HOP TO HUAHINE

We were unsuccessful getting a ship to Huahine on Thursday; the Taporo was full and we had to get the Hawaiki Nui the next day.  We spent our extra night on Bora Bora at Chez Robert & Tina, a pension on the very southern tip of Matira Point with panoramic views from our balcony of the lagoon.

On one of our journeys to the quay on the local transport (a kind of open truck with seats in the back) Nic struck up a conversation with a French economist and found out some interesting information about how French Polynesia works.  Apparently 60% of the population are unemployed but everyone receives a “salary” (guilt payment for the decades of nuclear testing) and is able to live extremely well.  We have been impressed by the quality of the houses here (not the shacks seen in the Caribbean) the multitude of impressive private gardens (not usually evident in the third world), the number of new vehicles on the remotest, tiniest islands and the prevalence of toys such as outrigger canoes.  It would seem the French population is largely unaware of how much money is paid in subsidies to this area.  Additionally, French civil servants receive 3 times their normal salaries in “hardship” pay to come and work here; needless to say it’s a popular posting.  Sadly the whole set up makes these island incredibly expensive to visit (especially in comparison to somewhere like Thailand) and the economist said that Polynesian culture in the process of being destroyed as no one feels the need to work anymore.

The Hawaiki Nui was a fascinating experience although rather slow, taking a day to reach Huahine about 60 miles away.  The quayside at 7am was bustling with passengers and people ready to pick up their incoming produce and supplies.  When the ship docked we watched the seamless operation of unloading containers and palettes by a multitude of small forklift trucks racing in all directions with no obvious supervision and certainly none of the worry about safety that one would see in Europe.  At 11:30, once the ship had re-loaded, we joined the other passengers on the top deck where most of the locals set up camp in a central area on mats and blankets with their picnics.  The views leaving Bora Bora were spectacular and it was interesting to see both Tahaa and Raiatea on our next two stops.

It was after sunset when we arrived at the small quayside of Fare on Huahine.  We managed to hitchhike to our pension, Chez Henriette, and were lucky to have a patient driver because it was very difficult to find in the dark.  We had our own little fare with a kitchen, basic but clean and sweetly decorated with lots of coloured materials.  The next day we hired a car and moved to Pension Te Nahe Toe Toe in Parea, further south.  We are now installed in a gorgeous thatched bungalow overlooking the beach and will stay here until we island hop to Moorea on Friday.  There are communal cooking facilities in the garden and we have free use of kayaks and bicycles.

We rented a car for a day and toured the island.  Lush, mountainous Huahine takes its name from hua (phallus) and vahine (woman).  Made up of 2 islands joined by a bridge over a narrow pass, the population is almost entirely Polynesian and tourism is very low key.  Along the way we spotted ripe mangoes along the road and collected dozens, a lucky find as fruit is not cheap to buy.   We also provisioned for the week in the fairly large supermarket in Fare. Food is expensive but the self-catering option is far more economical than eating out.  It is hard to find a restaurant serving main courses for under 20 euros.

Human habitation on the island dates back 1300 years and a number of marae (chief’s encampment) have been found and restored here, easily seen at Maeva.  They are made up of stepped coral stone platforms that served as raised seats for the gods; there are also ancient stone fish traps in the river.  We stopped in Faie and saw the sacred blue-eyed river eels which congregate under the bridge; legend credits them for bringing fresh water to the village.   They were surprisingly large, very similar to morays, and plentiful. 

So we are happily settling into island life, facing the difficult choice of how to amuse ourselves each day in paradise and feeling very privileged to be here.

AND ON TO THE SOCIETY ISLANDS

An overnight sail took us across to the next and largest archipelago of French Polynesia, the Society Islands which include Tahiti.  We arrived in Bora Bora, the pearl of the South Seas, on 1^st August and sailed through the Te Ava Nui pass marvelling at the luminously turquoise waters of the island’s famous lagoon which even gave a remarkable blue hue to the clouds above.  The spectacular colours and dramatic scenery here are a testament to Bora Bora’s popularity.

