Tuesday 18 June
We’ve got a little over a week in French
Polynesia and, up until the last minute, we haven’t really been too sure what
to do with ourselves. With 118 islands
to choose from I guess it’s not that surprising. We know we want to spend some time in Mo’orea,
but don’t need 10 days there. Just
before we flew out to Easter Island Nick finally decided to take a flick
through the guidebook. He sees a picture
of Rangiroa in the Tuamotus and that’s it: it’s decided. To be fair, the pictures are pretty
persuasive. From the air it looks like a
string of pearls flung out into the ocean.
It’s a coral atoll consisting of a delicate loop of islets surrounding
the second largest lagoon in the world.
Officially, the lagoon has it’s own horizon
– which I think just means that you can’t see the other side.
It’s a 1h flight from Pape’ete, so after a
lazy morning we drag our suitcase (singular, we’ve dumped the other into
storage for now) back to the airport.
I’d love to say it’s a peaceful, scenic flight – and we do get some
spectacular views – but for the majority of the time we’re bumping our way
through thick cloud. I’m quite happy
when our wheels touch down again. We’ve
arrived mid-afternoon and it’s a little overcast and windy with the odd spot of
rain. We’re picked up and driven to our
hotel – a cluster of bungalows on the edge of the lagoon. Once we’ve unpacked we stretch out on our
porch and relax.
We’re staying in Avatoru – Rangiroa’s main
village. It’s not a big place, but it’s
spread out along a central 12km road that spans the narrow strip of land
between the two main passes into the lagoon.
We’re roughly in the middle, so with about 6km of quiet, tarmacked road
stretching in each direction I pull on my running shoes and go for an explore. There’s sea on one side, lagoon on the other
and - apart from the odd shop or pension – not much in between.
We’d planned to self cater while we were
here, but there’s not much that doesn’t come in a tin in the shops and we don’t
have any cooking facilities. There’s a
lovely little restaurant almost directly opposite our hotel though and we’re
soon tempted in there for delicious pizzas (goats cheese and local honey for
me…mmmm).
Wednesday 19 June
We’ve come to French Polynesia in
winter. We didn’t think they got winter,
but apparently they do and this is it. With
the temperature hovering between a minimum of about 25 and a maximum of 29 it’s
not exactly cold, but there’s a steady wind coming in across the lagoon and
stirring up quite a chop. In summer,
we’re told, the temperatures are closer to 35 and the lagoon is as calm and
clear as a pond.
There’s meant to be excellent snorkeling
(and diving) in the Tiputa pass. But, as
it’s a fairly narrow pass into a big lagoon there are big currents to contend
with. With the sea as rough as it is
we’re not going to just throw ourselves in and see what happens. Luckily one of the dive companies nearby
offers guided snorkel trips. We’re
picked up at 9.30 and driven to the pass where we’re kitted out with thin skins
and lifejackets. Then we’re loaded into
a dinghy and taken out of the pass. It’s
just the 2 of us on the tour, with a guide.
On the count of 3 we push off the boat, link hands and let the current
pull us back through into the lagoon.
Once we’re through, the boat picks us up and takes us back for another
go, and then another. It’s a fantastic
ride and there are so many fish – normally there has to be someone throwing
food in the water to see this many fish in one place.
We see loads of barracuda, black and white
tip reef sharks and plenty more. With
the swell it’s a bit like being in a jumparoo for adults. We finish up with a calmer snorkel in an area
called the aquarium, which is full of colourful reef fish.
We’re dried off and driven back to our
hotel before lunchtime. The sun has kind
of been in and out today, and it looks like it’s going to stay that way for the
rest of the day. We walk up the street
to a little snack bar for some sandwiches and then walk down the street to
Gaugin’s Pearls. This is a working pearl
farm producing cultured black Tahitian pearls.
They offer free tours and we’re just in time for one. It’s way more interesting than I’m expecting
it to be and the oysters don’t seem to get too bad a deal out of it
either. We’re shown how the oysters are
operated on to introduce the seed for the pearl. The farm cannot use wild oysters but has to
capture them as larvae and cultivate them.
An oyster cannot produce a pearl until it is three years old and then it
takes 2 years for each pearl to develop.
An oyster can produce a maximum of 3 pearls – so for 9 years they are
looked after and protected from predators.
