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Terrific, Tantalizing Tahiti
  • Paul and Nancy. We travel
  • Paul and Nancy. We travel

Terrific, Tantalizing Tahiti

A much delayed and multiple times rescheduled but finally happening trip . . . We are off to Tahiti and the Society Islands . . . Wooooo Hooooooo👍👍👍 Read more
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  • Trip start
    January 26, 2024
    Paul and Nancy. We travelTerrific, Tantalizing TahitiPaul and Nancy. We travel
    21

    And so it begins . . . ✅

    January 26, 2024 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

    This one has been a long time coming, planned and canceled multiple times. It was like the Cruising Gods were messing with us!

    A relatively short 3.5hr hop to LAX, a 5hr (😜) layover with some adventures in security screening and then 9 hours on board Air Tahiti Nui to be deposited in Papeete, Tahiti at Oh Dark Thirty in the morning.

    Then a day in Papeete to do some “long haul flying recovery” tourist stuff (very likely champagne will be involved) before boarding our Regent ship SS Navigator (https://www.rssc.com/ships/seven_seas_navigator) on Sunday 28th to explore the Society Islands.

    Let the snorkelling begin!

    Made it!

    Deplaned into the warm 25C humid flower scented air of a Papeete very earlier dawn, easy in-processing and checked into our overnight hotel. Time for a post long haul flight nap then off to do some puttering around in Papeete.    Read more

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    Puttering around Papeete

    January 28, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    So we have 24 hours in Papeete before we board and we thought we would do a little walk about in downtown Papeete, checkout the fresh food market and find a local restaurant to have lunch.

    A short taxi ride later we were in the Papeete Market area in the middle of town around noon on a toasty warm and humid day (Yea Nancy’s hair!). We missed most of the Saturday morning market but we walked around the crowded streets to get a feel for a busy Saturday shopping day in Papeete.

    Tahiti is actually a self governing part of France and as you wander around it is French being spoken and it has a distinct “being in France” feeling underneath the dominant Polynesian culture. Very strong French cuisine influence, with all the restaurants offering the French style “Prix Fixe” aka Menu of the Day. Works for us . . . excellent Matt & Jill training us paying off!

    Had a wonderful dinner on the hotel patio, under the stars with the sound of surf crashing on the reefs just below us. Great menu . . . Polynesian grilled sea food that was excellent and were up early this morning for some pool time and then packing up.

    We board our ship at noon and the real fun begins . . .    Read more

  • Paul and Nancy. We travelTerrific, Tantalizing TahitiPaul and Nancy. We travel

    Counting fingers and toes

    January 30, 2024, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We pitched up this morning in Opunohu Bay, Moorea, just a short 17km hop from Papeete and our activity for the day was snorkelling.

    We are not the first tourists to anchor in Opunohu Bay. Some dude named Captain James Cook moored here for the first time in Moorea, on the 30th of September 1777 during his third voyage to the Pacific.

    We met some of the local marine life, up close and personal.

    Everyone made it successfully back to the boat with all digits in place

    Amazed at the incredible number of shades of green covering Moorea    Read more

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    Fakarava . . . An Atoll for the ages

    January 30, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    Fakarava is a large atoll in the Tuamotu Islands, with a population of about 1000 people which for the most part live like the rest of the world doesn’t exist. It is a quiet, idyllic little place that moves more comfortably to older Polynesien rhythms than modern societal beats.

    Some small island farms and some very high end Scuba and BioDiversity tourism are the island’s economic backbone, with a nascent Black Pearl business looking like it has a future as well

    Scuba is the big draw, attracting divers from around the world who what to dive in some of most shark infested waters with the most stunningly beautiful corals on the planet. Sharks abound . . . We saw a pair of 10 footers cruising by the townsite dock just after we went ashore this morning

    All in all a very lazy day wandering around, getting the eye from all the local dogs sleeping away the day. We did meet one charming older local lady, “Miss Mau” who was out with her dog, sitting under a tree by the beach enjoying the day. She asked us where we were from and then tried to sell us some land she owned because she knows Canada has bad weather and would enjoy living on Fakarava. I promised her if we ever decide to relocate, we would look her up.

    Fakarava . . . Just another slice of Polynesian Paradise Pie    Read more

  • Paul and Nancy. We travelTerrific, Tantalizing TahitiPaul and Nancy. We travel

    Sea day . . . Course 035, Speed 17.5

    February 1, 2024, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    As our wake disappears over the horizon.

    Enroute Nuka Hiva

    Sea days are a good opportunity to explore our floating hotel

    The SS NAVIGATOR started life in 1991 in a Leningrad shipyard as a Russian satellite tracking ship, but when the Soviet Union imploded, the hull was purchased and turned into a high end cruise ship.

    She is solid old girl, comfortably equipped.    Read more

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    Nuku Hiva. You can’t get here from there

    February 1, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Anchored up this morning in one of the most remote places on earth, a verdant green pile of rocks in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

    Nuku Hiva is another beautiful Polynesian paradise island. A crazy history (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuku_Hiva) that is now a modern tourist destination for people wanting to really, really get away from it all.

    We spent our day checking out the local village in the morning on our own and after lunch aboard we did an organized driving tour up 1,500 feet of twisty roads to descend to the beautiful Taipivai valley on the other side. Some interesting stops to take in the views, visit a local farm and learn more about Polynesian culture

    Sea day tomorrow enroute our next port of call . . . Rangiroa    Read more

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    Rangiroa. A South Pacific Pearl

    February 3, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Anchored this morning in the lagoon side at Rangaroa Atoll, one of the largest in the Pacific, with a a 200km diameter. Looked like
    a tight squeeze navigating our 30,000 tonne ship through a quite narrow passage in the reef but we made it unscathed

    It was Supply Ship day, with the local inter island freighter tied up and delivering cargo on a small bustling dock. Add our ship’s tenders, dive and snorkeling excursion boats and some musicians, dancers and a local artist market and the place was hopping.

