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.