"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report #25 Vaitape, Bora Bora, French Polynesia January 24, 2018 Wednesday 79 degrees & Chance of rain Part #1 Of 4 80 Pictures

Somewhere around 7 million years ago, the island of Bora Bora came into existence. It is the oldest of the Society Islands, and part of the Leeward Islands. Located about 170 miles from Tahiti, is has been described as paradise on earth. We tend to agree that the lagoon is the most beautiful in the world with water ranging from turquoise blue to deep sapphire. The island itself is 5.5 miles long, and 2.5 miles wide. But the surrounding lagoon is 31 square miles, three times larger than the land mass. The entrance to the only pass, Te Ava Nui Pass, is 180 feet deep with gray sharks and barracuda feeding there. Two major peaks can be seen on the island. They are Otemanu at 2385 feet in elevation, and Pahia at 2168 feet high. The road around the island is only 20 miles. About 9000 people live here, and are employed mainly in the tourism industry. A few marae still exist here, but most of them were destroyed by missionaries 100 years ago. This entire island also houses relics from World War II, although much of it has been consumed by the jungle.

The 10 ship tours offered here included two land excursions from 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours for $70 to $170. There were two tank dive tours, one for 2 hours at $150 and the next one for 3 ½ hours for $210. This is the place for water trips like the four boat tours for 2 to 3 hours for $80 to $150. Last but not least, you can take the snorkeling boat for 3 hours for $130 to $150. We recommend the swimming trips, because you will never be in waters like this, seeing so much coral and fish…..little and big. Just be careful what type of ladders the boats have, so you can make a quick entrance into the boat when you see the large sharks so close. Thrilling……

Our plan for the day was simple. Eat a light breakfast, and take a tender boat over to shore around 10am. Although the projected high of the day was only 79 degrees, we think they were off by 10 degrees. It was shaping up to be a very hot day, with an occasional breeze. The ride to Vaitape was quick, and we were loaded into a waiting van for the $5 ride each to Matira Beach. Most of the folks bailed out at Bloody Mary’s, an old establishment here, made famous for their signature drink of tomato juice and vodka. A number of Hollywood stars, as well as world politicians have been here over the years. Too early for lunch,so we went to the end of the line at Matira Beach.

Checking out the Intercontinental Hotel at the point, we discovered that they no longer offer a day pass. Not that we planned on staying, but we did want all the info to share. You could go to their restaurant, but not use their facilities or pool anymore. It has always been expensive anyway.

Further up the road, we walked past the other major hotels such as the Maitai and the Sofitel. Some of the thatched roofs at both properties were being repaired, so we figured a storm must have done some damage here recently. Both still offer day passes and a nice place for lunch. Still too early for us, we turned around and made our way to the beach at Matira Point.

There are basic restrooms there, as well as a small convenient store nearby in which to buy beverages…..a most important thing to have with you in this heat. We walked the stretch of this famous beach, being careful not to step on the bits of broken coral. It’s always at this point of our walk, that we remember that it would have been wise to have brought the aqua shoes. If we had chosen to swim here, those protective shoes would have been a must. Strolling the surf was good enough.

And once we reached the far end, we began to see the large sting rays. Appearing to be black rocks under the surface, the rays moved slowly, barely breaking the surface. According to the local tourist booklet, these rays fill this part of the reef. Most of the snorkel boats bring their guests here to see them. They came within a few feet of our feet, as they must feed on the smaller fish in the surf. Pretty neat.

Before we joined the road, we stopped to put on our shoes. We watched a nearby dive shop filling tanks for the reef trips. You have to be certified to do this activity. This is the end of the beach, and where the old Hotel Bora Bora sits in ruins. A metal fence now blocks the beach, so you cannot wander into the property.

