On Route to the Marquesas

  Today is a sea day. After five port calls in five days it is a welcome day of relaxation. Although the port calls have not been exhausting in terms of activities, the heat and humidity have been a bit demanding. That said, we are looking forward to tomorrow's tour on Nuku Hiva.

Avatoura, Rangiroa

  Moorea was our last stop in the group known as the Society Islands. Today we arrived in Rangiroa, our one stop in the Tuamuto Islands.

  Rangiroa is not a single island but rather a vast atoll consisting of 240 motus (islets). The atoll delineates the crater of a long-extinct volcano. The lagoon inside the ring of motus is so large that standing on the shore of one motu you cannot see the motus on the far side of the atoll. To get an idea of the size of the atoll, in the picture below taken as we departed the atoll note that the motus extend all the way to the horizon with less than a 90 degree arch.

  After doing one 360 degree turn to avoid running through the narrow channel into the atoll during a blindingly heavy rain shower, ROTTERDAM ran the channel in intermittent showers (some in bright sunshine) and gusty winds.

  By the time we anchored and the process of ferrying people ashore was underway the weather had cleared up nicely. The temperature was working its way through the 80's.

  Arriving ashore, Pam & I immediately transferred to a small boat for a snorkeling expedition.

  I have no pictures because I do not have an underwater camera. There was an abundance of fish to see including some sharks, but nothing that made me regret not having a camera.

  Back on shore, we no sooner had changed out of our swimming suits and walked well away from any shelter than another brief but strong rain shower hit. Thankfully, we had our ponchos with us much to the envy of those not so well equipped.

  As soon as the shower passed the heat returned with the rain water converting to humidity. Being of sound mind, Pam & I removed ourselves to the nearby upscale hotel where we planted ourselves on the porch of the bar built out over the water and had a nice lunch.

  We walked back along the beach to the tender pier and returned to the ship.

  Our departure out of the atoll through the narrow channel was more pleasant than the morning transit.

 

  Once through the channel, the ship's pilot who had been with us since Raiatea disembarked and the ship set a course for Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands.

Cook's Bay, Moorea

  Once again we made an early morning entry through a barrier reef into a harbor.

  After dropping anchor, the ship swung its stern to the head of the harbor as the morning sun strengthened.

  There not being a great deal to see just walking around, we waited until about an hour before our tour to go ashore, once again by tender.

  We ran the gauntlet of vendors at the pier (who on all our port calls have proven to be not nearly as pushy as their counterparts elsewhere in the world) and wandered around a bit before going to the meeting point for tours.

  Pam turned right for the Snorkeling Safari while I turned left for Moorea in Focus - a tour intended to teach participants how to take better pictures.

  My trip turned out to be primarily a great opportunity to take pictures from interesting locations, the climb to some of them being challenging even in a 4-wheel drive vehicle, but worth the bumps, hairpin turns and steep inclines.

  It is easy to spot the barrier reef in the next two pictures.

  Our next stop was a vantage point named "Belvedere" from which we could see both the bay we had been looking down into earlier.  Turning about 30 degrees to the right, we could see the bay in which ROTTERDAM was anchored..

  

  At the agricultural school we saw mature pineapples (albeit much smaller than its Hawaiian cousin) and an emerging pineapple.

  It was about now that the tour guide learned that the last tender to the ship was at 4:30, not 5:00, so we returned with some speed to catch that tender.

  [NOTE: This was not as stressful as it might sound since Holland America Lines guarantees that the ship will wait if you booked your tour through them.]

Tahiti

  Soon after 7:00 AM we were coming through the barrier reef (with the island of Moorea - tomorrow's destination - beyond it) and into the harbor of Papeete on the island of Tahiti.

  Hello civilization! Morning rush hour was underway and road traffic was heavy.

  The foursome (dressed in red & white) at the base of the gangway was clearly a bit tweaked by the much louder and more lively group down the pier.

  We climbed aboard a bus for a clockwise circumnavigation of Tahiti. There is only one major road on the island. It circles Tahiti near the coast with kilometer marker zero in Papeete and from there increasing down either side of the island until the markers meet at the south end of Tahiti. Roads radiate out from this main road. None that go inland cross the mountains to the other side. Residents describe where they live by stating the kilometer marker nearest them, whether it is the east or west side of the island, and whether they live on the land side or sea side of the road.

  Rather than expend text on sites and stops along the way, the next section will be mostly a photo essay.

  We saw a blow hole (I am referring to the picture below, not the mayor of Arue), a black sand beach, a waterfall (souffleur) and various other sites including a surfing beach.  According to our guide, surfing originated in Tahiti, not Hawaii.

 

  The tour the island completed, Pam & I had lunch at a sidewalk cafe, then walked around the center of Papeete.  We visited a large marketplace that was fun to explore.

  We returned to the ship to relax for a while and just enjoy the surroundings.

  In the evening the ship had a performance of Tahitian music and dance.

  After the performance, Pam & I disembarked to have dinner at a "roulotte". "Les Roulottes" are small trucks that become restaurants complete with tables, chairs, extensive menus, etc. This evening there were a group of them in a parking lot near the ship. The trucks started setting up in the late afternoon. It was the culinary equivalent of the clown car at a circus. Ovens, kettles, grills, dishes, even neon signs - it just kept coming out of Les Roulottes.

  By the time we got there at 8:00, they were doing a lively business. 

  It was a fun way to experience something Tahitian that a surprisingly few of our fellow passengers took the opportunity to try. Their loss. We had a great meal at a reasonable (for very expensive Tahiti) price, after which we returned to the ship for the night.