January 13-25th
Wow. I actually haven’t even completed my last post, but I felt compelled to begin this one as well. So much crap is going on right now on our voyage. There will be tea spilt, some complaining, and a few travel tips added to spots I’ve already been. Besides its raining outside, so it’s a good day to stay indoors and write.
Changes to the Itinerary
We spent a month roaming around French Polynesia, as there are so many islands, it’s easy to do. We had a few adjustments of port of calls due to weather and unsafe conditions for tendering, but for the most part, we were okay with everything.
One thing to be aware of is that this cruise is hitting most places off-season. There are three basic reasons for this. One, we are following the summer or at least avoiding the winter seasons. Two, many ports are booked years in advance, and for a start-up, there is more availability off-season. Three, let’s face it, it’s more economical to travel in off or shoulder seasons.
All of those reasons are great, but there are also some downsides to this. One, many places have unbearably hot and humid summers. Two, they are also the wet seasons, so storms are common, and missed ports are not uncommon. Three, many tour operators and resorts are closed for repair and renovations, making it tricky to get out to some spots on small islands.
Before we left French Polynesia, we were informed that New Caledonia, the Cook Islands, and Niue were being removed. New Caledonia is due to the cats on board, and Cooks and Niue are due to wind gusts and high waves. Safety first, I don’t like it, but it happens. Instead, our stay in French Polynesia was extended by three days in both Pape’ete and Mo’orea.
Tattoo and Sailing- Making the Best of It
Heading back to Papeete, the Tanisian tattoo fever began. A group of tattoo virgins wanted to book an appointment for their first tattoo, celebrating the voyage. I don’t think it’s possible for me to help someone out and not book one for myself, though. So I joined the 10 people who decided to get a tattoo in the French Polynesia.
After researching some parlours, we decided on Mana’o Tattoo Studio. MANA’O TATTOO STUDIO | Authentic Polynesian Tattoo in Tahiti
After a quick tattoo session where the artist freehand drew on my leg to match the ideas I had, he quickly tatted me up, and off I went for lunch at the brewery.
This is where one day had become 3 days at an already explored port, so I joined a sailing group that was off to the island where Marlon Brando had a private island. The waters were pretty rough, and halfway there, 4 of the passengers were utilizing the puke buckets- good times.
We kept going and after 3 hours made it to the lagoon by the islands. It was calmer here, and people went snorkeling (not me for two weeks to give my tattoo time to heal), and lunch was served.
Our third day was rainy again, and I only went to a grocery store to stock up on snacks for our soon-to-be sea days.
Death on the High Seas
We pulled out of Pape’ete and headed out 12 miles to do a water dump and intake before continuing on to Mo’orea, only 30 minutes away. It was our CEO’s mother’s birthday, so there was a huge get-together at dinner for her and then a Latin party for everyone to end the evening.
Such a happy event that was interrupted by tragedy. One of our original residents from Belfast, a youthful 70-year-old Chaz, finished his dinner, danced with his friends, and was sitting chatting at the bar when he suffered a heart attack.
Despite the immediate intervention by retired medical staff and the quick response of the ship’s medical team, he was unable to be revived. I know I sometimes remarked that I was surprised that there were not more deaths considering the age of our passengers, but Chaz was not on my list of likely suspects, even though I knew he was on heart medication.
He was a delightful person and shall be missed on board.
More Mo’orea- Is there anything left to do?
The weather on our first day was as somber as the residents on the Odyssey with Chaz’s death the night before. Continuing rain and grey skies were the forecast, and many people chose to stay on the ship. I hopped off with Leslie and went with her to pick up her rental car. Sudden squalls made tendering stop and start throughout the day, and a shutdown of operations while they moved Chaz from ship to land meant we had time to kill, so we drove around the entire island, which takes about an hour. A late lunch at one of the few spots that doesn’t close down between 2 and 5 also helped us spend the time.
The next day was overcast, and we set off in the car to head up to the lookout or belvedere.
It was nice up top, with several options of hiking and biking trails. With the rains the day before, everything was nice and muddy. On the way down the mountain, we stopped at an archaeological site that is spread out to encompass 6 ruins. Marae Ti’i-rua, Tahua (Council platform), Te mau marae ri’i noa, Marea Ahu o Mahine, Marae Fare-‘aito, and Tahua te’a (archery platform).
I really enjoyed walking along the path of the ancestors to visit all the ruins. The gorgeous tall trees were stunning.
At the base of the mountain and close to the main road is the Te Fare Natura. An ecomuseum that celebrates Polynesian Heritage. It does cost 2100 FXP to enter, but it is well worth the price. Our guide (included in the price) spoke excellent English and is a descendant of the royalty on the island. The Fare is part of the name of the museum and is connected to the Marae Fare that we had just seen. She was able to give us loads of information and show some of the exhibitions that she helped create due to cultural stigmas of being for royalty only, like using the letter F and pounding of certain trees to make a fabric.
We quickly made it to the pizza shop, ten minutes before closing, to get a Hawaiian pizza.
On our final rainy day in Mo’orea, we needed to be back on board by lunch time, but with 5 (almost 6 sea days ahead, I really wanted to go for a walk and spend my last $10 worth of local currency. So I went on a little walk in both directions from the pier and admired all the wall decorations.
Our following sea days had rolling waves as we made our way through the storms in this region. We also had a celebration of Chaz’s life, where residents could achieve a little closure from his sudden death. The memorial was really well done, and a rainbow was out our aft at the end of the celebration.
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