Our dear friend Sam Clark-Hall, the ray whisperer.

The blog is back! The last couple of months have been busy times for the Wanderlusties with our fair share of ocean passages, island hopping, guests, adventures and fishing so the poor blog has been very neglected. Hopefully we can carry on from where we left off. Bora Bora! So here is a quick run down on our time there and then it is time for a bit of a photo sharing, as they say, a picture tells thousand words or something along those lines.

Well what a place! I think we had thought that it could have been a place with so much hype and touristy activity that it would be ruined, even somewhere we might not want to spend much time but we were pleasantly surprised. I suppose a contributing factor was that we did have our own boat so could cruise inside the atoll, around the islands at our own pace when ever we liked, which in turn meant we didn’t feel confined to the resorts or mainland.

There really is something for everyone from Shark and Manta ray diving, Stingray feeding, kayaking, reef snorkeling to mountain hikes, markets and fine dining. We gave it all a go and weren’t disappointed.

Karla, Jo and Mason had almost a week with us in Bora Bora and we really tried to fit it all in. First up we were heading around to the east coast to snorkel with the Mantas. In order to get there we had to navigate some very shallow waters and a rather stressful pass. Around we went, slowing the boat down to just over a knot as we inched our way along the sandy bottom with basically 30cms under the keel! With all the crew on lookout we successfully crossed the shallows only to reach this well known zig zagging pass, with us heading into a strong current against the wind and then have to turn back onto ourselves with almost dry reef on either side. No margin for error here! With the throttle down we lined it up (on the chartplotter with waypoints as well as eyeballing it real time) and headed in. After hitting the first way point you then had to turn hard to starboard for 10 metres before turning straight back to port, down a narrow channel lined with intimidating reef and then starboard again to exit. Pheeew. We made it and managed it safely the next three times also!

For all the stress in the journey it is worth it, even if it was just a quick glance at the Mantas. Every morning these majestic creatures come to feed, clean and be generally amazing and all the friends we took there saw them with Sam Clark-Hall almost touching one and Karla actually managing to have one do a number two whilst she was swimming behind it! Good times.

We had another Ray feeding mission with some very friendly, very large Rays before Jo left, also some Ninja swings and Aquablading. We even got acquainted with the very accommodating Mai Kai Marina and Restaurant. Delicious food, free internet, sun loungers and infinity pool was a great way to unwind after a working on the boat for the day, catching up on our job list with our family and friends off the boat after a fun filled month.

We had a week to explore a little more before our friends from NZ were joining us for few days on the side of a work trip. Sam and Becky arrived with a downpour of rain but it wasn’t to last, the rest of there trip was sunshine and good times! Again the Mantas came to play and the stingray feeding was a huge hit, wouldn’t you both agree?? The boys ventured out for some spearfishing on the outer reef with not so much success in the dinner department but a few shark sitings didn’t disappoint.

By now we had found our favourite anchorage, sheltered behind a small island but toward the outer reef with the sun setting in perfect view from the cockpit. Evenings were spent whipping up cocktails and canapés enjoying the view and I guess, essentially solving the world’s problems!!

We even managed to catch up with some old friends from superyachts. Luke was in French Polynesia working and his lovely lady Sarah was coming for a much awaited holiday after working in the Med and Caribbean for the last 8 months. It was really great to be able to share our little world with them, people who have been interested in our travels from the get go and also like the idea of sailing for themselves after all the years working on the big boats.

After all the guests left us we carried on with jobs, repairs, general maintenance and started planning our trip onwards to Tonga, via Palmerston Atoll in the Cook Island group and Niue. Splitting our time between our secluded, sheltered anchorage and the Mai Kai marina was the perfect balance, time for emailing, catching up, foraging and pool time versus turquoise water, spearfishing, paddleboarding and reading in our pristine anchorage.

We met so many lovely fellow cruisers in those few weeks. Some that we had met previously, others that we have seen now further on and it really never fails to amaze us how helpful, friendly and considerate almost everyone is. Cruisers have such a great community and network, always willing to help each other out because I guess we will all need help at some point and to be honest there isn’t really the resources to do it otherwise. So and so on boat “A” might be a whizz at electrical repairs when old mate on boat “B” has no idea but he does happen to be an expert at sail repairs, it all counts out here on the ocean.

As we pulled up to the dock at Raiatea, after a lovely few hours motor sailing in the sunshine there was Jo, suitcase in tow and just managing to handle the intense French Polynesian heat.

It was swim time to refresh, a quick provisioning trip, ice creams for an afternoon treat and off we went to Tahaa, the island to the north of Raiatea but within the same reef/atoll. Tahaa is known as the Vanilla island, it once produced almost 90% of the worlds supply of Tahitian Vanilla although now it has retained the name mostly for tourism purposes, with only a few plantations still running and even then mostly for show and tell purposes.