Oysters that are no longer producing pearls are eaten and shells are
sold for their mother of pearl, so nothing is wasted. I’m even given the opportunity to harvest a
pearl myself. Usually an expert does
this from a live oyster, but as this oyster is already dead I simply squish it
out with my fingers.
It’s a beautiful pearl and I’d buy it on
the spot, but rules and regulations dictate that the pearl has to be sent off
for grading etc.
Nevertheless, the shop is open and pearls
are available at heavily discounted prices. Best of all, I can pick my own
pearls and have them set as I’d like them on the spot. What’s a girl to do?
We spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing
and then walk over to the hotel next door for some pasta.
Thursday 20 June
We’re meant to be gong out on a trip across
the lagoon today so we’re up early. At
the very last minute we’re told that it’s been tentatively postponed until
tomorrow. Whilst the weather is looking
better today than yesterday, the lagoon is still a little wild and tomorrow is
promising to be better.
As we’re all packed up and ready to go we
decide to hire some bikes from our hotel and explore the island.
We cycle down to Avatoru pass. This is where the heart of the village
is. There’s not much more than a bank, a
post office, a school and a seaside church draped with oyster shells.
We cruise through town and then set off
back the way we came. A bit past our
hotel we stop to check out the posh-est resort on the island. It’s nice, but then at £700+ a night you’d
expect it to be. There’s a little public
access beach right next to the resort, which is sheltered from the wind. The sun is out and we’ve worked up sweat
cycling, so we stop for a swim and some sunbathing.
Back on our bikes, we continue cycling up
to Tiputa pass (where we did our drift snorkel). It’s about lunchtime and there’s a lovely
little snack bar right on the water. We
can eat our sandwiches whilst watching the fish below.
After lunch we cycle back to the hotel for
a bit of a rest. Later in the afternoon
I decide to take the bike for one last spin.
Dolphins are supposed to frequent Tiputa pass in the later afternoon and
I’m curious enough to pedal against the wind for a look. I’m rewarded with a quick sighting of a
dolphin leaping out the water and then it’s gone. I’m cycling with the wind on the way back and
can relax and enjoy the sights a bit more.
It’s pizzas again tonight (being one of the
few places that offers a veggie option), but they’re still delicious.
Janet adds: as I was typing up the blog
this evening we were visited by a very friendly little gecko. He hopped onto Nick and then came over to see
what I was doing. After having a little
jump around the keyboard he hopped onto my dress. He was thinking of crawling down my top when
we managed to persuade him that perhaps he’d be happier elsewhere.
Friday 21 June
It’s the nicest day we’ve had so far, with
just the gentlest of breezes and clear blue skies. That means our trip is on – woo hoo!
We’re picked up a little after 8.30 and
loaded into the back of a pick-up for the short drive to the dock where our
colourful yellow and green boat awaits.
There are only four of us on the trip today – us two and an
Italian/Brazilian couple who live in Paris and speak about a million languages
between them. Our guides are two local
gentlemen who turn out to be very polite, hospitable and a good laugh, but
unfortunately neither of us catches their names.
We’re going to a spot right on the other
side of the lagoon and it takes a good hour to blast over there on a
speedboat. Although today is calmer than
it has been, there’s still a good swell as we get out into the lagoon and it’s
a bumpy, spray-filled ride. On the other
side we find the Rangiroa we’ve been looking for: crystal clear water in
brilliant shades of blue and deserted white sand beaches fringed with palm
trees. It’s heaven.
We hop out of the boat and wade
ashore. First up we’ve got a drift
snorkel. There’s a swift current flowing
from the sea into the lagoon through a shallow coral channel. We wade in at the top end, lift our feet and
bomb down to the other end where we run round to do it again. It’s great fun and we spend some time
floating about and enjoying the beach.
Another local has wandered over to say
hello and brought his two puppies – Roxy and Rocky with him. We all share some fresh coconut (the dogs
LOVE coconut) while Nick makes friends (yes, with the dogs of course).
This area is known as the reef islands. If I’ve understood correctly, it was formed
because the tectonic plate that holds the Society Islands is slowly sliding
under the plate that holds the Tuamotus.
That movement has uplifted a coral reef that now stands raised up like a
wall, slowly getting eroded by wind and rain.
