Saturday, Sunday & Monday were quiet days in Papeete due to a public holiday. Everything was closed so it was a good time to catch up on our boat jobs & get some laundry done. Steve was also suffering from a throat infection which has moved to his chest, so it was a good time for him to catch some rest.
Tuesday we hired a car with Richard & Geri from PANTHERA (UK) & Steven & Jody from BLUE PELICAN (AUS). We set off at 8am to travel around island. Out first stop was the tallest lighthouse in Polynesia at Point Venus, then onto the 3 waterfalls of Faarumai where we had a good hike in the rain! Then onto the southern end of Tahiti, called Tahiti Iti, meaning small Tahiti. At the end of the road we found a car park with signs directing us to Teahupoo, the awesome surf break that hosts the Billabong Pro every August. The waves were only 3 metres in height today – usually it gets to around 8 metres! We walked across a footbridge & down to the point where we watched a couple of guys surfing for about 30 minutes. On then to a small park where we had a picnic lunch & home again to the marina via a quick grocery stock up at Carrefour.
Wednesday we left Tahiti & sailed the 20 miles to Moorea where we anchored at the head of the pass into Cooks Bay. Moorea is extremely beautiful with a dazzling silhouette & plenty of rainforest. The water is very blue & great for swimming.
Thursday we wandered into the small village on shore, Maharepa where we scored a baguette for lunch. We also had walk down to the head of Cooks Bay & returned to PANNIKIN hot & dusty and in need of a good swim. Thursday afternoon we had drinks on board TAKE TWO who arrived during the day.
Friday was haircut day for Steve while Ange had a good walk followed by a window shop wander through the village. We took our dinghy into Cooks Bay in the afternoon to say hello to PANTHERA that afternoon & took refuge onboard as the heavens opened up & drenched us for a good 30 minutes.
Saturday morning we headed around to Opunohu Bay where a number of movies have been made including Mel Gibson’s ‘Munity on the Bounty’ in 1983. Again a beautiful bay with soaring peaks surrounding steep rainforest covered hills & lovely blue water. This bay is much bigger than Cooks Bay & there was a cruise ship at anchor as well as about 20 yachts. We took the dinghy ashore & walked through the cruise ship crowd being dropped off at the local markets (they all sounded very Aussie!) to the Intercontinental Resort where we were able to buy some WIFI for ½ hour. Bills paid & emails checked we wandered back to the dinghy where we met a young Aussie family from Melbourne. Apparently the cruise ship left from Hawaii & completes its journey in Sydney after visiting Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Fiji and Vanuatu. With the cold & wet weather at home the boat was loaded with 1,500 Aussies (& a small contingent of Americans...poor folks!) looking for a South Pacific escape. You certainly knew they were Aussies – taking over the small supermarket that had stayed open & drinking all their beer!
Sunday was a wet & rainy affair, so after Ange had a walk in the morning it was a day of reading & relaxing. Richard & Geri from PANTHERA came over in the afternoon for a game of dominoes while we swapped TV shows & movies on our hard drives.
Monday morning was wet again so we spent the time reading & getting ready for our departure to Huahine that afternoon. We left around 4.30pm & unfortunately Steve sailed the whole night alone as Ange was sick with Steve’s dreaded throat infection & spent the whole time asleep.
Tuesday morning the sun rose as we motored up the west coast of Huahine outside the reef. Beautiful, green and mountainous with a couple of small resorts on the coast. We took a free mooring ball in the lagoon anchorage near the main town of Fare. After a cuppa it was bed for both of us... not waking again until after lunch time. We had a wander through Fare later in the afternoon – a nice little town with plenty of character. A supply ship was due to arrive so there was plenty of action around the port. Back to the boat for an afternoon swim, dinner & more episodes of Game of Thrones!
This morning after a sleep in & swim Ange went for a good 2 hour walk & Steve went surfing on the break at the head of the Avapehi pass near where we are anchored. After picking Ange up at 11am he headed out again for another couple of hours. A good day of exercise!! We will visit the village again this afternoon for a few groceries – it has a great Super U supermarket! We are impressed!