Polynesian Adventure, Day 8 or is it 9??

March 8, Friday - Sunny early, with some clouds building through the day and rain showers off in the distance, but not on us.

Since we left on February 29, this must be Day 9.  It should be easy - it's one day more than the date.  

Yesterday, after 5 pm, the ship pulled up anchor and motored from Huahine to Bora Bora, reaching our destination by late evening.  EP and I went up to watch the departure from inside the lagoon of Huahine, into open ocean.  The run to Bora Bora was not as long as several of the upcoming legs.  Here are a few photos of this departure.

The vegetation is very thick and consistently green, with the umbrella-like Acacia trees standing out.

A few sheer rock faces break up the carpet of green.

The cut in the reef appears to have been dredged and the water color changes to a deeper blue, as we pass out of the atoll.

Last night, we had dinner in the fanciest restaurant (of three on board), which required dressing up to "Country Club Casual" (no t-shirts, shorts, etc.).  The meal was excellent and the wait staff very attentive.  Wine flowed freely and  BS, CP and I ended the meal with 20-year old Port.  There are 6-8 courses (appetizers, soups, salads, intermezzo, main, lighter fare, vegetarian, and always available), of which most of our party chooses 4 with dessert.  The portion size is adjusted to the geriatric crowd, and everything is fresh and beautifully presented.

Afternoon drinks on the 8th deck by the pool

LS dressed for dinner......with dad.

EP, ET and I attended a Tahitian dance performance last night.  Man, can the women wiggle their hips.  There three guys in the company (it is called Les Gauguines) who danced the hocka, similar to the Maori welcoming ritual, with lots of grunts and yells, leg slapping and other arm movements, fierce-looking poses, and a few open mouths/tongues out.  The women were more graceful, with sinuous hand, arm and feet movements, and more melodic singing.

Today, we were up early again, had breakfast in our cabin, and went on another excursion, this one went to the lagoon of Bora Bora to swim/snorkel with black-tip reef sharks and sting rays, and to view the other undersea life.

PT on the motorized catamaran, attempting to photograph sting rays......

EP, BS, LS, SS and CP on the way out to the first snorkeling site.

LS after an hour of snorkeling.

There were 8 other boats of various sizes on the first location.

This is a sting ray - note the long, thin black tail.

A shark is the brownish shape in the upper half, right side of photo.

Ditto above.

Telephoto of a sting ray - about one-half of its body takes up the entire photo.

A shark - note the black tip on fin (center right).

The second stop on the excursion was at a deeper part of the lagoon with the same fish, healthier coral and neon colored anemones (we think, they were all closed up in what looked like the lips of clam).  Motoring back to main dock, we got to see some other sites - the Conrad Bora Bora Resort (over water bungalows), the dramatic mountains of the central island, and the intense blue water.

Conrad Bora Bora Resort, one of four large hotel complexes on the island.

A very rich Royal Blue.

The afternoon was spent lounging, napping, reading, and hanging out, mostly individually.  I enjoyed the pint-sized pool on deck 8, in the shade with a beer.  The waiters are very attentive and all food and drinks are included in the price of the cruise.  It has been very luxurious and without complaint thus far.

Dinner was again at L'Etoile, the gracious restaurant.   

Polynesian Adventure Day 7

Thursday, March 7:  Awoke early today to cloudy skies on a gently rocking ship, cruising from Tahiti to the island of Huahine.

Yesterday, March 6, was a "transition" day, with the end of the first phase of the trip and the start of the second.  Briefly, we left the villa on Moorea, ferried back to Tahiti, and boarded the Paul Gauguin cruise ship.  There was lots of sitting and waiting involved, with the longest spell at the villa for checkout, (we were up very early), a little hang time while catching the ferry, and some idling before embarking.  

SS captured this photo of an eel who swam out from under the ramp at the Villa.

When we reached Tahiti, we took a scouting detour to the Te Moana Tahiti Hotel where we will stay for a few days after the cruise (phase 3).  It's a 3-4 story hotel on the water with a great pool/bar/lounging area where we treated ourselves to lunch.  Then we drove back to the marina, deposited women, Logan and luggage (just as a rain storm started).  Brent & I drove back to the airport, turned in the rental car, and got a shuttle ride to the marina (about a 45-minute process).  Note: After Moorea, which has a low population and relatively small houses, Papeete seems huge - 4 and 5-story apartment buildings marching up the hills, much more traffic, and commerce.  It is still green and lush.

Photo by ET - Ferry that took us back to Tahiti "unfolding" its ramp.

Ditto.

Photo by ET - Waiting at the ferry dock - I waved to ET (5 vehicles back).

Photo by ET - Moorea under the clouds.

The check-in for the Paul Gauguin was efficient - obviously the crew has done this many times - the luggage was collected under a big tent and tagged to staterooms, passports were used to verify reservations, everyone was ushered into the Grand Salon (given champagne) and seated.  We were then taken in order to the front of the salon to a receptionist,  photographed, "registered" a credit card (pre authorization for any shipboard expenses), and  received our access cards.  Meanwhile, the luggage was transferred by the crew to our staterooms.  And thus the cruising began.

The walk along the pier.

Ditto.

Panorama of Papeete, from Deck 9

The cruise schedule.

