French Polynesia

Bora Bora, Raiatea, Moorea, Tahiti and more...

La Orana (hello) and welcome to French Polynesia. Turns out Starlink works just fine and we haven't had any internet issues outside of the normal questionable connectivity. I hope you enjoy reading about our time in these incredible islands. I apologize in advance because this is a long one.

Vaitape, Bora Bora

Well after 15 years of promises, Mike finally took me to Bora Bora.  It’s not quite the overwater bungalow I envisioned, but I’ll still take it.  We are anchored inside the atoll surrounding the main island and tendering to the main island.  Most of the resorts with the overwater bungalows are on the motus (small islands on the reef) surrounding the main island.  The mountains on the main island are absolutely stunning but also make it difficult for infrastructure.  There is one road running around the entire island with a few short roads heading up the slopes.  On the first day we walked an hour and a half to Matira Beach which is known as one of the most beautiful beaches to visit.  The shallow clear water and soft white sand were stunning, but there wasn’t much coral or many fish, so the snorkeling was not great.  After an hour or so in the water we walked back.

On the second day we walked the other direction and hiked up an ATV road to a ridge trail that brought us to a lookout.  Afterwards we followed the ATV trail along to view some WWII cannons and then headed back down.  There were several great viewpoints with beautiful views of the lagoons.  Mike would have liked to hike to the top of the mountain, but it requires a bit of technical climbing because it’s quite steep near the top and I wasn’t interested.

On the third day it was overcast and there was a lot of rain in the forecast, so we took a quick trip to town to check out some of the shops and walk a little bit.  We were back on the ship in time for lunch and had a lazy afternoon by the pool.

Uturoa, Raiatea

Christmas morning, we woke up to a brand-new island in French Polynesia, and we are docked at this one, so no tendering!  After breakfast in our pajamas with our fellow residents we had a quiet morning.  There were lots of activities on the ship, but we just didn’t feel like participating this year.  Lunch was essentially what we are used to for Christmas dinner, so we went for turkey and stuffing.

After lunch we headed out to explore.  Uturoa was very quiet and pretty much everything was closed for the day, but that was fine with us.  We walked down to the Plage To’a Huri Nihi Park where there are covered picnic tables and swimming areas.  Once we completed a loop of the park, we headed back into the town center and then walked the other direction for a bit.  It was raining off and on, so after about an hour and half we decided to head back to the ship.  We spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool.

On our second day in Uturoa we walked about an hour and a half down the coast, but there wasn’t a whole lot to see.  There are houses and businesses along the shore, so there weren’t even many water views.  We turned around at Apooiti Marina where several of the charter catamarans are docked.  We got some nice views of Taha’a, the island across the channel; and you could see Bora Bora in the distance as well.

Cook’s Bay, Moorea

For our first day on Moorea Mike found a distillery to check out.  We walked all the way around Cook’s Bay to Manutea Tahiti – Rotui Juice Factory and Distillery.  They do free tastings, so we got to try several of their rums and juices.  After purchasing a couple of items, we walked back around the bay for pizza.  Unfortunately, the pizza place closed from 2pm to 5pm and we got there just after 2pm.  Instead, we ended up drinking by the pool on the ship.

The next day we went back to the pizza place (Allo Pizza) for lunch, and it was definitely worth it.  Mike and I shared a Hawaiian pizza with fresh pineapple.  After lunch we walked back down to the end of the bay and out to Vallee d’Opunohu.  This is a hiking area with tons of trails and lookouts as well as pineapple farms and an adventure zipline park.  We followed the trails up to Marae-o-Mahine; an archeological site where a marae (a sacred complex) used to be.  We tried to keep going but we came to a stream crossing, and it was just too deep (Mike's shoe/foot got soaked testing it), so we headed back.  It worked out because the trail was already super muddy and as soon as we got back to the 4x4 roads the sky unleashed.  It was a soggy walk back to the ship, but we had fun.

On our final day on Moorea, we walked two hours to the public beach and went snorkeling.  There was quite a bit of coral and lots of different types of fish.  We were with a group of friends, so after snorkeling for an hour or so we caught a cab back to the ship.  It was a fun day at the beach.

Papeete, Tahiti

Papeete is the capital of French Polynesia and definitely has more of a big city vibe.  We needed a couple of things, and we figured not much would be open over New Years, so we went shopping on our first day.  We walked along a beautiful waterfront and through Pa’ofa’I Gardens to get to the Pacific Plaza Mall which has a large Carrefour.  We bought a baguette for the walk back, but we also found fresh made crepes which we haven't seen since France!  Along the way we also stopped to check out the Papeete Market.

On the second day we planned to hike up to an observation deck, but I wasn’t feeling up for it and then it rained most of the day.  Instead, we walked to another large supermarket, Hyper U. It rained the whole way there and almost the whole way back.  After dropping off our goods at the ship we went back out to walk along the Promenade de Motu Uta which runs along the port.  As we were crossing the bridge back over, we saw a small shark!

In the evening, we celebrated New Years with a fancy dinner in the Thistle restaurant onboard with our ship family.  We stayed up to watch the fireworks display put on by the Hilton, but it really didn’t compare to last year in Lima, Peru.  It was a short seven-minute display, but it was still fun to watch, and we went to bed shortly after.

After sleeping-in a bit and having a late breakfast we got off the ship just to get our steps in.  We wandered through the park along the waterfront again and then down a beautiful tree line street where several government buildings are located.  It was a quiet day, but it was super hot out and we didn’t have much energy.

