Arrived here Sunday afternoon local time after a 5 day passage from BoraBora. A slow trip as we had planned for 3-4 days. So it was rock and roll for the first two days as we sailed flat off, then motored for 2 days and finished with 12 hours of heavy rain, no visibility and 25 knots starting on the nose and then backing left to give us a tight reach into the port of Avatiu in Rarotonga. So finished with plenty of crash bang sailing as we came off some decent waves. No other yachts on port, a very tidy town but still raining yesterday morning (Monday here, Tuesday in NZ).


Pam & Birgitta negotiating in the market at Papeete.


Pam & Birgitta market shopping


Happy hour Papeete


Departing Tahiti


Motoring outside reef - we anchored behind reef with other yachts at Moorea.


Hilton Resort on Moorea - nice!


Exiting Pass PaiPai, Isle Tahaa

There is a bus route that circumnavigates Rarotonga which will occupy us for a while - it takes all of 50 minutes. One bus goes clockwise and the second anti-clockwise and you just wave them down as required off the street/road. The town is very tidy, roads pretty good (better then Vanuatu) and the vegetation lush. They have not had any rain for 3 months and now 5 days solid.


Savarna at anchor in front of MaiKai marina, BoraBora


Local guys ham it up for the tourists


Pam says hurry up??


Savarna at anchor BoraBora


Last night near BoraBora on isle Toopua


Island near BoraBora

The forecast is looking pretty average to say the least - a massive El Niño effect west of 165 degrees we are told by our weather guru Bruce Buckley of Perth (between here and Tonga) with the prospect of a delayed departure until at least Thursday. The planned brief stops at Niue and the Vavau's are going to be bypassed and Goran and I will two handed sail direct to Auckland while Pam & Birgitta will fly back to Auckland tomorrow.


Wet sail to Rarotonga


Gloomy day Rarotonga

Cheers
Keith & Pam