We are off

Day 1

Not much to say, pleasant flight to Tahiti, our friends were upgraded to 1st class so we started the party early. Flight went pretty quick, First Class was nice, very personal service and good food, but old movies on the video. Arrived at our  Bungalow, Bonnie took a quick dip off our private dock in the dark,  we fell asleep dreaming of what it would look like in the morning.

Over Water Bungalow- Amazing

Day 2

5:55am. No such time as far as we are concerned. Checked outside to confirm where we were and then back to bed with dreams of the beautiful water just outside our room.

Later on walked to the main building for breakfast, the croissants and papaya were to die for, not to mention the view.








Then back to our bungalow for some sun and snorkeling on our private dock.

Definitely could get used to this.  At one point I was dying for a cold crisp apple, ordered a fruit basket, but a BEAUTIFUL cut up fruit plate arrived instead. Unfortunately, no apple, but sometimes you just have to suffer with what you have :)




Eventually wandered over for lunch, while our friends went in search of Moby Dick on a whale watching boat. Then a little more sun after a walk around the resort, then jump in for quick snorkel on the other side. Looks like the pattern for this trip has been set; sun, snorkel, food-rinse and repeat.

Yes the routine is definitely set. We saw the gym as we walked by and for a second, I thought of adding it to the routine. I eventually  decided it was too much energy and not in keeping with paradise. Calories don't count here-right! Nice Mahi-mahi for lunch.

Caught up with Jen and Luc at the swim up bar around evening after I had a small encounter with some urchin spines (no damage done) where I tried a Sexy Pool cocktail, OMG did I feel sexy (it was a bit strong).

 
Watched an amazing sunset as it dropped behind the twin peaks of Moorea, then off for a nice dinner.

Sun, Water and Papeete

Day 3

Another lazy day in the tropics  Slept in a bit until 8:30 , sunned on our deck for a while before heading down to breakfast, enjoying the view from the terrace.

 Explored all our options including renting a car for an island tour, an escorted tour (Luc and Jen's choice), a ride into town, a 4-wheel  ride into the hills or just lay around some more. We settled on laying around and a ride into town for some shopping.

First we headed back to our bungalow for some more relaxing on our deck. I snorkeled a while, but the current was a bit strong, so that was cut short, but not before seeing some amazing fish right in front of our bungalow.

 

A ride into town uncovered what appeared to be an Apple store-maybe this is  the place for BG to transfer, since there are lots of churches here+ an Apple store look-a-like. I picked up some stamps for Steve and then  we headed to the highlight of our shopping trip. You might think it was pearls, but you would be mistaken! We stumbled on a self-serve froyo place called Yo Me, including all the toppings -yummmm






Wandered around the shops and market, not much interesting, but did finally find a Pareo for Bonnie.

Back to the hotel for , you guessed it, food and snorkeling. Some chips and dip (Doritos and salsa- not a great combo), a bit of chatting up some friends from Canada we had met that were joining us on the cruise(Karen and Peter) then back in the water.

Relaxed, then off  a fantastic French  restaurant (Le Lotus)  on the water. AMAZING. Between us we sampled grilled kangaroo, lobster stew, foie gras, rack of lamb, duck and veal.  A meal to be well remembered.

Tomorrow we head to the ship, we are all sorry to be leaving this wonderful place, but there is more of paradise still to discover.

Our Cruise Begins

Day 4

Decided to have breakfast delivered to our bungalow on our last day. We just didn't want to leave until the last minute. We had arranged for late checkout so we were going to milk every last minute we could.

 

My morning was snorkel, snack, read, relax, snorkel, snack, read, relax. Snorkeling from my dock around the lagoon and back was a blast.  Bonnie just snacked and relaxed and took in some sun.. 

It was hard to say goodbye to our wonderful place, but  we finally did.

We  headed our ship, the Paul Gauguin,  and started our cruise. Boarding was a snap, walk on the ship, take a seat, show your passport, then your steward escorts you to your room. I could get used to this. Checked out the ship, learned about the next few days and enjoyed a nice dinner and enjoyed another beautiful sunset.

We had a little excitement as Luc left his only pair of pants at the hotel. The shore excursion director, Pia, came to the rescue. Well done. 

In typical undecided fashion, Bonnie and I were still figuring out our activities for tomorrow as we headed to bed, while Jen and Luc were all set for the next 4 days! Go figure. We are thinking about trying  some diving


As we turned in, our ship tooted its horn, and we headed out from the protected lagoon of Papeete to open sea on our way to Huahine. The stars in the clear southern sky were amazingpulled away from the island of Tahiti.   We'll be at our next island before we wake up.

