As we left Hawaii, we prepared for the next big part of our South Pacific and Australia Cruise, namely our visit to the French Polynesian Islands. Never in my wildest imagination would I ever picture myself in French Polynesia.
This is the part of the world made famous by the explorer James Cook, the French painter Paul Gauguin, and perhaps most of all, the award winning Rogers and Hammerstein musical "South Pacific.”
Before arriving at our first stop on the island of Bora Bora, we had to find ways to spend six days on the Pacific. Our daily routines were similar on most days. We usually had unending choices for breakfast in the World Cafe, a variety of international foods for lunch at the Cafe, and fine dining at any of three upscale restaurants on board - The Restaurant, Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant, and Chef’s Table with set menus and wine pairings.
All day, there were activities, lectures, classes, reading lounges, games, recreation, contests, coffee bars, cocktail bars, swimming pools, hot tubs, viewing decks, and so on. There was no chance of being bored. Evenings included musicians in the lounges and concerts in the Star Theatre.
Cintra and I tried several activities of particular interest to us. Cintra enjoys bridge, painting, yoga, Qigong, earring-making and other crafts. I mostly relax, but take in lectures, write, go to the gym and practise with the choir. We are preparing to sing a Rogers and Hammerstein medley.
A special event on our way to Bora Bora, was a ceremony to mark the crossing of the Equator. Although the actual crossing was to be 11 pm that day, the ceremony was at 10 am on Deck 7 pool. Any Pollywog (someone who has not crossed the line) could join in the ritual of stepping into the pool that had just been chilled with huge bags of ice. At first staff and crew took turns and later passengers immersed in the cold water to earn their certificates and earned the title of Shellbacks. At the end, the Pollwogs must kiss a slimy fish. This was the most amount of fun we had seen since the cruise started.
As the ship approached the dock, passengers flocked to the decks to witness the arrival of the ship in Vaitape. With its large mountain peak in the Centre of the island with a cap of white clouds, it was just what I imagined of a French Polynesian island.
At the appointed time, we boarded the tenders to take us to the island of Bora Bora. It poured heavily and we were unsure if our truck tour would be washed out. On the pier, we had time to check out the gift shop while we sheltered. Also, we were entertained by the four Polynesian musicians as tenders arrived with cruise passengers.
Finally, we boarded the old fashioned truck that seated almost 40 passengers. The guide narrated as we drove around the island of about 8,000. The ride was just over 30 km through narrow winding roads. The entire ride was along the coastline, so we got to see beautiful beaches, Polynesian homes and resorts, views of the mountains, tropical fruits and flowers, and other scenes of interest.
The weather was better than what it started out to be and better than if it were all heat and sun. We were spared sunburn and mosquitoes.
Next stop on the cruise was the French Polynesian Island of Mo’orea. As we approached the island, It appeared gloomy, wet and cloudy. But, it was still exhilarating to view this magical scene.
When our group boarding time came, we boarded the covered boat for a tour of the lagoon. I better understood from our guides that Mo’orea is surrounded by a lagoon. The island is about twice the size and population of Bora Bora.
It is rich in lush vegetation, beautiful homes for the rich along the shore, and pineapple plantations.
Much of the lagoon is crystal clear, shallow, blue water. The rocks and corals are clearly visible. An iconic image on the shore is the Hilton, which like other hotels in French Polynesia is a row of thatch covered cottages. The price ranges anything from $500 US and higher per night.
On our return on board, we enjoyed dinner in Chef’s Table and headed to the evening entertainment. Instead of a stage concert in the Star Theatre, the cruise showed the Rogers and Hammerstein musical “South Pacific.” It was not only nostalgic and highly entertaining, but a somewhat uncanny experience watching this movie in the South Pacific and seeing very familiar scenes of the Polynesian mountains, forests, coastlines and islands. It felt like being an eye witness to the wartime love story.
Our visit to Tahiti has been much anticipated. When we pre-booked our shore excursions, we were unable to get the Tahiti included tour. We kept checking the waiting list and were excited to get a place on the walking tour finally.
It was a thrill just to see the night view of Papeete when the ship docked last evening. And a joy to see the capital city in the morning. When I picked up my morning tea, I was pleased to sit on the balcony, sip my tea, munch on an almond croissant and admire the city with the lush mountain backdrop.
Our morning routine was rearranged because our walking tour of Papeete was booked for 11:30 am. We went to the Norwegian food bar of Mamsens on Deck 7 to read, and relax, and enjoy their famous Norwegian waffle called Vafler.
Our snack was enough to fuel us for our 2 1/2 h walk around Papeete. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and gave us a good overview of local landmarks, parks and vegetation. The tour ended at the central market with everything from fruits, to fish and to fabrics.
Cruise passengers also had options of tours on the water, under the water and overland. We stayed in Papeete and got our taste of Tahiti close to the ship. Although there were occasional showers during the walk, most of the time it was unbearably hot around 30 deg.
ship had its own celebration of Tahitian culture on board with local dancing and later with Polynesian cuisine.
The French Polynesian culture has a charm unlike any other country, including Hawaii. They speak Tahitian and French. Both are required languages in school as well as English. Naturally, their lives are tied to the sea and tourism.
Tahiti is a bit more progressive, while Bora Bora and Mo’orea are more rustic. French painter Paul Gauguin described these islands as the most beautiful in the world.
We are happy to share our brief experiences here and look forward to sharing more in our next update of sights in around New Zealand next week.
Maururu
