Fun with family and friends

We had a fantastic “bikinis and martinis” time with David’s eldest daughter Charlotte and her husband Colin in Tahiti and Moorea.  They flew out of Papeete excited about seeing Harry (4) and Edie (3) – who they’d left in Nelson with willing grandparents – but sad their holiday was over so quickly.  It’s always extra special having our children on board – we only wish they could come more often!

As always, when we have friends and family on board our day to day lives take a backseat – we certainly don’t want to be doing engine oil changes, scrubbing decks or steaming up the galley bottling fruit.  We always emphasize to visitors that they tend to see our world through rose tinted spectacles.  When we’re on our own we get back to normal routine which does involve engine maintenance, boat cleaning and filling the store cupboard!  I was flying to NZ on the same flight as Charlotte and Colin to visit family so left David to get Bandit back in work mode.   Auckland was wet, windy and wild (as was Tahiti when we flew out) but it was wonderful to catch up with my mum, sister, niece and absolutely gorgeous great niece Ella.

            

All too soon it was time to head back to Tahiti and, coincidentally, our next visitors Chick and Pete Anderson were on the same flight.   It was fantastic to be their guest in the Koru Club.   I had three seats to myself on the flight so, thanks to the Koru bubbly, snoozed all the way.  Back on Bandit it was great to see David had varnished the table between showers (yes it rains here) and done all sorts of other jobs.  Chick and Pete helped to provision Bandit, in anticipation of their stay, then headed off to Moorea for a week in a resort.

            

After finishing chores we headed to Moorea and spent time in Cook’s Bay and nearby Robinson Cove where Captain Cook anchored Endeavour.  It was interesting to think that within five months (all going well) we’ll be anchored in Ship Cove in the Marlborough Sounds…another favourite haunt of Cook’s.   Away from the hustle and bustle of Papeete we discovered a much more laidback French Polynesian atmosphere on Moorea with quiet roads and tiny villages.  Friendly locals broke away from their games of boules to happily pick breadfruit off their trees for us.   The spectacular peaks of Moorea beckoned so we set off for a hike through the lush valley but have to admit it was too hot to get too far. 

Before leaving Moorea we had one final visit to Opunahu Bay to let Chick and Pete feed the stingrays and swim with the black tipped reef sharks.  With gentle winds we headed off from Moorea to Huahine late afternoon for an uneventful and slow sail to Huahine. 

Magnificent Moorea

We’d overcome our fear of sharks in Fakarava, swum alongside a whale shark in Honduras and snorkelled with sea lions and turtles in the Galapagos.   There was another marine creature to get up close and personal with and that opportunity came in Moorea.  Never did we think we would be able to handle and even feed stingrays but in Opunohu Bay in the north of Moorea a dozen or more friendly and well fed stingrays and sharks allow snorkellers to get really close.  Amazingly, stingray skin is very soft – like chamois – and they are incredibly gentle, inquisitive and, seemingly, intelligent creatures.

We’d arrived in Tahiti after a 37 hour passage from Toau Atoll in the Tuamotos.  The highlight of our arrival in Tahiti was the visit of David’s eldest daughter Charlotte and her husband Colin.   Another highlight  - and one many cruisers talked about for days – was visiting the gigantic French supermarket Carrefour.  This was a real treat after months of trading with locals, buying from local markets or buying in supermarkets with limited stock.  The size of Carrefour and array of goods available was a bit overwhelming at first but we managed just fine quickly filling a large trolley with supplies! 

Charlotte is the last of our five children to visit Bandit so it was a very happy dad who greeted her in traditional style with a fragrant frangipani lei at Papeete Airport.  We didn’t linger in Tahiti, heading straight over to Moorea.  Charlotte is a keen sailor and Colin an enthusiastic novice so they were delighted to be on board and the weather Gods duly obliged with some fresh breezes to sail in.

  

We had a couple of brilliant days at the top of Moorea in both Cook’s Bay and nearby Opunohu.  Charlotte and Colin rented a scooter in Cook’s Bay and circumnavigated the island…all 65kms of it.  All four of us explored the luxurious surroundings of the Hilton Hotel- us just wandering around admiring the facilities and overwater bungalows while Charz and Colin headed up for a traditional Tahitian cocktail at sunset.  English friends Chris and Sara from Tulu were in Cook’s Bay along with Australians Ian and Wendy from Outsider and we had a fun night on board Tulu who, once again, were magnificent hosts. 

The rest of heart shaped Moorea beckoned so we headed off to circumnavigate stopping at two gorgeous anchorages on the way – Matauvau and Point Tipae.  These were much quieter than the busy northern bays and in beautiful and remote Point Tipae we were the only boat.  The snorkelling off the tiny island of Matu-ahi was fantastic with some of the most colourful clams, fish and coral we’d seen.   Each afternoon we enjoyed walks ashore through local villages where it felt like few tourists ventured.

