Our previous trip to Bora Bora a few weeks ago with friends Chick and Pete Anderson from Blenheim didn’t set our senses alight. The weather wasn’t great, the water was cloudy and the people distinctly unfriendly. This time around with friends Johnny and Jenny Oswald we had endless blue skies and sunny days and we were pleasantly surprised to discover the water was crystal clear. At times it took on that magical Bombay Sapphire colour…an amazing turquoise with the darker azure blue of deeper water in the distance. It was very easy to sit in the cockpit and gaze and have the occasional dip of course.
Wanting to explore the entire island and make the most of our time here we decided to tour by bike. Johnny and Jenny hired bikes and we went through the drama of extracting ours from the depths of the twin cabin (now affectionately called the garage). Off we went with me declaring I would only bike to the top of the island and back as 35 kms sounded way too far on our small wheeled boat bikes. However the road was (mostly) flat and the scenery was stunning…we all just kept pedalling and before long we were halfway around. After a reviving lunch stop, greedily and hungrily gulping down our premade filled baguettes, we continued to the south to swim at a gorgeous white sandy beach. It was a weary foursome who cycled back into the main town of Vaitape late afternoon laden down with mangos picked from roadside trees.
We enjoyed some lovely days snorkelling on the reef in the south of the island before heading up to the Bora Bora Yacht Club. It has fantastic facilities for cruisers including showers, a waterfront bar and restaurant. It is an absolute joy to indulge in a long shower without thinking about conserving water! We spent a few days near the main town and I had my Tahitian pearls made into a necklace. The pearls came from the Tuamotos and Raiatea – some we bought, others were traded and a few were gifts. They are all very special and it was a sheer delight to have them made up into a stunning necklace that holds very special memories.
We dropped Johnny and Jenny off at the town dock for their flight back to Moorea where they will spend a few days before flying back to NZ. We had a wonderful time with them and, as always with friends, it was sad to see them leave.
Back on board Bandit it was time for some serious provisioning, washing, stowing and general chores. We hope to head away to nearby Maupiti on Friday and then onto Suvarrow on Sunday. There is no internet facility on either island so from now on (until Samoa or Tonga) we’ll only be using our “at sea” blog – www.blog.mailasail.com/yachtbandit
Feel free to email us on yachtbandit@mailasail.com – we love receiving emails at sea but be aware we can receive text only – no letterheads, no photos and please, no junk mail.
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