French Polynesia - Bora Bora or bust! Part Three (a)

Bora Bora, Raiatea, Huahine

And there it was! On day six of our trip, the sun was shining, the water shimmered in shades of blue, and off in the distance we saw the remnants of two volcanic peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu. We were arriving at Bora Bora. The lagoon, one of earth's spectacular wonders, is ringed by coral reefs. It's an island almost entirely dependent on tourism. The standard feature in Bora Bora are the resorts which boast many over the water bungalows on stilts...the image which I have so often longed to be a part of. The capital city, Vaitape, just off the wharf, boasts a population of 5000.

We were going to be in Bora Bora for two days. This gave us time for a few touring opportunities. The first, was a lagoon cruise with snorkeling.  This "opportunity" seemed to include getting up close and personal with sting rays and sharks. 

a few sharks approached

his arm on left

making friends

On the second day, after he recovered from staring into the eyes of sharks, hubby toured the island in a more sedate off road adventure. He got to see some of the scenery, a pareo house and sarong demonstration, as well as some of the seven cannons left over from WWII when the U.S. was protecting the area from the Japanese.  

 I wanted no part of the bumpy driving up to the volcano or the historical war adventure, but rather had already planned my dream day. It was a no brainer. I was going to be a participant in my Bora Bora vision. Had I thought of it, I would have booked an overnight stay at the Pearl Beach Resort and Spa. It was actually doable since the ship stayed in Bora Bora for two days. Perhaps next time. All participants received lovely shell necklaces, before we were off on a boat to Motu Tevairoa.  Then, there they were...I saw not only the bungalows, but also Mount Otemanu in the distance.

 When I arrived at the resort, I gazed around in wonder at the fantastic woodwork, the lobby with mother of pearl wall, and the entire atmosphere. I cried. The participants were given washcloths (in my case for the tears) and a lemon drink to cool off  before our tour of the facilities. We were told to enjoy the everything or nothing. There was lots to do...kayaking, canoes, snorkeling, stand up paddle boards, table tennis, mini golf, tennis and volleyball courts, and of course, beach chairs. All activities were included in our day.

hotel lobby

greeting washcloth and drink

gorgeous beach

We had a lovely lunch which included an appetizer, a drink of any kind, and main course or dessert. If I'd known the size of my appetizer salad, I would have opted for a small dessert rather than a main course which was too much for me to eat. 

                           

My version of the feet photos most people take while on vacation. Proof that I was there.

What a phenomenal and memorable day it was. Not only that, I was so impressed with the peoples'  respect for the environment, attempts to take care of resources by recycling, using solar energy, and providing areas for fish nurseries and regrowth of vegetation.

As the day ended, we gathered our bags, got back on the water ferry and headed to the ship. I took one last look at the bungalows off in the distance and... I cried.

***This blog got a bit longer than expected so I think I'll make it 3a. and Raiatea and Huahine part 3b. Stay tuned. I'm working as fast as I can.

French Polynesia - Bora Bora or bust! Part Two

            MOOREA, FAKARAVA, RANGIROA

welcome champagne

excellent library

We explored our room and the ship, and took
a short break in the lovely library. Later, we said goodbye to Papeete, and enjoyed the scenery while we recovered from our long flight.

It was a hazy day when we anchored offshore at our next destination. Moorea,  meaning yellow lizard,  is located 19 km. west of the island of Tahiti. It is unique in that it has both white sand and black volcanic sand beaches.  

Mount Tohivea and Mount Rotui are tall,   
jagged and memorable landmarks.

We stepped ashore, received a flower which we now knew was not a snack, and enjoyed the local music and dancing with which we were greeted. Unfortunately, I did not realize that my lens would fog up from the heat, so at this point, my photos were still a bit hazy. (I used proper lens wipes to avoid this problem in future)

We boarded our Ohana Catamaran cruise excursion and went on a lagoon tour. The water was a pristene pool colour, and the current was noticeable as people attempted to snorkel. Locally grown fruit and assorted snacks were served and they were delicious.

I'm not ashamed to admit that this sight made me cry. I couldn't believe where I was...not Bora Bora yet, but near enough to see some over the water bungalows off in the distance.

In Fakarava, we opted to check out the local souvenir stands and wander along the scenic street. We opted for the early morning since we thought it might be cooler. After about 15 minutes of perspiring through all our clothing and feeling the burning sun's scorch, we headed back to the ship. First, we took some photos of the scenery and interesting buildings. Again, we were greeted with flowers and local talent.

