Societies Sampler: Tahiti and Moorea

Comprising the iconic names of Tahiti and Bora Bora and the islands between them, French Polynesia's Society Islands are the most famous and most visited by tourists. Because our route back to the Pacific Northwest will take us through the Societies again, we intentionally allotted less of our 90-day visas to this chain than to the Marquesas and Tuamotus. Our sampling of what these islands have to offer brought experiences both delightful and meaningful, and we look forward to a more thorough exploration on our return voyage.

TAHITI

Tahiti! The word alone conjures images of exotic adventures. It felt awesome to sail there on our own boat...

Contrary to what we'd been led to expect, Papeete--a bustling city that is the capital of Tahiti and also of all French Polynesia--was very enjoyable. We didn't get to see the rest of the island, but we did get to take advantage of the famous market (full of flowers, fish, produce and crafts) and roulottes (food trucks parked along the waterfront at night). The downtown park was beautiful and well-used by locals. Best of all, we'd timed our stop in Papeete to coincide with the Heiva Festival, a 130-year-old celebration of traditional Polynesian dancing, singing, and sporting events (like stone lifting, fruit carrying and outrigger canoe racing). We snagged tickets to the first night, with an opening ceremony followed by four truly spectacular singing and dancing events. Costumes, choreography, percussive music, rubber-legged men and swaying-hipped women: we were fascinated, enthralled, and at times even deeply moved. This was the Olympics of Polynesian dancing--many teams from many islands compete over two weeks--and we were thrilled to be there!

Even just going to the market, many Tahitian women wear flower-print dresses and fresh flower headdresses

These brightly colored fish are from the lagoons (ocean fish like tuna were also available)

Market flowers were showy, and reasonably priced

A string band (mixed ukuleles and guitars) busking outside the market

Local kids playing soccer in the waterfront park; nearby many families were having picnics

Outrigger canoes stored in the park; with lots of people in Papeete, there were lots of canoes!

The roulottes (food trucks) offer a wide variety of food--French, Tahitian, Chinese--and are very popular

No photographs were allowed during the performance, but I snapped this before it started.
Tahiti's skyline and twilight clouds are visible in the background, and the first group's musicians are already on stage.
In front of the stage area--later cleared to just sand for the dancers--are representatives from all the competing clans.
During the opening ceremony, they bring palm fronds to the center and agree to accept the judges' decisions;
some of their orations were highly dramatic.

This year's poster and program cover. Imagine 100 dancers like this!

MOOREA

There's plenty to do and see on Moorea, Tahiti's little sister on the Windward Isles side of the Societies, but this time we only had one night to spend there. We sure enjoyed the scenery around our anchorage, though...

Cook's Bay, Moorea

It's easy to see the volcanic crater that became this island

TT's: Fakarava

Fakarava was the largest atoll we visited, but with a week lost to weather, we had to compress our itinerary. At the town of Rotoava, we got to watch rowing teams practicing...

...and enjoyed seeing people of all ages get around by bicycle
(this is the only paved road in Rotoava)

HIRIFA

Though they were variations on a theme, each atoll was surprisingly different from each other. At Motu Hirifa at the other end of Fakarava, we got to anchor next to a long crescent beach and at the same time be able to watch the surf crash against the reef in the distance.  

It's all in the family: Valentine, who hosted the Polynesian feast at Toau, has a sister Liza who started a restaurant here. There are no standard open hours, but she will cook for visiting cruisers with advance notice. As much a party as it was a meal, several boat crews gathered one evening for outstanding seafood, lively conversation and even some spirited dancing (including by Liza!).

Boat parking lot for the restaurant: our blue kayak, a paddleboard, a dinghy, then Liza's boat (she travels 30 miles one way through the atoll for supplies in Rotoava)

There is a lagoon within a lagoon that had crystal-clear warm water and was teeming
 with colorful fish; we had a great time snorkeling here

Maybe a couple of me too?

A spontaneous shot that turned out pretty well!

Hirifa seemed like a perfect place in every way

Solstice sky

Though we did get some exciting weather here too!

Timetables exist for tides & currents, but we found the most accurate way to predict local slack water for safe passage through reef openings was to gauge it relative to the moonrises and moonsets. Sailors are skywatchers, but in the Tuamotus we watched with timepiece in hand!

