Well here we are in Tahiti and the capital of French Polynesia, Papeete. Up very early, we watched as the Volendam sailed into the busy harbor. Although it was cloudy, there was no rain, so that was a plus. The Captain turned the ship around, backed in, and docked port side this time. We think the reason for a certain side for docking has a lot to do with loading supplies and probably taking on fuel and water. Normally, we are nose-in, but not so today. This is better for us, because we will have a view of the town for two days now.
So here is a little update on what we learned about French Polynesia. There are a total of 280,000 inhabitants, living on 118 islands, on 5 archipelagos measuring 5.5 million square miles. How's that for massive numbers? Most of the population here between Tahiti and Moorea as it is the administrative and economic center of the country. Described as having majestic villages, fabulous lagoons, volcanic mountains, restored ancient sites, hiking trails and even world-class surfing, what is not to like about visiting here? Once again, it is all about the water, beaches, boating, snorkeling and diving as well.
There was one big problem, however, and that was today happened to be Armistice Day in France and a holiday here. And because of that most everything in town was closed. We did not realize this until we ran into our good buddies who came back steaming from finding the Municipal Market closed down tight. We all agreed we should have been told that it was a holiday, but it did not happen, even when the staff onboard learned about it, nothing was announced. In our way of thinking, had they known shops and cafes were closed today, the shore excursions could have sold a lot more tours. Like duh? And with tomorrow being Sunday, most things would be closed again. Going back months ago, perhaps HAL could have re-adjusted the itinerary getting us here on weekdays and not a holiday and a Sunday. But hey, what do we know?
Of course we still went off of the ship around 11am, and headed towards town, via Vaiete Square where the food trucks would be located later in the evening. The new terminal building looks almost completed now, but is still not opened. Most of the square is closed off with a cement wall, and appeared reduced in size. Our first stop after crossing the main street was at the information office. At least they were opened and also had excellent city maps and the Tahiti and Moorea Travel Guide for 2023.
From there, we strolled the main street finding most of the shops and pharmacies closed. A few street vendors had tables of souvenirs set up outside the closed businesses. They had plenty of customers with the cruise ship guests that were not on tours. Speaking of which, there were seven excursions offered today and tomorrow as well. A west coast tour for 4 hours was $130, and the east coast one for 2 ½ hours was $100. We have done both in the past. A 4 hour 4x4 thrilling adventure was $120, and a lagoon discovery was $140 for 3 hours. Lagoon cruising was 3 hours for $140 while the Ohana Catamaran swim for 3 hours was $140. A sunset sail with a refreshment for 2 hours was $140. That seems to be the magic price.
So we headed past the fabric store that has sold us so many yards to make blouses, but they were shut down. Just as well, as one of us already has enough forever. The big Marche or Municipal market was a ghost town….totally empty of shoppers, vendors, and cars vying for a parking spot. The outside tables were void of everything we usually see. Only some kids and a few homeless guys were laying around doing nothing since it was a holiday. What did we miss at the Marche? Besides the outside tables of black pearls and shell jewelry, we missed the fruit and veggie offerings which included breadfruit, taro, sweet potatoes, bananas (hope the ship get some today), pineapples, limes and mangoes. The fish section always sells tuna, mahi mahi, swordfish, parrotfish and red snapper. There are aisles of woven baskets, hats, monoi oil products, seasonings, and tropical flowers. On the second level are the higher end jewelry shops and clothing stores. They even have a small café upstairs that is popular with the ship guests. We always buy flowers, and take loads of pictures. Not happening today though. By the way, they do not accept credit cards here we were told. Cash only – Pacific French francs and US dollars work well.
Walking across the street, we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral (1875), the Catholic church always open. Today, it was locked up tight. Perhaps tomorrow it will be opened for Sunday masses. Perhaps we might hear some of the participants singing during the service.
Guess what was opened for business? McDonalds of course. There were people dining outside as well as driving through for take-away. Smart move for everyone.