We walk over to take a look.
Here, clear blue pools are sheltered from the pounding ocean by weird
outcrops of sharp rock. It’s a beautiful
and otherworldly setting, but the pools are wonderful for cooling off in.
It’s about lunchtime but our lunch is being
served on the next island over and the only way to get there is to wade through
a channel of swift flowing water. This
is fine for the tall-ies, but for a shorty like me it’s a bit of a strain. More than once I’m convinced I’m going to end
up in the middle of the lagoon, but I make it across more or less in one
piece. Our lunch is served on another
beautiful beach. In the shallows dozens
of little reef sharks are buzzing about.
I try to make friends but don’t get very far. The highlight of the meal is the freshly
baked coconut bread. Mmmm. The scraps go to the sharks, which leads to a
bit of a feeding frenzy – fun to watch as long as you keep an eye on your
tootsies.
After lunch Nick has a nap in a hammock
while the girls get a lesson in weaving. We both manage to make an about passable bag out of palm fronds, thanks to our patient teacher. (We didn't make the hats!)
It’s time for the journey back across the
lagoon, but we’re so relaxed that it feels like we’re back in no time. We’ve got time for another snorkel in the
aquarium and some food scraps have been saved for the fish – so again it lives
up to its name.
As we’re drying off our guides serenade us
with some traditional music – accompanying themselves on guitar and
ukulele. It’s magic, but impossibly the
day gets even better.
Our last stop is a quick trip into Tiputa
pass to see if we can spot any dolphins.
It doesn’t take much trying: almost before we know it the dolphins are
leaping and spinning all about us, jumping high out of the water and surfing
through the waves.
We’re cheering them on and I can’t help
think they’re showing off at least a little bit. We hover in the waves as 7 or 8 dolphins put
on a show for us – sometimes with as many as three jumping through the 6-foot
swell at the same time. The trip would
have been worth it for this alone and it’s a wonderful end to a wonderful day.
Saturday 22 June
It’s a beautiful day today: the sun is
shining, the wind has dropped and the lagoon is a sparkling, flat expanse of
blues. Unfortunately we’re leaving this
morning so we won’t get to enjoy it, but as we’re moving on to another island
we can’t really complain.
By 10.30 we’re back at Tahiti airport where
we grab a taxi down to the ferry terminal.
Mo’orea sits just across from Tahiti – a quick 35 minutes on the
ferry. It’s a dramatic island – jagged,
steep mountains falling away to a gentle lagoon.
There’s pretty much just one road that
loops round the island. Rather than get
a taxi over to our hotel we hang around for a bit and catch the public bus for
a fraction of the cost. It’s a scenic
half hour drive round to where we’re staying, on Hauru Point.
We’ve tried to keep it fairly budget here,
but are pleasantly surprised by our bungalow.
It’s tucked away in the garden and has a kitchenette as well as a big
porch.
We unpack and then wander up the road to a
grocery store for supplies. Once we’re
set up we take a beer to the beach to watch the sunset.
Sunday 23 June
I’m up early this morning for a quick run up
the road. I run into town, following the
road past a serious of pearl shops, curio shops, hotels and tattoo parlours
(for the ultimate souvenir).
Apart from that the day is decidedly
lazy. We spend the morning on the beach
soaking up the rays and exploring the coral outcrops just offshore.
We have a lunch of fresh baguette with
French cheese on our porch and sit out the heat of the day for a couple of
hours. Much to my delight there are
plenty of chickens to entertain me.
Later in the afternoon we take a stroll up the beach and cool off with a
swim before settling in for a quiet evening.
Monday 24 June
I’m getting used to waking up to the sound
of cocks crowing – I’m going to have to get me some chickens. I go for another run this morning – this time
heading out of town. Soon the shops give
way to towering palms and rows of mango trees dropping with fruit. The path is paved with flowers and their
perfume fills the air – it beats running through the pre-dawn gloom of a York
winter.
We were hoping to take a kayak out
exploring this morning – there are 2 motus just across the lagoon from us – but
the hotel is not renting them out this morning. The lagoon looks calm enough to us, so
cheekily we walk up the road to another (possibly less scrupulous) operator who
happily rents us a kayak. Although the
lagoon looks calm we’re soon fighting a fierce current – it’s a struggle
staying in one place, let alone making any forward progress. Nevertheless, we battle our way across to the
pass between the two motus where we find a bit of sand to beach our kayak.