The moon, Jupiter and Saturn in an evolving dance

SOUTH PASS AREA

Tetamanu used to be Fakarava's main town in French colonial days, but much of it
 is now abandoned.

The remains of old walls, buildings and even a prison--all made out of coral blocks and dated from the 1880's--were fascinating. 

 (fortunately I was able to escape these prison walls)

Now, however, it is growing again, thanks to a thriving dive center

Woman weaving palm fronds into panels for use in constructing bungalows

When it's too shallow to paddle, just pull!

The nearby anchorage was a minefield of hazards, but it is justifiably popular. Many small motus dot the rim, each with salmon-pink sandy beaches, and there are warm shallow inner lagoons ideal for swimming.

Most people come here for the snorkeling and diving, though--and that is spectacular!

Taking a morning to float through the pass on an incoming tide was a highlight of our Tuamotu experiences. The pristine clarity of the water allowed for stunning views of fish and coral--and there were plenty of reef sharks as well! I have lots of underwater video on my GoPro; one of these times I hope to find a way to get some of it onto the blog...

Art's checking the coral heads near our hull

Everyone does an Unwind-the-Anchor Dance when they leave this area;
fortunately our chain didn't require diving, though many others did

It was hard to say farewell to the Tuamotus; they are such a special environment. Sometimes when I looked out at the atolls I saw a unique and precious ecosystem; most of the time I simply saw magical places.


But now we must (sigh) move on--to Tahiti! The city of Papeete will be a culture shock, but at least I'll get to post photos there and replenish fruits and veggies. Updates after we leave Tahiti could be 2-4 weeks later, so stay tuned (figuratively, if not literally)...

TT's: Toau

Plenty of wind & waves
on the outside of the atolls.

Many boats have ended up on reefs like this one,
 nearly invisible in poor light
 (radar and  GPS have made travel in this archipelago safer,
 though extreme caution is still in order)

Once inside the lagoon, though there isn't much protection from the wind, the water is much calmer. This is Amyot Cove, on the north end of Toau.

The anchorage was right next to a reef, and there was almost a mile of coral heads teeming with fish right off the stern of the boat. We snorkeled at least once a day; Art said "You know life is good when your bathing suit never gets dry!"

 

Another attraction to this cove is the "restaurant". One family lives here, and the matriarch will make a Polynesian feast about once a week if there are enough cruisers to make it worthwhile for her to cook up a storm. It was an amazing presentation: grilled lobster, roast pig, poisson cru (raw fish marinated in lime and coconut milk), coconut bread, dessert served on a large leaf--all in an open-air hut over the water. Similar feasts are prepared in Tahiti, but this was as authentic as it gets.

Sailors from all over the world end up in this little cove; if they have a spare flag from their country, they leave it for the hut.

 Slices of motu life:

Returning from checking fish traps. They use a small wooden boat for that work, then a slightly larger one to take the fish for sale in Fakarava, 35 miles away over open ocean.

Though she has more modern appliances in the hut, this outdoor cooking & cleaning station is still used. And there's the ubiquitous phone booth--installed for one family!

Shoes (always flip-flops) are not worn indoors

Small boats are hauled out of the water to keep the hulls free from marine growth; in the background is the lobster pen (caught at night on the reefs by flashlight, then kept in the cage).

Motu beaches are often crushed coral rather than sand; not far from the water the 'ground' is made of bigger coral chunks. Here I am on the edge of the atoll (again), where the beach gives way to volcanic rock.

Most places we've been have had no stores, and we're getting low on an essential item (beer). Art has taken to brewing ginger beer; tangy & tasty, it's ideal for sundown at a lagoon!

Since no fruit grows naturally in the Tuamotus (no soil = no fruit trees), we stocked up on pamplemousse in the Marquesas. These large grapefruit are sweet and juicy, and one is large enough for two meals.

The only downside to staying for the feast was getting caught by weather. Strong winds kicked up and lasted for over a week, making travel in some directions nearly impossible.

 Some boats in this anchorage gave up on visiting any other atolls and headed for Tahiti, but we stuck it out. At least we got some postponed boat projects done!

 Checking bow lines

 Rainbow: always a good sign