Now came a big surprise. The outdoor pavilion and the gardens of the French Polynesian Assembly were opened to the public. It has been a few years since we have been able to visit here. The Assembly Garden and the Queen's pond are around the back and accessed by following the rocked pathway. The High Commissioner's residence is adjacent to this garden, but well fenced off. Paul Gauguin's banyan tree is planted there as well as a monument of General de Gaulle, but they are also located behind the tall fencing.
The garden has ponds that always housed eels…very large eels, but we could not find any today. Among the almost ready to bloom water lilies were small fish and some koi carp. There are a few benches to relax here and lots of shade from the mature trees. Not many people had discovered this garden yet, so we had it almost to ourselves.
At the pavilion of the Assembly building was a huge craft display with tables full of shell jewelry, woven hats, baskets, and artistic pieces of shell-decorated branches and trees. Some of the pieces were quite pricey as were the heavy shell necklaces. With so many tables of trinkets, you would thing we could locate a matching pair of purple shell earrings for the necklace we bought in Mo'orea. Nope not one set was right. There were far more necklaces, bracelets, and even rings, and the least amount of earrings. Looking closer at the locals, we noticed they did not wear earrings. They did wear tattoos well though. While we perused the treasures, we listened to the band and singers that were entertaining the customers. We had stayed for at least an hour, happy to have found something opened.
Crossing the street, we went into Bougainville Park to take more photos of the trees , flowers, and meandering creeks. There were no eels here as well. They must have been removed. There may have been a memorial there today because the cannons of the Zelee and Seeadler ships were under a tent with a pillar of names near the bust of Bougainville, one of the early discoverers.
From here we continued walking up the boulevard to find the biggest disappointment of the day – La Pizzeria was closed for the holiday. No delicious Hawaiian pizza for us today, or tomorrow for that matter. They are always closed on Sundays. Darn….. Passing the Evangelical Church, we crossed over to Paofai Park and Gardens along the waterfront. Recalling seeing friends Rich and Peg dining at a nice-looking café called Le Moana along the harbor, we took a chance and went up the steps to check out their menu. Surprisingly, it was not really crowded yet even though it was past noontime. We ordered two large pints of Blonde Hinano draft beers, which went down easy. There were many fish items on the menu as one might expect, but there were also burgers. So we had a cheeseburger with fries to share. They were generous with the fries and glad they were since they were piping hot. Topping it off, we ordered one dessert of profiteroles, and they were wonderful as some folks walking by us agreed. Time to head back to the ship, we got back walking the waterfront park by 3pm. Sure was nice cooling off in the air-conditioned ship.
Of course, it was a perfect time to process those photos and work on reports. The one Kindle we own was not able to be updated since there was no wifi at the restaurant. From our veranda, we could watch the activity on the waterfront as well as the city traffic. Kept us occupied until it was time for the sun to set after 6pm. Going to the front on deck six, we joined a small number of folks doing the same as us….catching the last rays of the sun. There was a wide band of dark clouds on the horizon, so the sunset was not a great one. We took photos anyway. Checking out the night roulette area at Vaiete Square, we saw only one or two trucks. Perhaps that was not happening at all tonight.
Time for dinner, we found the dining rooms almost empty. We think it was due to the fact that there was one local show in the World Stage at 8pm with Mana – The Spirit of Tahiti – singers and dancers and musicians. They always command a good crowd. However, it was right in the middle of our dinner time, and being that we have seen the show many times, we enjoyed the quick and excellent service tonight. We ordered the crispy spring rolls which Mario served with the extra sweet and sour sauce we like. So good, they could have been our main tonight. The Caesar salad was skimpy, so the chefs had not accessed the new lettuce yet. One of us ordered the veal parmigiana with linguine and the other an Asian dish of sukiyaki with sliced beef. Both were good and not too much. Desserts were a little cheesecake with sliced strawberries (no sugar added) and one hot fudge sundae. Just in case the cheesecake was too small, Mario brought over another sundae, which we split. Not that we needed it, Mario and Risman always worry we don't have enough. Trust us, we are doing fine in the dining department.
We are overnight here, and have not decided what we will do tomorrow. Whatever that may be, it will involve walking for sure.
Bill & Mary Ann
