Monday Feb 19 - Final few hours

Well, quite a lot of hours actually. 23 hours and 59 minutes to be precise and that is if the plane leaves Tahiti on time tonight at one minute to midnight. Right now it’s in the air on it’s way here but running 25 minutes late courtesy of our constant friend, Cyclone Gita which decided to take one last swipe at us today by slamming into New Zealand where our flight originates. 

Anyway, here we are in the Air Tahiti lounge waiting in air conditioned comfort away from the hubbub of the main terminal which is decidedly hotter and noisier. 

The has decided to travel incognito at this point but I assure you she is just to the right of this picture. 

If all goes well we will land in LA at around 10:30 tomorrow with time in hand to make our ongoing connection to Vancouver around 2:30. 

Fingers crossed!

Saturday Feb 17th - Back on Tahiti

We left the ship this morning very sad to leave our floating home for the last week.  Despite the poor start to our cruise weatherwise the cruise itself was one of those ‘everything done right’ experiences in life. They really couldn’t have run the ship, the restaurants, the organization any better!  We love the MS Paul Gauguin.

We’re now back in Le Meridien and, after a room change for beds and housekeeping standards, we’re in our same room as last week.  Maybe I can find my Kindle that disappeared still!

Here are just a few pictures from our last week, very few, to share.

The ship from the Taha’a motu.

On Moorea

A beach that we found for a snorkel

Biking up to the lookout on Moorea

Papeete this morning

The disembarking

Friday Feb 16th - Day Two on Moorea

Today we did have something booked. An e-bike ride up to a lookout point on a mountain at the head of the bay.  Ambitious, after eating our way around French Polynesia? We’ll see.

As it turns out we were the only people to have signed up for this, although there was also a later version.  Perhaps the 8:30 am start and the title ‘Fast bike tour’ put a few people off.  Well, their loss was our gain, we had the guide to ourselves and could ride our own pace.  The ride was idyllic, starting off on the island road and then turning inland and up.  We stopped at the organic farm where they produce some very interesting jams.  Sour soap jam anyone?  Actually, it’s delicious.

Our pace must have been ok because we beat the coach tour and the atv tour all the way, having each stop to ourselves before they pulled in.  The view from the lookout was spectacular, too bad we can’t post pictures over the ship’s wifi.  There are two main bays, Opuhunowhere we are and Cook’s Bay.  The funny thing, it turns out, is that Captain Cook did not anchor in Cook’s Bay.  He anchored in ours but the local population did not want to change the name of Opuhuno Bay - they were ok naming the next inlet after him instead!

Back to the ship for some pool time, lunch, and then - after a Green Flash cocktail and several glasses of rose - we went paddleboarding off the back of the ship.  It was very choppy with a strong current and while we represented Canada well it was far from ideal conditions. a quick out and back were all we needed.

Tired from our efforts we are back in our stateroom contemplating packing. We sail for Tahiti tonight and one last night aboard the boat.  Then it’s two nights on Tahiti and home.  It’s been a fantastic trip but it will feel good to be heading home.

Thursday Feb 15th - so this is how it’s supposed to be!

We sailed into Opuhuno Bay on Moorea around 7:30 am with definite signs of sun and clearing skies.

Not having anyrhing pre-booked because of weather we decided to rent a car and drive around Moorea in search of adventure.  As we were waiting for the tender ashore we met Brigitte, a very fit looking Kiwi/Samoan flight attendant who it turns out used to play rugby for the New Zealand women’s team.  We invited her to join us so the three of us set out to circumnavigate by road.

The car rental was at the Intercontinental Hotel where thet have a dolphin research station and sea turtle rescue clinic.  Of course we took a look.

Then we were off and I got used to driving back on the right side of the road.  Moorea is just a much nicer island than the others in terms of roads, standard of upkeep of homes, shops and restaurants.  It doesn’t really have the outlying motu’s so the resorts are actually on the island.  We drove round to a public beach towards the Tahiti side and stopped for a swim and snorkel.  The road to this beach is not so much a road but a bumpy truck. Anyone who has driven to little out of the way Mexican villages will know what this was like. We even got lost trying to take a short cut back to the main road.  Bad idea - we drove it twice!

