Best Laid Plans

Ancient, old and new:
view from Marina de Papeete

While in French Polynesia, I expected to upload a few photos every couple of weeks--but it turned out that FP has the least internet access of any place we've been. (It's available at resorts, of course, but we don't go to those.) Consequently these posts have been few and far between...

We're back in Papeete, getting ready for upcoming passages and catching up with online business. Soon we'll be departing for the Tuamotu atolls, where we expect to spend most of October. Given the scarcity of wifi in the Society Islands, we expect there to be little or none in the Tuamotus; I may not be able to update anything until we reach the Marquesas in November. Thank you for your patience!

(If you are driven by curiosity, it's always possible to check our status at 
www.yit.co.nz/yacht/secondwind.  Those reports are sent via SSB radio, not internet, so they are kept up to date.)

FP Postcards: MOOREA, Opunohu Bay

Though we didn't see much of Moorea when we came through two months ago, we knew we'd have another chance on our way back to Papeete. This time we had two wonderful weeks of exploring by land and sea.

Land plus sea: shrimp at the head of the bay,

fresh from ponds

to barrels

to plates
(with garlic, olive oil & fettucini on my birthday,
with cajun spices & dirty rice the next night;
ooh la la!)

The lush trail through the Opunohu Valley (pictured above)
went past numerous archaeological sites,

including this marae with an imposing altar,

and stone platforms used for archery contests 900 years ago

While in the water,

we saw many turtles,

fed stingrays (yipes!),

and swam to underwater tikis

Opunohu Bay deserves its reputation
as one of the most beautiful anchorages in the world!

FP Postcards: HUAHINE

Huahine, dubbed "the wild one" of the Society Islands  (or "the authentic one", depending on your source), has the least tourist development and is indeed the most mellow. If weather hadn't impacted our itinerary--which, of course, it must--we would have relaxed far longer in those serene anchorages. 

On a trail in the jungle,
we came across flora both large...

...and small

Marae Anini:
beautifully preserved, 

and decorated along the entrance
with strands of seashells

Slices of a laid-back life:

Fare, the main village on Huahine

A family having an afternoon swim

FP's signature dish, poisson cru--
raw fish marinated in lemon juice and coconut milk, with local vegetables--
at a street food stand  

FP has surprisingly few sand beaches,
and most of them are owned by resorts.
Huahine's beaches are public; few people are there,
but one evening we did spot a beach bum.

FP Postcards: BORA BORA

The volcanic crater of Bora Bora

Okay, it's overrun with tourists and the beaches are privately owned by luxury resorts. But we had to go, because...it's Bora Bora! The hype and glitz haven't managed to suffocate its mystique as the Holy Grail of the South Pacific.

12 days after these bananas (pictured in the Raiatea post) were cut,
they began to ripen;
Bora Bora's peaks are in the background 

The iconic peaks from another angle;
they almost always snag clouds, whether a few...

...or a lot

Not a tourist event, the annual fishing competition
drew an appreciative crowd from the village...

...for some really big fish!

The colorful lagoon from a hilltop viewpoint

We got in the turquoise water whenever the weather allowed;
swimming with rays was particularly fun!

Celebrating our 45th anniversary,
at Bloody Mary's
(having a Bloody Mary, of course)

FP Postcards: RAIATEA

If Tahaa's adventures were primarily in the water, Raiatea's were primarily on land.

I said I'd limit explanatory text, but this magnificent historical area merits some detail. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, Taputapuatea is the most significant religious site in all Polynesia. Every sacred temple had to incorporate a stone from this exact place in order to be legitimate--even as far away as New Zealand and Hawai'i. There are three enormous marae (open air temples) and multiple other stone platforms, all carefully maintained and still used for ceremonies. It was, in the best sense of the word, awesome.

On a dinghy river excursion we met James,
who enjoys telling people about local flora and fauna;

and Andres,
who sells produce directly from his
small riverfront farm
(here he is using a tool he devised
to snap limes off of high branches)

Andres cut a stalk of bananas for us,

and gave us "Polynesian tattoos"
by slapping the spore side of ferns on our arms

(Andres and Art, not Art and Nancie)

Oh goody!
When we don't get to shore, we get to have adventures on the boat!

FP Postcards: TAHA'A

We timed our arrival in Taha'a to coincide with their annual dance contest and festival. Groups from even the smallest of the island's seven villages had elaborate costumes and spellbinding dancers, young and old (adults one night, kids the next). 

The headdress (hei upo'o) partially blocking this photo...

...belonged to this stunning woman

Speaking of headdresses,
almost all women wear them for special occasions
(and no two are alike)

Produce is sold at stands along the road,
not in stores

We're not rum fans, but we couldn't resist
a bottle of award-winning spirits from the Pari Pari Rum Factory

This was all fun--but the best part of Taha'a was spending a lot of time in the water. The snorkeling was fantastic here!

French Polynesia Postcards: MOOREA, Cook's Bay

How many candles are on those brownies?!

Celebrating Art's birthday at Cook's Bay on the island of Moorea:

Banana beignets for breakfast,

in a spectacular setting

A Polynesian dance show was the perfect gift

After the show the musicians sang Happy Birthday to Art and the four gorgeous women shimmied in a circle around him. What a memorable evening!