    Our morning outing was to a Pearl Farm and we had a very entertaining and humorous presentation about the cultured pearl business and how precisely detailed the work is to grow cultured pearls.

    I would last 10 minutes as a Pearl Tech! Max!!

    An afternoon snorkelling expedition with lots of fish but the highlight was a 5ft Moray Eel out hunting a lunch of small reef fish that was something we have never seen before

    On a southwest heading at 15 knots travelling 239 nautical miles to anchor in Bora Bora tomorrow✅

    There is a tropical depression forming northwest of us so our plans may change, stand by over.    Read more

  • Paul and Nancy. We travelTerrific, Tantalizing TahitiPaul and Nancy. We travel

    Bora Bora . . . On the edge

    February 4, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Bora Bora is probably the most photographed atoll in Polynesian. Quite small, it is very young in geologic terms and still has its central, very dramatic volcanic core in the middle of the lagoon. Maybe, in another 25 million years, that will be eroded and weathered away to leave just a lagoon.

    Meanwhile, we have a further weather update on that Tropical Depression that has formed in the area. Looks like it will build up to Tropical Storm levels so the Captain has decided to skip our scheduled stop in Raiatea and boogy it back to Papeete to get out of the storm‘s path and rough seas/weather.

    We were on the edge of that weather today in Bora Bora, arriving in sunshine that quickly degraded to low overcast skies and warm if intense tropical showers. We did a snorkelling boat trip but our scheduled beach visit was rained out. The boat’s crew were great hosts and we had a little party on the way back to the dock

    We have been told we can stay another 24 hours here before we have to hightail it back to Papeete in front of the storm. Could be some good rock’n roll’n sea days coming up ✅✅    Read more

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    Bora Bora . . . Struck by Karma

    February 5, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    We stayed overnight in Bora Bora and woke to a mixed bag of sometimes intense rain squalls and some attempts at broken, blue sky revealing clouds. We went ashore for awhile and poked around the tourist shops. All excursions were cancelled by the French Authorities due the continued deterioration in the weather

    Earlier I had described this trip as being delayed and one of theses delays was caused when a trip we had booked on a ship called the Pacific Princess was canceled because Princess Cruise Lines sold the ship.

    They sold the ship to a company called Azamara, who renamed it the Azimara Onward and this morning out of a dark rain squall blowing across the anchorage, a black hulled ship slipped in and dropped anchor near by.

    That’s right, it was the Onward.

    The Cruise Gods were messing with us this morning😂😂😂

    The anchor goes up in a few minutes and we run downwind ahead of the worst of the weather, back to Papeete    Read more

  • Paul and Nancy. We travelTerrific, Tantalizing TahitiPaul and Nancy. We travel

    Papeete, time to ship off

    February 7, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    We made it quite easily back to Papeete, outrunning the worst of the weather.

    Another day exploring Papeete, then saying goodbyes to new cruise friends, packing up and off the ship this morning at 0830.

    A short walk from our pier to the Moorea Ferry pier and we will move onto VaCay Stage 2 . . . 3 nights in an over the water bungalow style hotel in Moorea    Read more

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    Breaking: Cyclone Nat

    February 7, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Breaking! The tropical depression we have been running from has been followed up by a bigger storm, now officially named Cyclone Nat. French Polynesia is starting to baten down the hatches.

    Only a Cat 1 and looks like it will glance-by our area so probably no biggy

    Ferry service is suspended at noon but we will be in Moorea by then
    Roads closed as of 6pm on the island of Moorea

    Things could get a little spicy!

    Update. A bit of wild ferry ride but this is our view from our overwater bungalow    Read more

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    Feeling the pounding surf in our floor

    February 7, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    Nancy did her travel organizer thing and scored us a primo over water “bungalow” at the reef end of the bay.

    The sound of the surf is awesome but what is even better is we can actually feel the surf vibration in our floor.

    This place is off the charts 👍👍👍👍    Read more

  • Paul and Nancy. We travelTerrific, Tantalizing TahitiPaul and Nancy. We travel

    Moorea. Living lazy over the aquarium

    February 8, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    This is an easy resort hotel to just chill out. From watching fish through our glass floor to snorkelling off our dock, we have had an exceptionally chill day.

    Winds are still very strong and the current makes snorkelling challenging but we managed explore our little area of coral reef heads around our bungalow

    This hotel is famous for its twice weekly Polynesian show at the main restaurant. It was simply excellent! I would note that if the hips of the young lady dancers could somehow be hooked up to the grid we would have finally found a reliable source of Renewable Energy. They were literally a blur of motion at times!

    Last day tomorrow . . . Then Saturday back on the ferry to Papeete, a midnight flight to Los Angeles then a 2nd flight to Vancouver and home in time to watch the SuperBowl

    The travel gods willing    Read more

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    Where is John the Biologist when needed?

    February 8, 2024 in French Polynesia ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    We had a visitor to our deck late this afternoon. Hung around for about 10 minutes.

    Quite a friendly vocalist.

    Have no idea what type of bird this is.

    Anyone?

  • Paul and Nancy. We travelTerrific, Tantalizing TahitiPaul and Nancy. We travel

    And we are home . .

    February 11, 2024 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    And now, Nancy’s curated Photo Album!

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/KD7qtFiUB4g3m8ng9

    Home✅

    Trips end, memories last

    At least we were prepared for some Vancouver weather

    Breaking! We get home and the next day gives us this!

     Maybe the weather gods are our friends after all😂😂    Read more

    Trip end
    February 11, 2024