Charlotte and Colin were keen to see as much as possible during their 10 day stay and so we headed back to the south east coast of Tahiti to another remote and quiet anchorage.  Few boats cruise this coast and once again we had a lovely spot to ourselves with the Maraa Grotto and gardens ashore.   The next day was gloomy so some land based exploring was on the cards and while Charlotte and Colin bussed to the south of Tahiti and back to Papeete, we took Bandit to the anchorage off Taina Marina and met them there.  On the way we motored through a massive boil up of tuna and despite towing two lures, were unable to hook one.

Next day we headed back to Moorea and spent three days just enjoying beautiful Cook’s Bay and Opunohu again.  It seemed to be a congregating spot for cruisers and a heap of us turned up for happy hour and to watch traditional dancing at the Bali Hai Club – a fun night.  All too soon it was time to head back to Papeete  for Charlotte and Colin to head back to Nelson and me to Auckland for a few days with mum.  Can’t wait to explore the rest of the Society Islands.

Fabulous Fakarava

Back in the magnificent Mediterranean we’d often meet cruisers who had already sailed the Pacific.  “Just wait until you get there,” they’d say.  “It’s magic”.  After a few months in the Pacific we’ve realised that paradise really is on our own back doorstep.  The Tuamoto atolls we’ve visited have been absolutely exquisite.  What they lack in shops (there are few), bars and restaurants (ditto) and cafes (forget it) they more than make up for in remoteness, tranquility and sheer beauty.   Hopefully, their remoteness means they will always stay this way.  And because they are so difficult to get to, it’s us lucky cruising sailors that really get to enjoy them at our leisure.

          

We arrived in Fakarava amidst squalls – the sail across from Kauehi had been fine but as we approached the northern pass we could see black clouds building.  The pass is wide and it was, again, a straightforward entry with the ingoing tide giving us a sleigh ride.  Any salt splashes were soon washed away with a brief deluge as the squall hit before the bright sunshine returned – a typical day in the Tuamotos.  We anchored off the village of Rotoava for a night – enough time to buy baguettes and restock with a few fresh supplies.  With story deadlines looming I had to find internet which had been difficult.   In Fakarava we found the stunning waterfront Havaki Hotel and I sat on the dock and sent my story and photos – tough place to earn a living!  Afterwards we headed down the lagoon to find our very own piece of paradise with not another boat in sight – heaven.

We spent three days and nights in idyllic remote anchorages, working on Bandit in the mornings (it’s true, the definition of cruising after all is fixing the boat in exotic locations) and enjoying our surroundings in the afternoons.  The snorkelling in the crystal clear water was lovely as were the beach walks.   The entire coast of Fakarava is dotted with blissful deserted spots like this.

Then we moved on to the bottom of the atoll to a heavenly spot called Harifa.  Because it is so heavenly there were other boats there but it is a big anchorage and can absorb them.  Most of the cruisers we knew so, once again, it was nice to socialise.  Best of all there was a waterfront restaurant which had just opened.  You had to preorder so the food could be caught!.  The friendly hostess Liza served the best poisson cru we’d ever tasted …a huge bowl for $10 made using freshly squeezed coconut and limes.    

Snorkelling was beckoning so we moved to Tetamanu at the southern pass which has a reputation for world class diving and snorkelling. The pass is notorious for sharks, friendly ones of course.  As we anchored Bandit was surrounded by small reef sharks.  The water was crystal clear and as we watched fascinated a massive black shape loomed out of the depths.  It was definitely not a friendly reef shark.  We later found out it was a 17ft tiger shark (identified by divers who went looking for and found it).  Anyone who knows anything about sharks will know the tiger is number two on the “dangerous” list after the great white.  The tiger was attracted by whale meat – we soon realised we’d anchored close to where locals were cutting up a washed up carcass.  Needless to say, we moved further away.

Seeing the tiger made us a little wary about snorkelling but the dive school assured us the sharks were well fed…so off we went.  We drift snorkelled through the pass at slack tide – keeping a firm grip of the tender so we could leap into it if we saw anything untoward.  The snorkel was fantastic – there were so many sharks you couldn’t count them and after a while you (kind of) ignored them…they certainly ignored us.  The coral was spectacular and the marine life was astonishing- quite the best snorkelling we’ve ever had.   David also did a dive with friends from True Blue and came back ecstatic – once again, seeing dozens of sharks was the highlight.

The south pass area is a very remote part of Fakarava.   The village of Tetamanu, which years ago was a thriving town, is abandoned and only a few locals live there running the dive shop and resort.  What a magic spot for a diving/snorkelling holiday with traditional burres right on the waterfront…you can dive from the deck!  It really was a very special place and it was hard to drag ourselves away but we had a deadline in Papeete so with much reluctance we upped anchor and headed away.  With winds forecast to be squally we headed up to Amse Anyot in Toau Atoll to sit out the blow.  Toau was a wonderful stopover and the friendly Valentina (Liza’s sister) made us very welcome and was delighted to receive some goodies from the Bandit lockers.   We dined in fine style on fresh lobster and left with more in the freezer and a bagful of fine pearls.