at 09.45, stopped
off at Huahine and arrived in Bora Bora at
11am. The airport is on a motu (islet) so
we boarded a boat taxi which took us to the
capital, Vaitape. From there we were met
by the hotel transport and taken to the Hotel
Maitai. Our home for the next four days was
a water bungalow, number 107, with uninterrupted
views across the sea to the motus and a glass
window on the floor to see the underwater
world too!
Bora Bora is a quintessential tropical paradise,
surrounded by a necklace of coral islets.
The sparkling aquamarine lagoon, world-famous
for its beauty, is constantly replenished
with ocean water from the swells that crash
between sandy
motus (small islets) and over the fringing reef.
Bora Bora’s enchanting valleys are
covered with lush hibiscus and palm, and
Mt. Otemanu rises up from its centre, creating
an ethereal scene
13th July - Bora BoraRelaxation was the key today. We snorkelled
off the platform of our water bungalow to
view the vast array of tropical fish under,
and close to the water bungalows. We enjoyed
a leisurely lunch before walking up to Matira
Point where we walked on the golden sand
around the point. In the evening we went
to Vaitape to watch the festivities of the
annual Heiva festival. The festival is a
competition of song and dance. The costumes
were sparce but very colourful. The ladies’
hips wiggled, whilst the men’s legs
shook – all at great speed!
14th July - Bora BoraToday was exhilarating! We walked to Matira
Point where we set off on our two-person
Jet ski waverunner for a ride around Bora
Bora island. We averaged 55 mph over the
beautiful aquamarine lagoon to arrive at
Motu Roa where we left the jet ski and took
to the quad bike/ATV (all terrain vehicle)
for the second part of our adventure. We
drove the ATV through forests of Aito trees
and "fara" (pandanus) plantations,
the largest ones being found on the motu.
After crossing the motu, we arrived at a
beautiful white crushed-coral beach to gaze
at the endless vista on the ocean. We snacked
on banana, mango and pineapple before returning
to our ATV and back to our jet ski for the
return trip.
15th July - Bora BoraWe enjoyed a final swim from our water bungalow
to view the vast array of fish. After a leisurely
lunch we had time to relax on the small strip
of sand before making our way, via Vaitape,
to the airport for the flight back to Papeete.
Our flight was due to leave Bora Bora at
17.20 but it left 2 hours late. We arrived
in Papeete and got a taxi to the port to
board our cruise ship, the Paul Gauguin.
We had dinner and the ship set sail at midnight
on a northwest course.
16th July - Huahine, Society Islands
Known as “The Garden Island”
for its lush rainforests and dramatic terrain,
Huahine is actually two islands (“Little”
Huahine Iti and “Big” Huahine
Nui), and our ship anchored between them
in Maroe Bay. After lunch we took a three
hour tour to see the cultural highlights
of Huahine including the ‘sacred’
blue eyed eels.
17th July - At Sea: En route to Aitutaki
Experiencing the islands as the ancient Polynesians
did, we journeyed across the immense blue
of the South Pacific. The guest experts shared
their insights in lectures on the natural
history of the South Pacific, and the mysteries
of a culture at once ancient and modern.
The ancient Polynesians were epic mariners
whose seafaring canoes were the forerunners
of the modern catamaran. Polynesian sailors
were incredible wayfinders, mastering the
open waters of the vast Pacific long before
the development of navigational instruments.
Guided by their close observation of the
stars, sun, ocean swells, and flight patterns
of birds, their voyages carried them thousands
of miles to settle the far flung islands
of the world’s largest ocean.
18th July - Aitutaki, Cook Islands
Our next port of call was the idyllic Aitutaki,
a remote ‘almost atoll’ of three
volcanic and twelve coral islets in the Cook
Islands. It was thought to have first been
settled more than a thousand years ago by
the legendary Polynesian discoverer, Ru.
We set off on a five hour lagoon cruise &
beach lunch break on One Foot Island.
19th July - At Sea: En route to the Eclipse
As we voyaged north towards the eclipse path,
the guest experts give presentations on the
upcoming eclipse phenomenon, pulsars, exploding
stars, and other stellar topics in preparation
for Eclipse Day. Evenings allowed us front-row
seats for legendary sunsets and stargazing
under brilliant skies.
