Today our port of all is Huahine, part of the Leeward Islands of the Society Islands. Nicknamed the Garden of Eden, the island of Huahine is known for their excellent fields for cultivating watermelons, cantaloupe, cucumbers, and every tropical fruit such as pineapples, mangoes, bananas, vanilla and the ever-present coconuts.
The main town of Fare has a 1950's feel about it where time has stopped and everyone knows each other. Basic stores and markets are there as well as cafes, bars, and banks. The main restaurant is the Huahine Yacht Club, not your usual type of yacht club at all.
Outside of town, there is a pearl farm, mountains with hidden sacred maraes, lagoons and beaches. There are sacred blue-eyed eels in the river at Faie and endless scuba and snorkel dives .
There were some tours offered through the shore excursions. One of them was a lagoon cruise for 2 hours and $110, and a trip to the Pearl Farm, marae and a vanilla plantation for 3.5 hours for $120. A 4x4 drive with a snorkel stop was 3.5 hours for $130. Then there was a lagoon cruise and picnic lunch for 3.5 hours and $170. A round-trip shuttle ride to Fare was $20 per person. It used to be free, but not anymore.
There is no cruise ship dock here, so we entered Maroe Bay and dropped anchor. There were some choices to make. You could book a tour, or take a tender ride to the shuttle drop off and go off on your own. Or secure a tender boat ride followed by the paid shuttle to town. Which is what we decided to do. The only other option was to stay onboard and not go anywhere, as what was hinted at by Dario, the cruise director, yesterday. That comment did not go unnoticed by a lot of people we know. And later in the morning, he more or less retracted what he had said. By all means, please go out but be aware of the heat factor and bring water, which is the only drink allowed off of the ship.
Although the forecast said blue skies, it was mostly cloudy all day. The temperature was 79 degrees and 81% humidity. The breeze was 9.3mph and the ship's speed was 15 knots. Late last night, a note had been slipped under our door regarding the transfer today. Since we do not have a cell phone, and tour tickets are no longer given, Margaret sent the note with our meeting time in the World Stage at 11:45am for the tender ride to shore. We were group number 29, and that would be our shuttle number. That process took almost an hour. We came to the conclusion that this was the only way to control the crowd, who historically want to be first off and first to the village. Our return time was between 2 and 2:30pm, although we think they would have taken anyone back with the shuttles about empty. By the way, these transfers were in the old wooden school buses like always. And made for little kids, not adults like most of us. It was rather amusing watching the folks bent in half as they made their way down to their wooden seats.
The ride was scenic taking us over a bridge and passing by steep hillsides and plantations in the valleys. It took all of 20 minutes to arrive to the quaint village of Fare, where life has stopped for 50 years or so. We walked from one end of town to the other and back within 15 minutes. The only birds we saw were a few brown noddies and some pretty little white terns. Dogs roamed the streets again, especially where people were eating food. Looking into the waters by a boat ramp, we saw a few large sting rays on the bottom. The water was crystal clear. If it wasn't so cloudy, the colors would have been striking.
We had not intended to go to lunch today, but when we saw that the "Yacht Club" had some tables available, we went inside and got a table near the door. We ordered two cheeseburgers with fries and two Hinano draft beers - the large ones. The burgers were excellent....who knew? Cruise friends Rosie, Randy, Susie and Eddie have always said the food was good there. On a side note, the restaurant did not accept Am Ex, but they did take Visa. Another fellow passenger tried using a Visa debit card, and they would not take it at a local store. He had to go to a bank and exchange US dollars for the francs.
We headed back by 2:30pm, connecting with a tenderboat after the 20-minute ride. The good news was it never rained. That's because one of us brought the umbrellas. We were back in our room by 4pm. Captain Thomas did come on with his updates by 5pm, and said we had 96 nautical miles to each Raiatea tomorrow morning. The average speed will be 7.5 knots. He added that tomorrow's sailing will be mixed with higher winds and perhaps some rain. That might determine how he will approach the island to dock. The anchor was pulled and we were out of the bay shortly after 5:30pm or so.
Dinner time found us back in the dining room with some different items to try. All of the waiters were wearing island shirts including the assistant maitre'd's and Dwi, the head honcho. It was nice for a change, and we are sure the crew liked it as well. Starters for us were salads, and a bowl of tomato soup - smoked. Good. Another starter was a shredded beef serving that resembled Fancy Feast. Mains were one tasty tenderloin strips and one salmon dinner. Desserts were a slice of cheesecake and one scoop of coffee ice cream. Filled again.
The entertainers of the night were the couple with the music and artistry of magic. Our meals run late, so we seem to miss most of the shows.
Tomorrow's port will be Raiatea, one we have visited numerous times.
Bill & Mary Ann