To say that it was a rainy day in Papeete today, was an understatement. The Captain had warned that the next three days would have chance of showers, but we had hoped it wasn’t so. Tropical, or liquid sunshine, is what we got for sure. But first, here’s a snippet of info about French Polynesia. The 117 islands that make up French Polynesia are spread out over a marine area equal to the size of Europe. The major archipelagos are the Marquesas, Society Islands, the Australs, and Gambiers, as well as the vast lagoons of the Tuamotu atolls. In our opinion, there is no other place exactly like it on earth. The islands are known for diving, hiking, exotic foods, fragrant flowers, luxury resorts, and everything French. More comes to mind such as Tahitian dancers, ancient temples called maraes, creative shell necklaces, and over-the-water huts at high-end resorts. You can swim up close with sting rays and sharks, see waterfalls, dig your toes into the black sand beaches, drink Hinano beer, buy pareos and black pearls. A random fact is that 300,000 tiare flowers are harvested daily for the traditional leis.
So today our port of call was the commercial, industrial, and financial center of government of Papeete, on the island of Tahiti. It is the capital of all of French Polynesia, and probably the most densely populated. Tours offered through shore excursions included sight-seeing, certified scuba diving, and a sunset catamaran ride. These ran from $100 to $260 per person. For those that wished to spend a romantic overnight at either a bungalow hut or an over-the-water hut in nearby Moorea, they offered a trip on the ferry and hotel stay starting from $800 to $950 per person. The ship re-positions to Moorea after 4:30 am Sunday morning. Wonder how many takers they had for this experience?
We sailed into the port area early, but due to the winds, rain, and a ship coming into the harbor ahead of us, the Amsterdam was not alongside until after 8:30am. The local authorities would not clear us until an hour later. Since we were in no hurry to go ashore in the rain, we lingered over breakfast, and glad we did. Barb surprised us with a visit, which she rarely does. Her breakfast usually consists of orange juice and coffee. Today was no exception. At least we had a chance to catch up on yesterday’s news, since we missed the dining room dinner last night.
We were not the only ship in port, as the Paul Gauguin was docked across from us. This ship stays in French Polynesia, we think, and holds up to 332 passengers. A small ship at 19,200 gross tons, she offers a different type of cruise for the active-minded passengers. It has a retractable aft marina platform where the guests can water ski from two small boats, or use the two zodiacs. Kayaking, windsurfing, scuba and snorkel gear are all provided complimentary. And the dress code is totally relaxed for the entire cruise. There is limited entertainment, but they do have excellent lecturers we have read. It looked like it was off-loading passengers today, and will begin with new folks tomorrow.
Getting off the ship, we ran right into a lady passenger being loaded into an ambulance. She seemed to be alert and was saying goodbye to Henk and Christel and Renee, the spa manager. Sure hate to see this again, as five people that we know of have left the ship so far. Maybe she was going to the hospital for a more thorough check up. One guest we know had an accident in her new scooter, and broke her leg. She had to have it xrayed today as well.
Lucky for most everyone, the rain let up, and the sun actually peeked out for most of the morning. That gave us enough time to walk to the Marche Municipale or the marketplace that has it all. For a change, it was not crowded, but the tables were half empty. That’s when we remembered they were only open until noon, since today is Saturday. Listening to the port lecturer, he did not include this info in his talk a few days ago. (In case Barbara H, our retired port lecturer, is reading this, we sure want you to know you are missed.)
The first stop we made before it closed, was the fabric shop across the street from the market. Wearing a blouse of a fabric we purchased last year, the store workers recognized the print immediately. Even though their English was limited, they seemed pleased to see it made into a shirt. So of course, it was not difficult to find another piece to add to the collection.
At the market, we strolled the lower level, taking lots of photos, and then up the escalator on the upper level. We ran into Eddie and Lee, our 90 plus year old friends. They had made their way there to also take pictures, and look for internet. They are incredible. The only items we were interested in were flowers. There were not a whole lot of them this time, but we found some bird of paradise blooms, greenery, and some assorted daisies. Not wanting to haul them through town, we decided to stop and buy them on the way back to the ship.
Walking through downtown, we made our way to the church, some familiar shops, and McDonald’s. Close to here was the Queen’s Palace and gardens, but it was closed today. Very disappointing. Even though the rain was holding off, the humidity was almost thick. If it did rain, it might be refreshing. We back-tracked, and found a small hardware and nursery we have visited before. Looking for some liquid fertilizer for the sunflowers in our room, we could not find anything suitable. But the shop salesperson suggested that we buy a small bag of compost, which should do the trick. It was cheap, and would not burn the young seedlings. Then we stopped for the fresh flowers and went right back to the ship. And just as the security officer promised, we had no problem bringing them onboard.
Cooling off in our room for an hour, we headed back out at 1pm. That is when it began to drizzle. No amount of rain would stop us from searching out the best pizza in town. We did need the umbrellas by the time we reached the semi-outdoor restaurant. Sure was nice to sit down with mostly locals, ordering a Margherita pizza, large Hinano beers, and a shared banana split for dessert. During our meal, the rain increased to the point we thought it would come through the metal roofing. It became so heavy, we could not see across the street. Since the ship would not be leaving the port until tomorrow morning, we were in no hurry to leave. It was around 3pm by the time the rain let up. The streets had flooded, and we hoped the passing cars would not soak us. However, the local drivers in Papeete have to be the most polite. Each and every time we crossed the street, all the cars stopped immediately. How often do you see that?
Back onboard, we spent the late afternoon working on photos, while watching the storm pounding the ship. We highly doubt that the roulette carts will be set up in the square tonight. The crew really likes to eat the local food from these carts, but it might not happen.
Dinner was back with our buddy Barb. Not really starving, we had starters of shrimp and a tater tot (not exactly), and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Perfect on a rainy night. Grilled tuna salad was the perfect entrée, and Slam insisted we share a small slice of a chocolate mousse tart. At 9:30pm, a local cast of Tahitian singers and dancers put on a rousing show. We think this group was on last year with Paki, one of the Polynesian Ambassadors onboard, as the host of the show. The name of the group is Mana, the Spirit of Tahiti. With only one performance, the Mainstage was full to capacity from where we watched.
We sure hope tomorrow is not quite as wet, as it is a tendering port with little shelter at the shore side dock. Time will tell…..
Bill & Mary Ann