We have a swim and a snorkel and then
paddle back – considerably easier now that the current is with us. The hire company is offering lagoon
excursions tomorrow (which our hotel can’t do), so we book for the morning and
then walk back. The afternoon is much as
before: lunch and a laze, followed by some sunbathing and sunset. I could definitely go for this island life.
Tuesday 25 June
We’re up early this morning to make sure
we’re on time for our boat trip. At 8.30
we’re loaded onto a little boat together with a Parisian lady and our French
tour guide. It is (do I even need to say
it?) a beautiful day.
The first stop on our lagoon tour is to
meet the stingrays and reef sharks. A
group of stingrays live on a sandbank in the lagoon. People have been feeding
the rays for a number of years. Now, it
may not be the most environmentally sound thing to do, but it does meant that
as your boat pulls in it’s greeted by a posse of big, eager stingrays.
They’re lovely playful creatures and as
soon as we’re in the water they’re brushing up against us. Even if you didn’t want to touch them you’d
have little choice, as they seem to want to touch us. They swim in close, feeling us up with their
soft, spongy ‘wings’.
One is a pregnant mother and we even get to
put our hands on her back and feel the little ones moving inside her. I’m in love with these creatures and could spend
all day here. The reef sharks that live
in the nearby channel have come to say hello too. They don’t get fed (although a giant frigate
snatches a fish out of our guide's hand) and don’t come in for a cuddle, but
hang on the sidelines looking both menacing and endearing at the same time –
occasionally popping a fin out of the water for Jaws-like effect.
We leave the rays behind and continue
on. Our next stop is to snorkel over
some tikis. When Christian missionaries
arrived on the island they persuaded the locals to throw their idols (tikis)
into the ocean. Those ancient statues
have long been lost to time, but some enterprising individual has recreated
some tikis and dropped them into the shallow water as a kind of tribute. Although they’re not originals, it’s still
atmospheric swimming over them in the clear water.
From the air Mo’orea looks a bit like a
dinosaur’s footprint – with Cook’s Bay and Opunohu Bay forming the gaps between
the toes. Our next stop is the mouth of
Opunohu Bay where we stop to watch some spinner dolphins.
They’re in rest mode, so they’re mostly
just lazily looping through the water, but a few do put in good jumps. We move on into the bay where we stop to
enjoy some local pineapple juice and take in the scenery.
We round the corner into the equally
picturesque Cooks Bay. For the journey
home we head out of the lagoon and make our way back through the open
ocean. It’s been a brilliant morning and
we’re back in time for our usual lazy lunch.
We spend the afternoon at the beach and the
evening on our porch – we’re in a routine already.
Janet adds: We managed to pretty much tame
two chickens at the bungalow: as we sit down for breakfast they come running
over, knowing that they’ll get thrown a handful or two of cornflakes.
Wednesday 26 June
We’re heading back over to Pape’ete today,
but we’re in no rush and our hotel has kindly given us a late check-out, so we
can take things easy. We spend the
morning sorting through photos and hanging out at the beach.
Since getting the bus was so easy (and
cheap), we’re planning to get the bus back to the ferry terminal. Mistake.
After an hour and twenty waiting in the heat of the day it’s pretty
clear the bus isn’t coming. Even if it
did, we’ve now missed the ferry we’re waiting for and would have to wait
another couple of hours for the later one.
A bus does eventually turn up, but the driver tells us he isn’t
departing for another hour and a half.
Then he promptly shuts the doors and drives off. There’s only one more ferry today so we’ve
got to make sure we’re on it. It’s way
to late to arrange a transfer, but our hotel kindly calls a taxi for us
(they’re few and far between if you’re wondering why we didn’t get one
earlier). Yes, it’s a bit pricey, but we
do get a lovely spin around half the island and we’re in plenty of time for the
ferry.
Back in Pape’ete we don’t even bother with
the bus and just grab the first taxi we see.
We’re at the Tahiti Airport Motel again – it’s starting to feel like
home.
Janet adds: We discovered tonight that you
can’t buy beer in the shops in Pape’ete after 5pm at night. Ridiculous.