We found the plants,the churches, and the school to be of particular interest. We were informed that the main religion on the islands is Christianity and that the majority are Protestant with a lesser number of Roman Catholics. There are also some Buddhists and Jehovah's Witnesses. The churches serve as centres, integral parts of the community, providing support and entertainment.  

School

We didn't get off  the ship at Rangiroa, but opted to stay aboard. The town was some ten kilometres from the tender pier and the only tour available was a glass bottom boat ride.

Instead, I spent some time reading about French Polynesia and learned that the Society Islands which we were visiting were one of five groups of islands and atolls comprising French Polynesia.

*** I have no idea why some of these descriptions are underlined. I can't seem to get rid of the lines.

Still to come  -   PART THREE - BORA BORA, RAIATEA, HUAHINE.
        PART FOUR - PACKING ESSENTIALS

French Polynesia - Bora Bora or bust! Part One

It's been on my bucket list for years and years. The image of those thatched huts perched in the crystal clear turquoise waters of French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean has been etched in my brain.
Sure, there are newly built imitations in Mexico, the Caribbean, the Maldives and other places,  but the original was built in Bora Bora over thirty years ago.  It no longer exists, however, there are many similar hotels within the lagoon and barrier reef that make Bora Bora unique.

This year, my dream materialized in the form of a very, very long flight, and an Oceania cruise.

The flights were organized by the cruise line and were spaced with a reasonable layover between. Air Canada got us to LAX in five and a half hours...no delays despite much climatic disturbance of late.

Once in Los Angeles, it took a bit of effort and walking to locate the next leg of our flight, Tahiti Nui airlines. On the way, I found a currency exchange booth. All advice about not exchanging money at airports went out the window when I spoke with the agent. Polynesian francs...as many as I wanted would cost $9.95. A quick calculation and I decided it was a good idea. The ship was charging 5% for exchange. Despite the agent's urging (as much as you want, one time fee),  I changed only $350 deciding we wouldn't need much more than that for shopping and tips during the next ten days. (As it turned out,  little more would have been good). The ship provided food and drink and the excursions were prepaid. Besides that, someone was bound to take credit cards weren't they? 

(Important Note -  Many of the local handicraft huts only take Polynesian francs because the proprietors don't want to bother with foreign currency for various reasons. Plus, they find trips to a bank an inconvenience.)

Tahiti Nui airlines turned out to be one of the best surprises of the trip. What a lovely airline. I won't say that the eight and a half hours "flew" by, but that length of time could have been a lot worse. Hubby and I had two seats, window and aisle (four in the middle of plane and two on each window side). As we entered the aircraft we were impressed with the brightness, the turquoise blankets, the multi coloured pillows, the comfort kit (socks, ear plugs, head sets, wet wipes), and the Gaugin murals on the wall. Flight attendants had dresses and shirts made out of beautiful floral fabric with flowers in their hair (only the female ones). It provided an immediate pleasant atmosphere.

We were no sooner in the air than it was announced that a meal would be served. A tray came around with warm hand towels. The attendant then gave us this with a pair of tongs and said, "Take it." I took it and stared.

I hate to admit this, but hubby and I looked at each other wondering what to do with it. Despite all clues and appearances, we didn't know. On the other hand, at this point we also hadn't slept in thirty hours. So I sniffed it a few times and placed in on my tray table, opting not to eat it. After all, it was an odd looking appetizer wasn't it? If it looks like a flower, and smells like a flower, and you are given one every time you set foot anyplace in French Polynesia, it's probably a flower...a Tahitian gardenia or tiare to be exact.

The meal was quite good as far as airplane food goes, as was the breakfast the next morning. We were given a choice of an omelette or french toast...a choice...imagine. Since we landed in Papeete (pronounced something like Papa-etay) at 5:30 a.m. and ships need to unload and get cleaned thereby not allowing passengers on board before noon, we were taken to a hospitality room at a local hotel. We were provided with food, drinks, and a comfortable place to wait.

These were our first real views of Papeete, the Pearl Beach Resort where we waited, and the black volcanic sandy beach.










Eventually, a bus picked us up and delivered us to the ship. The boarding process was one of the easiest and most efficient we've experienced on a ship.

NEXT - Watch for -

              PART TWO - MOOREA, FAKARAVA, RANGIROA
              PART THREE - BORA BORA, RAIATEA, HUAHINE.
              PART FOUR - PACKING ESSENTIALS