Rotoava, Fakarava (Atoll)

An atoll is defined as a ring-shaped island with a coral rim that encircles a lagoon.  The Fakarava Atoll is just a thin strip of land surrounding a lagoon; at the widest point it is only about 1000 feet across.  We anchored in the lagoon late afternoon, and Mike and I went to shore to check it out.  We wandered down the main road until we ran into a resort with bungalows on the beach.  They have a pier that we heard the sharks like to swim around.  We saw nurse sharks, black-tip reef sharks, and what we think was a lemon shark.  Mike stood in the water, and they were swimming around his ankles.  I chose to observe from the shore.  We caught a beautiful sunset on the tender ride back to the ship.

The next day we went over earlier and walked to the Topaka Lighthouse which is made of coral and concrete.  There isn't a whole lot to see walking around the atoll, but the views are just stunning.  Afterwards, we returned to the resort pier and Mike went snorkeling with the sharks!  I stayed on dry land and hoped he wouldn’t need saving.  Snorkeling and diving are really the only things to do in Fakarava; or just soaking up the views.

Taioha’e, Nuku Hiva

Our first day in Nuku Hiva we didn’t arrive until after lunch and by the time they started tendering we decided we’d just wait and check it out the following day when we’d have more time ashore.  There was a cultural performance shoreside, but that meant a lot of people on the tenders, so we passed. The next day we hiked out to Sentier de Tehaatiki which was a short hike up to a viewpoint of the bay.  Afterwards, we walked around the Tiki Tuhiva site which had several carvings and sculptures.  Of course we had to stop in at the grocery store for ice cream and a baguette.  Then we explored the waterfront, the Tohua Temehea cultural space, and the Notre Dame Cathedral. Overall, it was a really good day.

Hapatoni, Tahuata

We have a pilot on board with us as we are sailing around French Polynesia and he’s been helping the captain make decisions on where to visit based on the current weather conditions.  We tried to visit Hiva Oa early in the morning, but the sea conditions were not conducive to tendering, so we moved on to Tahuata.  This was a tiny little town, but it was beautiful.  We walked up the road out of town to reach the top of the ridgeline, and we were rewarded with some epic views.  The little town was really interesting and had several ancient Temanu trees on the beach.

Taioha’e, Nuku Hiva

Our next stop was meant to be either Ua Huka or Fatu Hiva, but the weather was uncooperative.  As an alternative we ended up back in Taioha’e.  This time we just walked around the bay and explored the beach area.  It’s a lovely place, but we really didn’t need a second day to explore it.

Avatoru, Rangiroa (Atoll)

Rangiroa is another atoll, so just a strip of land around a large lagoon.  On our first day we got off the tender and walked to the right until we ran out of land, which wasn’t very far.  There was a small village with a few shops and restaurants along with a pier.  The cut line for boats to enter the lagoon was quite wavy, but it’s a popular spot for diving. Mike tried to get pictures of the gradient of blue in the water, but the camera just couldn't do it justice. 

On the second day we got off the tender and headed left until we ran out of land.  This took considerably longer…about two hours to reach the next cut.  There were bridges over the areas that the ocean was crossing the atoll.  When we reached the other end, we stopped for a baguette and some ice cream before heading back. 

Our next few stops were supposed to be in the Cook Islands and Niue; however, they were open anchorages that were not protected and there was adverse weather rolling in.  With safety and comfort in mind the captain cancelled these calls and instead we returned to Tahiti.

Papeete, Tahiti

While we’d already spent a few days exploring Papeete it was nice to be back at a dock.  The tendering is getting really old.  It was also nice to be back now that the holidays are over, and more shops/restaurants/attractions are open.  On our first day back, we hiked up to the Croix de la Mission which is an overlook above the city.  It offered great views and wasn’t too strenuous.  Afterwards, we hit up the Hyper U to restock our snacks.

On the second day we walked almost two hours to the InterContinental Tahiti Resort and Spa.  Te Mana O Te Moana has a turtle rescue program and the resort is home to some of their rescued turtles, so we went to check it out.  There were only two turtles in residence, but it was still cool to see them up close.

On our third and final day in Papeete we walked the other direction all the way to the Tomb of King Pomare V.  The tomb itself is made of coral and was quite interesting.

Cook’s Bay, Moorea

In addition to returning to Papeete, we got three more days in Moorea.  We loved this island, but it would have been nice to dock in the other bay this time around.  Instead, we were in the same exact spot, and the weather wasn’t really great.  I really wanted to spend more time hiking in the Opunohu Valley, but it was way too wet and muddy.  On the first day we walked left toward the public beach we walked to last time, but after about 40 minutes the sky got really dark, so we decided to turn around.  It didn’t do us any good.  A storm rolled in and we were caught in sideways rain.  We took shelter under a bus stop where I was hit with a mango pit after a car ran over the fruit on the road.  Once the wind subsided, we walked back in the rain. Obviously, we didn't get many pictures. The brown water was the aftermath of the storm.

The next day we decided to walk the other direction to a different public beach.  It was overcast but not raining so it was a nice walk.  The beach was pretty and a popular spot for the locals on the weekends.  It’s also supposed to be a good spot for snorkeling, but we didn’t feel like carrying all of our gear with us.  We were worried about the water clarity after all the rain we had the day before. We didn’t see anyone snorkeling while we were there, so I doubt we missed out on much.

The third day was really just a half day because the last tender to the ship was at 1:00pm.  We got off anyway and walked down to the grocery store to spend the last of our money.

That concludes our time in French Polynesia and now we have a five-day sail to reach Tonga.  We have a lot of sea days coming up between our next few ports as we make our way towards New Zealand.  Mauruuru (thank you) for following along and continuing to read about our adventures. See you soon!