Walking the road, we noticed many folks had rented vehicles for the day. For instance, a small car would run 9500 francs ($95) for 4 hours. A jeep would set you back 19000 francs or $190. A more economical way to go would be to rent a scooter for 5500 francs ($55) for 4 hours or rent a Twizy, the name of the 2 person electric car for 7900 francs ($79) for 2 hours. A bike rented out for 1500 francs ($15) for 2 hours, the best deal of all.

It sure was nice to finally come to the famous Bloody Mary’s Restaurant. Not a large place, it is always fun to have lunch there…even more fun having beer there. Not fans of the real Bloody Mary beverage of tomato juice and vodka, we opted for the Hinano beer at half the price $4 for a glass. The place was pretty full, but we managed to be seated right away, under one of the overhead fans.

We ordered a chicken quesadilla and a bowl of fries to share. Needed that cold beer to re-hydrate. And since it happened to be a birthday for one of us, we ordered one serving of profiteroles to split. What a neat place to spend a quiet birthday.

Right outside the restaurant, we joined the waiting shuttle for the ride back. A funny thing had happened while walking the beach. Looking for seashells to add to our huge collection at home, one of us found a 1000 franc bill in the sand. Absolutely no one was anywhere near there, so we figured someone may have lost it in the water. Oh well, we used it for the ride back to the pier…….a little surprise birthday gift.

Looking for a pair of earrings made with the carved mother of pearl shell, we had no luck. We had bought a carved pendant with a single black pearl attached to it a few years ago. Trying to find something similar proved fruitless. It’s always fun to look at their tables of treasures, but today we were not tempted with anything new. Downtown was pretty busy, since there was another ship in the lagoon with us. It was the Wind Spirit once again. We think we rode back to town with some of their guests. They were a bit on the younger side, and did not look like HAL passengers.

Back in the comfort of our room, we worked once again on the computer. Then we went outside to see if a good sunset was going to happen. It was OK, but mostly blocked by the nearest motu. Nothing close to the sunset we saw in Tahiti. Passing through the Lido, we checked out the event of the evening…..a Polynesian cook-in. Normally, a deck BBQ would be held in this port. But they have been banned, and the party has been moved to inside. The entire Lido was decorated for the occasion, and the food offerings were tropical-related. As for us, we had reservations in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm.

The sun went down behind the motu, but it was nowhere near as stunning as the sunset in Tahiti. A few folks were armed with their cameras to catch the setting rays, but most everyone was busy filling their plates in the Lido buffet.

The Pinnacle Grill was not crowded, so the service was perfect. It is such a treat to have the courses flow, and be done in an hour or so. And it was not a total surprise that a large decorated cake arrived for dessert. Yes, they did remember it was my special day. The nice thing is that in this venue, the wait staff and Tina keep the occasion low-key, just the way I prefer it. They offered to keep the dessert to share at our table tomorrow evening. Yes, that’s a great plan, as we cannot consume a whole cake. For our meal, we had one order of lamb chops, and one filet. Dessert was the little soufflé and a dish of Cherry Garcia ice cream.

Too early for the show, we missed a magician by the name of Nathan Coe Marsh. For sure, he will be back for another performance.

It was extremely muggy outside when we walked the promenade deck. Vaitape was lit up, but we know that very few things would be opened this late. All aboard was 10:30pm, and everyone must have been back already by then, because we left the lagoon shortly afterwards.

Another day in paradise. The evening ended with a chuckle. All of the cabins had notes waiting for them regarding the tender tickets used for the orderly debarking. Henk M wrote the wittiest message to please return missing tickets. His message read: We’ve noticed that a good few of you are progressively creative in trying to outsmart this well-intended process. Or, you are so caught up in the joys of this process, that you may have forgotten to return the remaining spare tickets in your possession? Should that be you, we would highly appreciate for you to return them at the front desk drop box. Thank you kindly. Henk M. Is that funny or what? Didn’t we tell you, that people resent the priority debarking being suspended?

Bill & Mary Ann

Mt. Otemanu – 2385 feet high