Then on to Maharepa for lunch at the Moorea Beach Club.  Delicious food but the portions were gigantic! 

From there it was back in time to return the car at 4pm and tender back to the ship. 

You know what comes next, dinner, show - a very cool polynesian show put on by a local Moorean group.  Very entertaining.

Wednesday Feb 14th - there’s something about this day

Valentine’s Day of course and we each had cards ready to open! Tonight we have a reservation for dinner in Le Veranda aboard ship and by that point we should also be underway for Moorea.

We also woke up this morning with a plan - as long as the wind and rain weren’t howling we would book a round island guided bus trip so we can at least say we have seen Bora Bora.

I woke up first and cast a searching glance outside in the early moning light.  No rain - check, wind has subsided  a bit, check.  In a two to zero unanimous decision we elected to go for it.  The plan called for an early (6:30 ish) breakfast, a sprint to the travel concierge desk to book the trip, and then a chance to come back to the room and get ready.  The pieces fell into place exactly as we had hoped and we got back to the room with two tickets in hand.  We started to pack for the morning and then....... holy crap! Where de island go?

That’s right, the weather gods were still playing with us.  What had looked like an ok, grey, warm morning now looked like one of those fake tropical movies where they keep sloshing buckets of water over the set!

Anyway, we wanted to do something so we set off in the tender to shore to meet ‘Le Truck’!  This is basically a truck with rudimentary row seating and a roof, but at least ours had windows.  At first the rain eased up and we set off with our knowledgeable guide explaining the highlights. The people on Bora Bora are friendly and appear to be pretty happy. It seems like everyone knows one another.  That said, they live what seems like a subsistence lifestyle in falling down shacks, a world apart from the guests of the luxury hotels (or cruise ships!) that come to their island. Dogs run wild everywhere.  At our first stop the rain came on again hard but it came and went through the morning.  We circled the island which has definitely had some hard times in the last few decades.  Perhaps the luxury hotels in the motus (small islands around the lagoon) have killed the main island resorts.

We did stop at Bloody Mary’s - a famous watering hole to such stars as Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Rod Stewart and many others - and we saw Brando’s original over water thatched cottage. We were glad we went but overall a little sad for an island that doesn’t seem to share equally in the prosperity that tourism might bring.

Enough of that.  This afternoon we are doing a wine tasting on board followed by a talk about Moorea and the our dinner.  Our favourite shipboard weather phrases have become ‘we can only hope’, ‘let us pray’, and of course ‘we can’t control the weather’.  So - all of that - it will be better tomorrow in Moorea!

Sunday Feb 11th - and any other days we’ve missed!

We boarded the Paul Gauguin yesterday afternoon and have been enjoying getting to know what amenities the ship has.  After weeks on the road this is heaven.  Three fantastic restaurants with so many staff to attend to every need, we’re having to pinch ourselves.  So far the food has been beyond fantastic!

The weather - not so much! It’s warm and humid, so humid in fact it has been pelting with rain all night and all day which means that shore and shipboard activities are a bit curtailed.  We’re anchored off Huahini today but with only one town and all shops shut there doesn’t seem to be much point going ashore.  We’ve done a workout in the gym so we can feel a little less guilty about dining and drinking which look like they will be today’s major activities!

You can tell, if this post works, that we have internet access but it is very slow.  We will probably just check once a day for mail.

No picture posting at this point, pictures sent or received take forever.

Now, the lounge beckons!

Tuesday Feb 13th. - The storm before....

.... the calm..... or the bigger storm?  For those that followed our ride across Canada many years ago, Tahiti is shaping up to out do that one.  There is apparently a cyclone somewhere around Tonga and it’s doing a pretty good imitation here!

So, far from our dreams of hiking and swimming, we are in fact simply lurching from one buffet to the next, our ever increasing bulk amplifying the motion of the ship as we walk.  Bystanders beware, give us ample passage.

