Located in the Society Islands of French Polynesia, Tahiti is the largest island in all of the archipelagos. And the city of Papeete, Tahiti, is the capital of the country. Considered the gateway to French Polynesia, is something we know well. We have flown to and from Tahiti on our very first cruises here with Princess Cruise Lines. Once was on the old Pacific Princess, one of the "Love Boats", and the second time was on the larger Golden Princess, both of which are long gone from the fleet. Both were very long flights from California, so being able to stop here on a ship is so much better. We have been lucky to do it so many times, that we have honestly lost count.
One aspect of flying was memorable, since we got to see the beginnings of the coral atolls belonging to the Tuamotu Archipelago. Unlike islands, these coral atolls resemble a string of pearls from the air. The most gorgeous lagoons are in the center with waters as aqua as they get. A diver's paradise. Years later, we would actually visit some of the largest atolls like Fakarava and Rangiroa. If we remember correctly, this is the area where the most valuable black pearls are farmed.
Several tours were available for booking here. Most of them were site-seeing of museums, gardens, caves, and sacred maraes. Point Venus, a historic landing point, and views of the black sand beaches are tours we have taken in the past. Two boat rides would give the folks a chance to swim or snorkel, or take a lunch tour with sightings of blowholes, caves , and gardens. There would be no day excursion to nearby Moorea, since we were not overnighting here. Actually, for the first time we can remember, there is no other stop in French Polynesia. Normally, we stop at Moorea, and Bora-Bora, but not on this trip, much to everyone's disappointment. Oh well, guess we had to sacrifice some of these beautiful islands to make time for our trip to Antarctica.
One island that we will visit, will be Tonga. Yesterday, we received a Tonga Health Form, much the same as we got for Tahiti. Questions asked were also the same like where have we been in the last 14 days, and are we sick. Some folks should mark "yes" to sick, because we sure see a lot of nose-blowing and deep coughing. It is not the dreaded virus, but something bacterial going around. This always happens on these long trips.
Also in port were the Paul Gauguin, another freighter with passenger quarters, several ferries, and one really sleek private mega-yacht. It was docked near us, so we did get some good close-up photos of it. There were only initials on the side for a name, and we could not tell where it was registered. All we can say, it was one nice ride.
Today we went off of the ship around 10:30am, and it was already hot and humid. Probably the warmest we have felt it here. It's not so much the heat, as the extreme humidity that made us "melt". The old information building is gone, but the souvenir tents are still there, and we found the Tahitian dancers and band on the side of the tents. We were lucky to have caught the last of their song and dance. Frankly, it was too hot for them too. As long as we were here, we might as well check out the sea shell jewelry. Not intending to buy anything, one of us spotted a colorful necklace, and the price was right, so he bought it with my approval.
Our first job of the day was to stop by the fabric shop, and purchase another piece for a blouse. We had spotted a print there last November, but ended up buying a different one. The owner of the shop instantly recognized the fabric of the blouse I had on today, and even remembered us from last November. She said we really must like Tahiti to be back so soon. Yes, she was right. Anyway, we left with 2 ½ meters of the correct print, and now there will be two shirts to make this coming summer.
The next stop was at the Municipal Market where everything Polynesian is sold, including food and flowers. Every time we come here, flowers are the first on the list. We found a limited supply, but enough to put together a very large display for our room. We got some bird-of-paradise blooms, protea, and some other tropical blooms that will not die too soon. The vendor added a half dozen stems of greens for filler. Guess the bunch weighed 10 pounds if not more. We came right back to the ship, and spent some time trimming and arranging them in the extra-large vase our room steward gave us. Now this is what we call flowers. And the good thing was that we saw no insects at all.
Cooling off for a bit, we went back out for a walk through town. This time we passed by the marketplace, and continued to the old Notre Dame Church, completed in 1875. It is a small, but inviting church with a wood-carved Madonna and Child. Wanting to update the Kindle, we went to Place Tarahoi, or the governmental and political administrative center for the country. Originally, this was the site for the Royal Family in the 19th century. There is a pretty garden in the back, where a freshwater creek runs through to the park across the road. Queen Pomare used the pond in the back as her private bath we understand. Many varieties of tropical plants decorate these gardens and they are complete with names and descriptions. Most all of the signs are in French, however.
Up the road from here was a Hinano store, selling everything Hinano, for the local beer that is so good. It only took a few minutes to find a t-shirt that was new to the line. Except when we went to purchase it and use a certain credit card, we were told there was a limit of 5000 francs or about $50 USD. They did not accept US dollars. So we ended up with two nice t-shirts, because we do not know when we will be back here.
Attempting to get online was not successful. There were plenty of sites, but the connections were poor at best. Maybe if we had stopped at McDonald's, we may have had luck if we bought food or drinks. It seems that is where the majority of crew members go for WIFI. We learned later at dinner that Greg and Heo had to pay for extra internet at a nice place where they had lunch. We should know that nothing in paradise is free.
Also at the government center was a craft and jewelry market with things from other islands. Wood carvings and straw hats were for sale, as well as some high end black pearl and sea shell designs. Some of the pieces ran into the thousands in US dollars. We simply looked, then continued on, as it was time for lunch.
Right up the main road from Bougainville Park, we know where you can find the best pizza in Tahiti. Even though the restaurant had opened at 11:30am, it was mostly full of locals. We ordered two Hinano beers, and one large parma ham pizza, which was delicious as always. While we were waiting for our food, it began to rain hard. Lucky we were inside the covered garden area of the restaurant, as some of their tables do get wet. We saved a little room for a shared dessert of profiteroles, a special treat here. After relaxing for an hour and a half, we knew we had to move on in between the showers.
On the way back, we swung by the market again, to pick up a small bunch of flowers to fill in the large vase. There ended up being enough to fill another small vase. Back at the ship, we cooled off in our room while working on the computer and down-loading photos. It was heaven. All aboard was 5:30pm, so we went to deck nine to take a few more pictures. The actual sail away party was in the Crow's Nest, so we went down to the aft deck, where very few people were. It was not a surprise, because we could have fried an egg back there it was so hot. The rain had gone, and the city was steaming. The ship was still bunkering fuel, so we did not leave until after 6:30pm. The good thing was that sunset was at the same time, right before sailing away, so we did get some nice shots of the sun dipping behind Moorea. A funny thing was that we had been almost alone back there, and suddenly, people were squeezing around us, thinking we had the best spot on the entire aft deck to photo the sunset. People are funny that way, we guess. By the time the ship swung around to head out of the harbor, most all of these folks left.
Dinner was good with all of us present. The guys had gone off to explore the town and market, while the girls, Barb and Susie, had gone with Woody to do some shopping. And go out to lunch. Too warm for Woody, we ran into him as he was headed back to the cool ship. He was not alone as Mike and Pauline also were done with their shopping, and were going back. So for dinner, the best entrees were yellow fin sole, and chicken masala. Not all that hungry, one of us had the green linguini with diced ham and peas. Woody also ordered it, and thought the ham was Spam. He may have been right. Everyone agreed that with all of the recent time changes, all of us were bushed. At least now, we will be headed mostly south until we reach New Zealand, then head west to Australia, where we will change the clocks again.
Bill & Mary Ann
Monday, February 24, 2020
Report #108 Papeete, Tahiti French Polynesia February 22, 2020 Saturday Chance of thunderstorms & 88 degrees
