Here is the territory we covered on this trip, which was a program offered by the Harvard Alumni Association. Frankly, I thought it would be a small group tour, but it turned out to be a mish-mosh of other alumni programs and lots of independent travelers, all on the big Paul Gauguin ship. Still, an interesting place to travel!
(p.s. forgive the funky typeface changes... but blogger strikes again. Can't seem to fix it....)
No photoshop needed. This is
what the sea looks like near islands in French Polynesia
February 9, 2107
En route to Tahiti, Sofia takes a selfie of the two of us,
with the tag-line on Facebook: “Lady in the back: Oh no, I have to sit
behind these two!”
Feb 11, 2017 - We decided that we must enjoy time at the
pool at Tahiti intercontinental Hotel in Papeete ... before boarding M/S Paul Gauguin
later today to see more of French Polynesia. Sofia Keck swims and I read.
The ship at the dock. We board up the gangplank on the far right.
So goodbye, Papette, for now!
Off we go!
The ship is huge, and among other amenities, has some wonderful (if a
little bit fake) Polynesia dance shows every night. Sofia rapidly made friends with the cast.
Feb 12 – Huahine, Society Islands
Huahine is one of the most picturesque and geographically diverse of
the Society Islands. Huahine and Fara’a
are sometimes referred to as the Garden of Eden Islands.
The ship anchors in the bay, and we take tenders to the dock in Fare. At the dock, We get on board a coach like this to see the island.
Fare is Huahine’s main village and pretty much consists of a row of
stores, a wharf, and a swimming beach.
After a guided walk through town, we then visited a vanilla plantation.
One of our Island guides. She accompanied the group to see the vanilla plantation. Tahitian vanilla is allegedly among the best in the world.
Here is the view from Huahine’s Belvedere Point:
Feb 13 – Fakarava, Tuamotus
We took small local boats from
the ship and crossed the UNESCO biosphere reserve of Fakarava, where we enjoyed
a few hours on the white sand beach. The
boats can’t go all the way into the beach, so…. Time to get wet!
Feb 14 – Rangiroa, Tuamotus
This island is famous for its black pearl industry, and shops galore
line the main street near the pier. The
highlight was visiting a black pearl farm, and learning about the process of
oyster selection, pearl grafting and growth,
and grading after harvesting.
Although this is a remote island, OF COURSE cash, Visa and MasterCard
are accepted for purchases.
February 14, Happy
Valentine’s Day! Sofia convinces the
maître-d to let us dine at the exclusive restaurant yet again!
There is always a cocktail party with the ship’s officers including
the Captain on these cruises. Sofia
looked great on this occasion!
Feb 15 – Taha’a, Society Islands
To the north of Huahine,
Taha’a is dominated by the profile of Mount Ohiri, named for Hiro, the
Polynesian god of sailors and thieves.
This island has two main enterprises, the production of vanilla beans, and also the farming of black
pearls.
Feb 16 -Bora Bora, Society Islands
Onward to Bora Bora, which
author James Michener described as “the most beautiful island in the
world.” It has a distinctive black
basalt peak, lush tropical forests, and turquoise lagoon waters.
The famous basalt peak, without clouds obscuring it…
Villagers in Bora Bora cultivate breadfrult, coconuts and taro. Coconut is dried in the sun, see photo below.
Bora Bora was settled by adventurous Polynesian mariners in the 10th century, The literature says that many islanders still wear colorfully hand-dyed pareo, or sarongs…but in fact, I think that tourists are the main market…
Now that's CLEAR water when
you can get a good iPhone photo like this from 10 feet above!
On many islands in French
Polynesia, there is no source of freshwater, except what can be collected from
rains. The eaves are angled to put the rainwater into storage tanks like this.
Sunsets are generally beautiful no matter where you are. However, this view of the island of Bora Bora is truly magnificent.
Feb 17 – Moorea, Society Islands
It was a rainy and windy day
today, on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia. However, there's no keeping
a good woman down, and especially hard to keep two of us under control, so
Sofia and I grabbed the local transport and off we went to see the sights on
this beautiful island.
Moorea was the center for 19th
century missionary activity in the Society Islands. In the village of Papetoai, the
octagonal-shaped church is the oldest European structure in the South Seas that
is still in use.
If you look closely, you can see our cruise ship M/S Paul Gauguin in the bay formed by ancient volcanoes on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia. Did I mention it is raining again?
Feb 17 – Papeete, Tahiti, Society Islands
The ship has been pretty cushy traveling ... and we say farewell to our Harvard group.
Today,
on to the airport for the short flight from Papeete to BoraBora for a few
land-based days.
Feb 18 – Back on Bora Bora!
Sofia posted this photo on Facebook, and my longtime friend Ray Sims made this comment on Facebook: “would someone please tell Barbara that she has a boat on her head?” Very funny! My response was: “That’s my tiara; I wear it everywhere!”
We checked into the hotel.
Not a bad place for breakfast... at La Moana resort on Bora Bora.
Sofia snorkeled in the coral underneath the bungalows in the lagoon at the resort in Bora. The overwater bungalows have a glass-topped coffee table situated right above the coral so you can see the fish gathering-hiding-feeding there.
The water is pure and perfect for swimming, as this hotel guest illustrates!
A nod to my birdwatching friends: Brown Noddy lining up for first dibs on the little fish under the bungalows.
Oops. Just when I thought it couldn't get more humid...
The perfect day to take pleasure and relax in the lagoon of BoraBora ! Sofia took a waverunner and got this wonderful photo of the island of BoraBora
Feb 20 - Farewell Bora Bora! Not a bad way to "taxi" to the airport.
Next stop is Papeete for a few hours and then a midnight flight that departs to Los Angeles.