There are two schools of thought right now on the ship.  Those that believe the weather will improve (including, I think us) and those who are in some cases even abandoning their holiday plans, going as far as to  depart the ship.  If tomorrow improves we hope to go to another private beach for snorkelling but today they don’t even want to run the landing craft.

This morning we did throw caution to the - very ample - winds and head on shore for a look around the town of Vaitape.  There are actually some quite nice stores but, like all of French Polynesia, they are very expensive.  We did look into renting a car/scooter/e-bike - that remains a possibility for tomorrow as well.

However, for now, if we can’t be active there is another scone and clotted cream tea to enjoy. The more we eat the cheaper it gets!

Monday Feb 12th - Taha’a

We left Huahine yesterday afternoon and who knows where we were all night on the water but this morning we sailed into Taha’a around 8 am.  It’s a nice orderly looking island but we didn’t go ashore on it.  There were tours organized but we elected to wait out some more iffy weather with a nice breakfast and morning coffee before heading to....... the boat’s private island for a beach party!

We have our snorkel gear for the week so we took the tender over and joined in the fun.  For the most part we were lucky with the weather and, when we weren’t, we enjoyed the covered bar and bbq areas.  Then some snorkelling in a beatutiful blue lagoon complete with corals and fish who were utterly indifferent to us!  Fun!

Once back on the ship we did some relaxing by the pool and took afternoon tea. - scones, clotted cream and jam. Yes! 

The next port of call is Bora Bora for two days and we went for a talk about all the attractions. Right before it started though the Captain announced we were going to hightail it there quickly through some rough seas to avoid anything that might be coming later. So tonight we are in the lagoon already, anchored off the town of Vaitape.   

We’ll see what tomorrow brings, probably some exploring of the island.

Friday Feb 9th - Cruise minus one!

We were tempted to have a third February 8th but decided we might as well see what Feb 9th held. 

After a strange breakfast at a restaurant next door (two fried eggs and half a baguette but quite tasty) we decided to cab it in to Papeete. En route we spied a mixture of down at the heel island shops and homes with some very modern gas stations, a MacDonalds and a quite modern shopping centre. But all with a bit of European flair which makes it a bit more charming than you might think. 

We were dropped off in town at the central market. Meat, fish, vegetables and fruit with a host of cafe’s and tons of stalls selling tourist trinkets. 

We then took a walk to the waterfront to see where our shop will leave from tomorrow. The Maasdam was there today. There seems to be a pretty well developed inter island ferry system here as well. 

Fairly typical of buildings one block in from the waterfront. 

Then back in the early afternoon for a sandwich and beer with a swim and lie out. It was raining first thing this morning, and maybe again later, but we got our day done in the dry. 

The alarm clocks were out in force at the pool!

Thursday Feb 8th. - more.....

We did a lot of touring in New Zealand so we promised ourselves that the Tahiti end to the trip would be all about relaxing!  And so far, we have made very good progress on this promise. 

A short walk to the shops was needed for a few supplies and some Polynesian Francs. After a false start at the bank we got cash at an ATM and the stuff we needed. 

Then it was back to the pool to lay out, read, swim in the ocean and ....... do nothing!

Another shop walk bought us wine and delicious snacks - meal prices at the resort are sky high - and we are now enjoying a self catered mid afternoon lunch (tea as the New Zealanders would call it). 

We are gathering our energy for......... I don’t know what really. Shipboard life perhaps. 

Luckily each room comes with an alarm clock!

Thursday Feb 8th - twice!!

We bid our (very) sad farewells to the family around 9:30 and started a very uneventful 3 hour drive up to Auckland. 

Apex car rentals at the airport was as efficient and easy  as the downtown office was poor. 

Strata lounge at Auckland airport was easily the best lounge for food and wine that we have ever been to!

Air Tahiti also turned out to be a really pleasant surprise. Friendly crew, nice modern Airbus with actual legroom (!) and we changed seats to an exit door so we could actually strech full out. 