We motor sailed around to the sheltered west coast of the island, finding a safe anchoring spot for the night which was close to the Coral Gardens, a drift snorkeling spot we had heard a few good things about. From Raiatea and Tahaa you actually get the best views of Bora Bora, the infamous peaked islands of French Polynesia. The spires seem to rise up out of the water, only about 25nm from where we anchored, clouds often hovering around the tops as though pinned to the mountain top. At sunset, from Tahaa, we sat and enjoyed the beautiful vista, the sun glowing and disappearing between the two pinnacles . A pinch your self, am I dreaming moment for sure.

The next morning had us off again, a few hundred metres down the reef, dodging the huge coral heads to find a safe spot of sand for anchoring. After a couple of loops we found our spot and were off in the dinghy to snorkel the Coral Gardens.

To be fair, although it was very shallow, the little pass in the reef was some of the better snorkeling after the Tuamotus. We have definitely been spoilt there! There is a decent current running through the “gardens” and if you swim to the reef end (or walk along the motu which would have been easier in hindsight) you can then fly back with the flow of the water, weaving through the huge schools of fish and coral formations. Some patches were unbelievably shallow you were almost grating along the top, other parts had channels like roads or tunnels you could navigate through bursting through schools of fish unexpectedly. A Great start to our day with the sun out in full force too, a nice change from overcast and squalls.

We then proceeded to tack our way around the entire north side of Tahaa. Starboard, Port, Starboard, Port, Team New Zealand eat your heart out! Jo and Michael subbed in and out as Wanderlusts Rob Wadell, and the rest of us were taking turns as Dean Barker, Ray Davies (Radar) and even Sir Peter Blake. Almost managed to get the old girl up on the foils, Ha..
Our next anchorage was Hanemene Bay, a deep bay with Acacia trees and coconut palms lining the steep mountainsides. Seriously impressive and so green! Makes you feel as though you will see King Kong or a creature out of Jurassic Park at any moment. We made our way right into the base of the bay to try and shelter from the belting winds, dropping anchor in what looked and later confirmed to be a muddy, silty bottom.

Ashore we went in search of our next happy hour spot but to no avail so we purchased a crate of beers and watched the locals play an impressive few rounds of Volleyball. What was that we could smell? It was ONLY the Roulottes, just around the corner, the food vans that occupy many carparks in French Polynesia selling everything from poisson cru, chowmein, steaks, burgers to pizza and crepes. The boys were sold and after a few more long necks of Hinano we were ordered and at the tables ready to feast. Now we were all hungry, so we ordered a plate for each of us, with the girls getting three different meals to share. Along came the Poisson Cru and it was on a family sized platter. Ok, we can get through this right? Then the Chow Mein and Fou Young Ha arrived. Seriously. We had three platters of food, enough for 8 people to eat it was honestly hilarious. By now the boys are getting excited to see their chicken and fries. Hahaha. Their plates (platters) literally had a whole chicken carcass, the same amount of fries and rice not to mention the bowl of barbeque sauce. Needless to say we had doggy bags that night and very full stomachs.

The next day consisted of us heading up a very steep hill that would take you over to the west coast which was a good idea considering the food we had previously consumed. We were in search of viewpoints and a little fruit foraging never hurt anyone either. A couple of fresh drinking coconuts along the way, we had found a pretty nice view and some rain. So down we went picking up some good papaya and fresh chillies along the way. On returning we picked up anchor and headed out of the bay and towards Raiatea before the sun got too low. Another beautiful anchorage that evening, looking over towards the setting sun and Bora Bora.

There was a waterfall hike we had been keen to do for a while here in Raiatea, and to do so we would either need a paid guide or to rent a car and find our own way. Of course, being us we decided that for the price of the guide (double that of renting a car) there wasn’t much point, plus if we had time we good also do a little road trip afterwards. Off we went in our wee rental and after a U-turn to take our turn off, we were on our way. The track started off as a kind of clay road, clear and easy to see where we going. Peace of cake, we will be swimming at the Three Waterfalls in no time. Sadly, it was not to be done without a paid guide for us! Once we got in the bush the trail went everywhere and we were left to decide whether to take option A, B or C. So it was a process of elimination and we tried them all. We went alongside a river crossing it numerous times before it was impossible, then returned and tried going straight up a sort of clear track only to end up on hands and knees crawling through growth before turning back. Our third option didn’t fair any better either, essentially tracking around the mountain, further and further away from the waterfalls. So feeling defeated and the day disappearing before us down we went to the car, knowing at least we saw them from afar!

We drove around the island that afternoon, collecting more fruit and admiring the landscape before heading back to the boat. We had been hoping the surf would pick up and we could sneak a few waves in before heading to Bora Bora but after checking the pass it was huge and not really safe so the plan was made. We would make the day sail, to what was to be our final stop in French Polynesia, Bora Bora that next day.

The winds were a constant 10-15kts the whole way so we made good time and were excited for what lay ahead. Finally being there was very rewarding, what some may deem the epitomy of French Polynesia a place we had been looking forward to and heard about for so long. Now it was time for searching out the stingrays and sharks for Jo to play with and hopefully a snorkel for everyone with the Mantas. Well our guests were in for a treat with almost all their wishes coming true (Sorry Jo, no whales!)