While I've admitted we enjoyed our sea days more than we might have in the past, by yesterday we were getting a bit antsy to get off the ship. Captain D had told us at last night's Captains Circle party that if we thought we had enjoyed our cruise so far, just wait; the best was yet to come. The best arrived this morning!
I set the alarm for 5:30am and bounded out of bed and was up on deck well before 6am. Douglas Pearson was already holding court on Deck 11 forward (he told me later that he was thrilled to see so many people on the open deck and I replied that he had told us often enough that we MUST be up there for every island arrival!) I was just in time to catch the sunrise near the neighboring island of Huahine, and Douglas pointed out Raiatea, Taha'a and Bora Bora in the distance. For a ship-full of people who hadn't seen land in five days, this was heady stuff.
We were treated to a beautiful rainbow over the southern end of Raiatea, with a backdrop of of steep green mountains. G eventually joined me on deck (he had been out until almost midnight last night) and we watched our approach to the island for awhile longer (our scheduled arrival today was not until 9am, but made our way back to the floor to ceiling windows and wonderful breakfast service in Sabatinis. As we sailed through Teavapiti Pass, we kept going from one side of the ship to the other to catch the motus close by on either side. It was wonderful to see the familiar sights of Uturoa- the Gare Maritime, the Champion grocery store, Le Marché- and feel immediately at home.
The day was mostly sunny with occasional passing clouds. It was noticeably cooler and/or drier than we remembered from December last year. Some of the hottest days I recall were in Uturoa; it was far more pleasant today. We had no plans for the day other than to get to the ATM just a block from the ship. Unlike last year, we brought no French Polynesian Francs (XPF) with us; we knew we could use the ATM in our first port. Please note: if you're coming to French Polynesia on a cruise, ATMs are only conveniently located for cruise passengers in Papeete, Raiatea and Bora Bora.
Our next stop was to walk through Le Marché and then over to Champion market. G needed some Coke in resealable bottles, and the price was quite reasonable (about $1.15 each). We walked though the tourist booths on our way back to the ship and met Tyronne who, with his wife Vai, offered a boat tour down the east coast of Raiatea to the Fa'aroa River, and then up the river. The Fa'aroa River is the only navigable river in all of French Polynesia and this was one thing we hadn't seen last year. On the way back to the ship, Tyronne would drop us off on Motu Ofetaro for almost two hours of beach and snorkel time. The price was 5000 XPF or $50 U.S. per person, a good value for an almost four hour tour. Our trip would leave at 1:45pm.
I was anxious to see what our rate of exchange from the ATM was and immediately got on Internet once we were back on the ship. 30000 XPF cost us $290 U.S. and that includes the 3% transaction fee. I am very happy with the value of our stronger dollar this year!
We took some time for a quick lunch in the buffet, and sat with blog reader Toni who had just conquered Mt. Tapioi overlooking the Raiatea-Taha'a reef. She wanted me to clarify here that, regardless of what the guide books say, it is NOT an easy hike. No, it is not!! I cried on the way down last year; she cried on the way up. But those views from the top...outstanding!! G was already making noise this morning about climbing it today and I squashed that like a bug. Somehow, while sleeping, I injured my knee and I put on Mom's knee brace to make sure G knew it. I have no idea what I did. Comedian Troy Thirdgill has a harious bit about how, when you're young, every injury carries with it a great story. "I was going in for a layup and strained my knee", or "I was trying to stay inbounds when I caught that pass" or "I was sky diving and landed a bit too roughly". At our age, injuries come from things like reading. Or sleeping. Or clapping along to music a little too aggressively. It's a sad thing,
So, anyway, back to our afternoon. We wore swimsuits and I took my snorkel gear (including my new camera and sexy new hood) and boarded Tyronne's 12-person boat right near the cruise ship. We traveled quickly south along the coast of Raiatea and then navigated up the Fa'aroa River for about 30 minutes, right into the heart of the caldera of the original volcano that created the island. The mountains and flowering vegetation all along the river banks were really spectacular. We stopped once along the way where a family was selling fresh coconuts with straws in them to drink the coconut water They had a little son about 9 or 10 years old who was just darling and he came on our boat and brought us all wild ginger and bird of paradise flowers (and was well compensated for his cuteness).
We left the river and started back north up the coast. When we reached Motu Ofetaro, Tyronne dropped off the five of us who wanted some beach time. G and I immediately walked down to the far end of the motu where I had had the phenomenal experience of spotting my first-ever clown fish last year. I snorkeled back and forth over the same area I was in last year, but, while I saw a lot of beautiful coral and fish, I did not find Nemo. I'll have to keep trying.
Tyronne picked us up about 5pm, and we were back on the ship by 5:20pm. We took speedy showers and rinsed out our gear, and then rushed to the Club Restaurant about 30 minutes late for dinner. No matter; it was nearly empty. The Children of Raiatea folkloric dance group was performing at 5pm so many people were watching that and were just dining in the buffet afterward. The adult folkloric show is at 9:45pm. We won't make it that long tonight.
Today was our 32nd wedding anniversary, the first time we've ever celebrated it on a cruise. Sadly, we were so worn out during dinner that we asked waiter Henry to skip the group fanfare and just provide the special cake. Henry obliged but offered us a beautifully simple song he had written for his wife around their 15th anniversary. No group singing, no applause, it was a perfect end to a perfect day.
The alarm is set for 4:30am tomorrow (yikes). We will be leaving Raiatea and making our way through PaiPai Pass, between Raiatea and Taha'a en route to a 9am arrival in Bora Bora. It should be an absolutely spectacular morning as we cruise up the west coast of Taha'a and through Teavanui Pass into that beautiful Bora Bora lagoon (nothing else could get us out of bed that early).
And, finally, I will be adding pics and maps to these posts when we get to Papeete...I hope. Internet is simply way too slow on the ship. We hope that Chaplin's relatively speedy WiFi is still available and are preparing ourselves for the many Hinano beers we'll be drinking as payment.