We arrived in Tahiti at 11pm and, once through the airport, our private driver was there as arranged to bring us to the hotel. It was dark and wet so we really didn’t see anything on our way in. 

But this morning, after travelling back in time to our second Feb 8th ...... yes!

Wednesday Feb 7th - Final full day in NZ

Tomorrow we leave Papamoa and head up to Auckland to catch our flight to Tahiti.

Today was spent with a final beach walk here in the Bay of Plenty. Such a beautiful beach with tons of shells and NO litter!

We’re really not sure what the wifi will be like once we get to Tahiti or on the cruise so - who knows -this may be the last blog post for a while. We have enjoyed New Zealand and now it’s time to start heading back north and east. 

Stay tuned. 

Tuesday Feb 6th - Waitangi Day!

New Zealand’s most important national holiday.  We celebrated this morning with a long walk on the beach.  All kind of beach activities were underway, swimming, surfing, horseback riding..... and some fishing.  New Zealanders take their surf fishing seriously with all manner of devices from long line rods, fishing equipped atv’s, and even a self swimming robot that pulls a long line from the shore to which a bunch of hooks are strung.  When we asked what they were after they said ‘fish!’

Serious fishing atv.

Reel and robot launch.

After that Julian and Scott embarked on the ambitious task of buying and subsequently installing a new tv and a coffee maker.  Encouraging results on both fronts.  Meanwhile The and Monique kept the kids amused.

Tonight we went as a family to the local watering hole - The Pap House - good beer, good wine, good food, good times!

Monday Feb 5th - Where de’ sheep at?

Pretty easy day. We went shopping in Tauranga, including the coming Waitangi day sales.  A TV may be coming to the household today?

In the late afternoon the boys went bike riding and Ella and Julian took off after them.

And finally we unlocked the mystery of why we saw way less sheep than we had expected.  They are all here!

(Apparently the south island has way more).

Sunday Feb 4th - R&R?

We have done the travelling portion of our NZ holiday and are now having fun with family again in Papamoa.

This afternoon we hit the beach by Mt. Maunganui, but decided it was time to do a bit of exercise so we climbed it first.  Julian, The, and Monique hiked up it in a very respectable 35 minutes one way.  Scott minded the kids and on our return took off and ran up it making the round trip up AND down in a shattering 35 minutes!

After that, cooling off and pizza in lovely Pilot Bay.

The next few days will be pretty much wake up and repeat I expect.  Here are some photos of the afternoon.

Feb 3rd. - Well, we love most of Taupo!

This was a first for me, but last night I actually got us kicked out of a hotel!  Well, we were asked to leave by the manageress but cooler heads prevailed and her husband overruled her.  

I won’t go into detail, but suffice it to say I know my way around the internet and when we were told repeatedly that our poor internet connection was our fault and that what we were doing was impossible - well, by the 5th time I indicated, quite strongly, that I wasn’t going to waste any more time talking to someone who was basically accusing me of lying! She didn’t take kindly to this!!!

And this at 9pm on the eve of the biggest holiday weekend of the year here.  Not a single vacancy anywhere! I’ll have some fun with internet reviews you can be sure!

Today we drove back up to Papamoa to spend our last 4 days in NZ with Scott and Monique. Had a great afternoon at the beach and went to a party with the neighbours tonight.  We’re feeling right at home.

Cool beach transportation!

Friday Feb 2 - We love Taupo!

What a wild night! Cyclone Fehi roared all night but even that wasn’t enough to keep us from a super night’s sleep.  There was a lot of mayhem all around NZ this morning but we escaped it all.

We started out with a lake walk past black swans and thermal inlets 3 km into town.

These are not flip flops - they are ‘jandals’.

We hid out from a rainstorm with our 10 millionth excellent flat white coffee and in the afternoon headed up a hiking trail to spectacular Huka Falls.

Success! I finally managed to replace the NZ baseball cap that I lost paddleboarding in Lake Okanagan.  (That was one of my prized possessions Andy and I was gutted when I lost it!)

Tired but happy, guess how we celebrated?

With the excellent Pinot Noir we bought in Hawkes Bay.