29th July - Suwarrow and Pukapuka, Cook
Islands
We arrived at little-known Suwarrow (meaning
“South Wind”), a true atoll with
a mysterious past. A chest filled with gold
and silver coins was just one of the buried
treasure troves unearthed in the 19th century
on this low-lying island with its landlocked
lagoon. Accessible only by private yacht
or chartered expedition, Suwarrow is now
protected as a National Heritage Park and
its four residents (parents and 2 children)
share the sands and waters with thousands
of seabirds, coconut crabs, sharks, and rare
turtles.
Unfortunately, the slight swell prevented
us from access through the pass into the
Suwarrow atoll. The crew took some supplies
to the caretaker family and we then circled
half the atoll before moving on to see the
unscheduled Pukapuka, an island not visited or passed
by any cruise ships. More lectures were inserted
into the day to ensure that we had activity
to fill the gap left by not being able to
land in Suwarrow.
21st July - Eclipse Day!
Positioning our ship at the ideal position
in the path of totality, we witnessed almost
three and a half minutes of this amazing
celestial event (which occurred on July 22nd throughout its path but on the 21st at our
location east of the International Date Line).
Half an hour after totality we hoped to be
treated to the dramatic sight of the still
partially eclipsed sun sinking into the Polynesian
sunset, in a kaleidoscope of brilliant colours,
but very sadly, a cloud blocked our vision.
22nd and 23rd July - At Sea: En route to Bora Bora
On our return southeast toward the Society
Islands, we learned about reef ecology, we
stargazed, and we heard tales of the early
Polynesians whose skill in celestial navigation
helped spread their culture across the South
Pacific.
24th July - Bora Bora, Society Islands
We spent two full days in Bora Bora, which
allowed us to continue our exploration of
this wonderful island. We disembarked on
the first tender to take the Lagunarium tour
(booking privately, the cost was far less
than booking on the ship). We snorkelled
in the Coral Garden to see the colourful
fish and delicate coral formations that coexist
at water depths of 10-15 feet, then out beyond
the reef to see the black time and lemon
sharks before going to the lagoonarium to
swim with the sting rays and sharks, amongst
many other colourful fish.
25th July - Bora Bora
Today we had a rain shower making the roads
were wet and sandy so we decided to abandon
our planned cycle ride around the island
(apparently, a very pleasant 18 miles of
flat road). Instead, we wandered around Vaitape
and purchased some of the famous black pearls.
26th July - Raiatea, Society Islands
With its green jungle-clad valleys, numerous
waterfalls, a deep lagoon sheltering spectacular
fish and fertile plantations of vanilla and
pineapple, Raiatea is an ecological wonderland
dotted with ancient temple sites. We took a morning Island tour by boat
along the coast and river and then by jeep
to see the highlights of the river and interior,
known as the Sacred Hava’i, with its
abundance of tropical vegetation.
27th July - Taha’a, Society Islands
Our next stop was Taha’a, a tiny unspoiled
paradise. Enclosed in a common lagoon with
Raiatea and accessible only by boat, Taha’a
(often called “Vanilla Island”)
produces about 80% of all vanilla in French
Polynesia. In the morning we went drift snorkelling
along the rich coral gardens before heading
to the private motu (islet), Motu Mahana, owed by the ship’s company.
28th July - Moorea, Society Islands
Moorea is exquisite with its triangular,
impossibly green mountains ringed by turquoise
seas. In the morning we experienced an undersea
walk wearing large space-like helmets to
encounter the stingrays close up. After a
wonderful lunch viewing the green mountains
we then went kayaking. In the evening, the
ship made its way back to Papeete.
29th July - Papeete / Depart
We disembarked and waited for Dave’s
Tours who failed to arrive. The Information
Tourist office were extremely helpful and
booked us on another tour in the afternoon.
So went shopping and sightseeing in Papeete
in the morning. Our afternoon circular tour
of Tahiti visited the lagoonarium, Fern Grottos,
Paul Gauguin museum, Faarumai Waterfalls
and the Blowhole. We rested and dined at
the Hilton Tahiti hotel before going to the
airport for our 23.30 return flight.
30th and 31st July
After a very long flight, advancing a day
in a few hours, we arrived back in London
on the 31st July at 13.45pm