Huahine- Quiet and beautiful

Day 5

Woke early and was amazed as we pulled in to the lagoon at Huahine to discover the private island I was looking for. Surrounded by a coral reef it looked like its own infinity pool. The only issue might be that a small wave could submerge it; now to find the real estate agent to work out the details.

Breakfast of omelet and lox and bagels delivered to our room to eat as we admire the island and water. Yes, it is  Sunday in paradise.








We all headed off the boat, Luc and I to snorkel at the pier,  and Bonnie and Jen to check out town. The boys won this one, the snorkeling along a coral wall was amazing.

Not really much in town, although Bonnie was able to find the only food truck in Tahiti. Must have driven from the North Shore of Oahu.

For the afternoon, Bonnie took a scuba lesson and Jenn/Luc headed on a tour. I was supposed to go as well, but missed the last ticket by "this much", so I suffered an afternoon of sun and reading; tough life. Bonnie's lesson went well, but when it was finished she decided it wasn't for her, she's more of  a snorkeling kind of girl.

Met Jen and Luc after their trip, sounded like 3 hours of non-stop stories about the islands and culture. Sorry I missed it but we will get to hear them all for the next few days

Steam bath, nap and off to dinner, delicious Moon fish and the first round of Tahitian stories courtesy of the Moyens  Finished the night with  cultural dances by "Le Gauguines"- our hosts for the cruise. Wow those hips sure do shake.

Ta'aa- Motu Mahana, Vanilla and Pearls

Day 6

The ship arrived early at Ta'aa and Motu Mahana, our private island for the day. I think I could live here for a while.

 Bonnie, Luc and Jenn headed off on a tour of the island including visits to Vanilla and Pearl farms.

A drive to the top of the island showcased some amazing coconut demonstrations and beautiful views. The trip was very informative and  there was even time to buy some pearls and vanilla beans.

Meanwhile, back on the ship, Stuart set off for his dive class on the sandbar. It was pretty wavy  and windy, so just the lesson and some underwater swimming then over to the private beach, where Stuart arrived before the gang and had a little head start on the coconut drinks.  The Motu was in a very protected area, so it was calm. In fact it was FANTASTIC. Nice beach, lots of chairs, and a BBQ lunch.

The snorkeling was great here as well. Luc spotted an eel, and a very brave fish played tag with Stuart.  As we walked around the Motu, the views just kept getting better and better. We were amongst the last to leave, secretly hoping they might forget us.

Back on board, we were just in time for the ice cream bar and some music  as we sailed away.  Some evening relaxing (steam, nap, etc) and then another nice dinner featuring Tupa and Ofi. ( sounded like Muppets to me, but turned out to be some yummy appetizers.)

Bora Bora- Our big Snorkel Adventure

Day 7

Our biggest water day of the trip so far, both in and out as we headed on a fantastic snorkel trip as the rains came. Met Simon from Reef Adventures at the pier in his 23 foot Southwinds motorboat. Eight of us headed out through the channel to listen (and) look for whales - no luck; as well as experience the amazing clarity of the open ocean. WOW!!  It was so blue, now we know why it's called the Blue Pacific.











Off to a small area between 2 Motus for some great snorkeling as the rain started.

Back on the boat with rain slickers we headed to the home of the large and scary Manta Rays. Seems they come for their spring cleaning by the local fish. We saw at least 3 different ones, they were huge.

Back aboard (still raining) and over to the coral garden. It is an amazing place. Huge schools of various colorful fish (aided by some baguettes), an over-sized moray eel and a spotted eagle ray that Stuart chased down for a picture.

While diving below I accidentally surfaced right into Luc's backside. Fortunately no one was hurt and we all had a good laugh.
 





Returned through some heavier rain, then back to the PG for an afternoon of lunch and relaxation including hanging out on our balcony and taking naps.










 



The engineers on board cranked up the temperature on the steam bath, but the extra warmth was certainly welcome as I prepared for our fancy French dinner; it was definitely a step up all around and we were joined by Peter and Karen for a fun evening.



Quick listen to the cruise director singing (ok, but monotonous) and then off to sleep (skipped karaoke) as we have a busy day tomorrow; more snorkeling for all of us, Stuart's first dive and a Polynesian feast for Jenn and Luc. Hope the rain subsides, but if not we won't let it  ruin our fun.

To see the last 4 days of our trip, click "Older Posts"