So far the Paul Gauguin exceeds expectations - the facilities are in great condition, our rooms are comfortable and beautifully fitted with lots of storage, lights, and amenities.  The shower seems to be hot and abundant.  We explored the ship, took part in a mandatory lifeboat drill (the "muster") which was mostly attendance taking and lecture, and then went for dinner on the 8th deck Grill.  The food was marvelous - fresh fish and steak, perfectly prepared, and excellent desserts.  The staff are warm and hospitable, and welcoming to Logan.  As sample of the service, Betsy took a shower before the 6 pm muster and when we returned to our cabin after dinner, the towels had been changed and the bed turned down (with chocolate tidbits on the pillow, naturally).  

The only thing not meeting expectations is the weather - the rainy season make have hit - the sky this morning is cloud-covered from horizon to horizon.  It may not be raining right now and the sea is flat, but those features could change quickly.

Before I go on, I thought I would answer a couple of questions received in the comments:  1) the fish identification while snorkeling was based on experiences from other trips and from plastic cards of "common pacific reef" fishes;  2) to access the earlier posts, look to the right of the main text to the Archive (which is like an "index"), is shows Years, and Months, click on sideways pointing arrows to open up the entries under each month (i.e., click March 2024 to see most of the entries for this adventure).

On with the adventure, but first, our breakfast arrived (we pre-ordered it last night) so I will pick this up later...We have the island of Huahine outside our window!

4:00 pm same day:  We completed the first of 3 excursions we have scheduled.  ET, CP, EP and PT met up at 8:30 for the tender ride over to the small island of Huahine, to a village named Maro'e.  We joined another couple (American) for the English-language version of a tour of several cultural sites, then a boat trip to a Pearl farm and pottery gift shop, then snorkeling at the "Coral Garden."  We took a jeep ride to a "belvedere," overlooking the bay, waded in a  fast-flowing stream to watch blue-eyed eels being fed,  viewed an ancient stone temple platform (each family traditionally had its own temple and graveyard), and a stone fishing trap.  Then we took a second boat out onto the water, circling back from the northeast side of the large island, under the bridge that connects the two islands (Hauhine-Nui and Hauhine-Iti), past the Paul Gauguin, to the snorkeling spot on the southwest point of the large island.  The number of reef fish was again impressive.  We were taken back to the tender dock and then had a quick ride back to the ship.

Inside the tender to shore

The Paul Gauguin.

The tender at the dock.

View from the belvedere.

Teak tree.

Acacia tree.

Off for eel viewing.

To attract the eels, the guide feeds them canned mackerel.

A Blue Eyed Eel.

Temple Site (more like a family gravesite).

Ditto, looking inside. Estimated originally built between the years 1200 to 1500.

Multifunction mailbox and baguette receptacle.

The Pearl Farm and Pottery Shop.

We got a brief description of the process of seeding oysters to make pearls.

One of two sliding doors to the shop.

Inside the shop.

Example of the pottery (growing pearls takes a long time, so the pearl master took up pottery for amusement).

Hua mountain, representing men.  Hine represents pregnant women. 

The lone bridge connecting the small and large islands.

The Paul Gauguin again, with the boarding door shown amidship.

We cleaned up and went to lunch.  SS, BS and LS, who were on a different excursion, returned to the ship while we were at lunch and joined us.  We closed down the restaurant at 2:00.  ET, EP and PT then amused ourselves by going to a "Ribbon Rose" folding exercise, followed by a session making "textile bracelets."  The weather improved as the day progressed and it is warm and sunny as we leave Huanhine,

Polynesian Adventure, Day 6

 Tuesday, March 5th:  Sunny and hot, followed by afternoon rain, which strangely does not cool things off.

Today, was laundry day, swimming/snorkeling/kayaking to the island, sitting in the water, and an abortive trip to the Nature Center which was closed on Mondays and Tuesday, but the grounds had some interesting plants (see below).

SS and BS swam across the channel, getting warned by a jet ski guide ("do not swim here, it's for the boats"), and ET and PT kayaked over with LS on board.  LS was again another gracious passenger.  After arriving, we saw several sting rays gliding by in about 2 feet of water.  I got within 5 feet of one; when he turned and came toward me, I backed away.

Stingray photo, care of the web.

LS says "he liked snorkeling."  He did amazingly well floating, wearing a mask, and breathing through the snorkel tube, unassisted.  However, parents hovered within 3 feet.

The Nature Center (aka "center for research insularies (?) and observation of the environment"....)

Jungle Flame (Ixora coccinea)

ditto.

Beach Naupaka (Scaevola taccada)

Sensitive Plant (Mimosa pudica) 

Expanded Lobsterclaw (Heliconia latispatha)

?? (Seek could not identify)

??

Sensitive Plant closes its leaves when touched.

Tree Crinum (Crinum asiaticum).

Pineapple.

Brown Land Crab.

The Brown or Black Noddy, the most prevalent local sea bird - (photo taken from WWW), and, we believe, the source of weird creaky noises at night.

Dinner was attempted as a repeat of the first night's restaurant, but it was closed, so we drove further down the road and found what turned out to be a great pizza place.  We shared 4 pizzas and 4 arrancinas (rice balls with tasty fillings).  Then back to the villa to pack and organize.  Last day at the villa ends.