Mega Post - Rangiroa, Moorea, Papeete, Raiatea, and Bora Bora

A small troupe of Polynesian dancers joined us on board for several days as we sailed through French Polynesia, providing us with entertainment between the various ports of call, a new port each day for 5 days.

The 2^nd largest atoll in the Pacific, Rangiroa, is entirely constructed out of coral and is said to resemble a string of pearls from the air.  Each island is, at most, the width of 3 city blocks so you can easily view and access the ocean on one side and the lagoon on the other.  Small buoys are used as exterior decoration throughout this and all the other island we visited. 

There was no public transportation on Rangiroa so we walked as far as a dive shop (about 2 km) where we went for a refreshing swim.  Any restaurant we passed was closed (Sunday) so the dive shop owner called a little French restaurateur down the road who picked us up and prepared lunch for us.  After lunch he drove us back to the small pier/harbor.  Such service!

   

Moorea, pronounced “Moo oo ray ah,” was our next stop.  Here we rented a car and drove around the island, stopping at will to snap photos and enjoy the scenery.

The view from the belvedere was spectacular.

As you all know we tend to eat our way through our travels and on Moorea we found a wonderful lunch stand owned by a vivacious French woman – we enjoyed every morsel.

After lunch we went to a beach mentioned on the Internet, Faimano Beach, and had it all to ourselves, except for the manta ray and the colorful fish that swam around our legs, of course!

 Of note was the smallest fish market we have ever seen.

 We set sail and reached Papeete within hours, arriving just as the sun set.

The major point of interest, perhaps the only point of interest, was the local market where everything from fish and produce to baskets and clothing is sold.  

We had an inkling that the town would not be very interesting and signed up for our first Silversea tour, which took us into the heart of Tahiti, the Papenoo Valley in a 4-wheel drive vehicle.  We traveled on dirt roads through the jungle, through rivers, and up (and down) steep inclines.  The flora was amazing, as was the multitude of waterfalls.

Next stop Raiatea, population 12,000.  We took it easy today, choosing to explore the small town of Uturoa,

have lunch, and hop on a water taxi, along with a number of young ship staff members, for a ride over to the sandy beaches of the closest motu (islet).

At the pier three ladies were busy all day long making flower crowns ($5 each), which many passengers bought in preparation for our upcoming French Polynesian themed dinner party to take place on our last night in French Polynesia, while anchored at Bora Bora harbor.

The once upon a time hot spot of French Polynesia (1970’s), Bora Bora, is quite lush, laid-back, and has some of the most beautiful verdant peaks and spectacular colors of water (almost striped in some places) we have seen so far.  We rented a Fiat and headed around the island.

We saw unique homes, some under construction using parts of abandoned containers, several abandoned resorts, including Club Med, and many fares (guest rooms built right in the water).

Attracted by a collection of colorful totems we accidentally ended up at a black pearl farm and received an in-depth tour, including a fairly strong (by island standards) sales pitch, which we easily resisted.

We stopped to swim at a public beach and then visited Bloody Mary’s, once the cocktail and dinner in-spot for the rich and famous.

Then back to the ship to clean up and dress for the Polynesian theme party that was still in full swing at we left Bora Bora at 10:30 pm, heading for Rarotonga, an independent nation under the protection of New Zealand and our last tropical island until we reach Bali.

Moruru ruru (thank you VERY much) French Polynesia for a wonderful visit . . .

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining . . .

The seas were rough when we arrived at Hiva Oa.  Tendering in was not possible and we missed seeing this beautiful island.

We moved on to the smallest of the inhabited islands of the Marquesas, Tahuata, population 671.  It was fabulous – we were able to visit a Polynesian island which had not seen many tourists.  It was very tropical, with coconut trees climbing up the mountains, beautiful paths leading into the jungle, and so simple and peaceful.  Unfortunately the winds were increasing and our visit was cut short, but we are grateful that we were among the 80 passengers who were able to visit this little paradise.

The crew had its hands full positioning the tender alongside the Silver Spirit in order to get us and the tender back on board.  As we returned to the ship, guests were lined up on every deck watching our little adventure.

Today we are at sea, heading for Rangiroa, the 2^nd largest coral atoll in the world.

1st Port of Call - Nuku Hiva

Tendered into Taiohae and received a warm Marquesian welcome.

The Marquesians are a very artistic people, specializing in wood carving and bead work.

A very rugged island, with cliffs dropping directly to the sea, Nuku Hiva’s few beaches are black sand.  After walking through the warm waters, we ended up wondering how to dry our sandy feet when Chuck miraculously found a small blue towel hanging from a coconut tree.  At the same time I noticed a spigot in the tree, which led us to discover a valve and stone platform.  Inadvertently we had found an outdoor shower, just what we need – problem solved.

We proceeded to walk around the bay to Pearl Lodge, a beautiful hotel, where we had drinks and lunch overlooking the Silver Spirit anchored in the bay.

Five Days at Sea . . .

It’s Tuesday and our fifth day at sea is coming to a close.  The seas have been calm throughout.  We have been meeting people, taking part in shipboard activities, and just taking time to relax.  There are approximately 360 guests on board, with a crew of 376.  Thirty nine percent of the guests are from the United States (ten percent from CA), eighteen percent are from Great Britain, and the remaining fifty three percent represent countries throughout the world.  On Thursday we will dock at our first port of call, Nuku Hiva, a small Polynesian island, population 2,700.

Today we were treated to a Galley Lunch and were able to view the area where food preparation for the main restaurant takes place.  The galley area was wall-to-wall food and the desserts couldn’t even fit and had to be laid out, buffet style, in the dining room.  Chuck  attended his second Italian class, spent time at the pool, and worked out.  I learned how to tint paper with dyes, attended my French class, took my second dance lesson (the waltz today), and participated in the daily trivia gathering/competition.  We both attended an informative presentation about Nuku Hiva, our first port, as well as a rather dry lecture, “How to Look at a Painting.”

We have found that being pampered and catered to is really fun . . .

Half Way to the Marquesa Islands

Second day at sea and the weather is great.

First Day Observations

19JAN11

We will never forget Dally’s eyes looking back at us out of the rear window of our car as Lauren left us at the SF airport the morning we left SF, a memory that will be with us for the entire trip.

Arrived LAX, whisked off to San Pedro Harbor, boarded and immediately received a glass of Champagne.   Many returning guests; a real family atmosphere.  Then off to our stateroom where all of our bags were awaiting us, along with Anita from Bali, our butler.  Next off to our first of many meals, lunch at La Terrazza.  We spent the rest of the day wandering the ship and watching the ship being loaded with a vast amount of provisions, and then attended the World Cruiser’s welcome dinner – fabulous food.

20JAN11

We finished unpacking and organizing our room around Noon (Everything fit, with room to spare!), just in time for another lunch.  The afternoon was spent catching up with administrative details – dinner reservations, spa/salon appointments, accessing the Internet for the first time, etc.  We set sail at 7:00 pm just as we were enjoying a cocktail on the Observation Deck and enjoying the view of a full moon.  Have met people from Savannah, Houston, Virginia, England, Santa Barbara, Zurich, Hamburg, as well as staff from Bali, the Philippines, Kiev, Scotland, England, Poland, Italy, Portugal, and France.

21JAN11

Up early to bright sunshine and room service.  Off to the gym and then the pool.  The sea is a deep blue, the ship is white, and the sun sparkles everywhere.  The temperature is a comfortable 65 degrees, warmer tomorrow as we head south.  First “formal” night tonight – we’re interested in seeing what this really means.