Our first stop was at Vaitape, the main “town”, not the heaving tourist centre we expected although much busier than anything we have seen in the Marquesas or Tuamotus.  We anchored for the night off Toopua Motu in what can only be described as “cruisers’ corner” but a gorgeous spot with a view of the striking Otemanu summit and perfectly situated to watch sunset across the reef.

On Wednesday we departed Spiip and will spend the next couple of weeks island hopping down to Tahiti.  We couldn’t have been more fortunate with our first pension, Chez Nono on beautiful Matira beach.  We have a lovely thatched hut built out over the water, incredibly romantic and the perfect place to celebrate our 14^th wedding anniversary.   Our champagne lunch of a delicious baguette, cheeses and salamis overlooking the white sand beach will be one to remember

Today we rented bicycles and made the 32km circuit of the island.  The road is pretty flat and well-paved and winds its way around the jagged shoreline.  Once again we were impressed with the effort the Polynesians put into their beautiful gardens; they have a wonderful sense of the aesthetic.  Flowers are everywhere and even the woman at the check out in little supermarket in town was wearing a fresh flower wreath in her hair.

Tomorrow we are hoping to take the cargo ship, Taporo, to a neighbouring Huahine.  Somewhat different to a super yacht but it should be fun as it’s the local mode of transport between islands.  It’s not possible to buy a ticket in advance so we have to be there when it arrives to secure one of the 12 places available for passengers.   

SNORKELLING WITH WHALES!

From Kuehi we sailed to Fakarava, 32 miles x 15 miles, it is the 2^nd largest atoll in the Tuamotus.  It was visited in the 19^th Century by Matisse and Robert Louis Stevenson.  Just before we entered the southern pass we spotted some humpback whales and slowed down to watch one breach right next to the boat.   Sadly we were too late getting our cameras out to capture the moment.

We anchored in the south in shallow turquoise water littered with bommies for a couple of days, enjoying some great snorkels along the pass.  We’re getting very used to swimming with sharks now. On our way north we stopped along the way at an exquisite beach spot.  It was a true tropical paradise, no habitation just white sand, coconut trees and crystal clear water.  Anchoring off the village in the north, we managed to buy a few vegetables from someone’s little market garden; provisioning is definitely a challenge in this archipelago.

En route to the next atoll of Toau, Robin spotted some whales by the boat.  Calm conditions made it possible to stop and jump in the water to snorkel with them, an incredible experience.  They were a pair of minke whales, about 30ft in size, and the longer we spent in the water with them the more comfortable they became and the closer they came.  What a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!  They were particularly interested in Spiip and swam up, under and through the rudders and around the keel.

From Toau we sailed overnight to Rangiroa, largest atol with a circumference of 100 miles and the 2^nd largest in the world.  Black pearl farming is the main industry here.  Our entrance through the Tiputa pass was dramatic.  The water was churning from the action of strong tides and currents and we were escorted in by a pod of large bottlenose dolphins that loved the turbulent water and put on a great show leaping out of the crests of the waves.

ON TO THE TUAMOTUS

Often called the “Dangerous Archipelago”, the Tuamotus are made up of 78 coral atolls extending almost 1000 miles and known for their variable currents, sudden storms and reefs littered with wrecks.  16,000 people live on 48 of the islands and make a living from copra and black pearls, now only cultured.  The area is famous for the nuclear testing France carried out on Mururoa and Fangatauta from 1966 to 1996 during which time 181 nuclear bombs were exploded in the atmosphere and underground.  It was a shocking disregard for the pristine environment and local people; the cause of long term and continuing environmental and health problems here.

Spiip sped along on our passage from the Marquesas and we arrived off Kauehi in the dark on Saturday morning and hove to until daylight. 

We headed through the Arikitamiro pass bordered by low wooded bands of coral and into the lagoon.  Of about 6000 km² of protected lagoons in the Tuamotus, only 726 km² is actually land and we could barely see the other side of the atoll 7 miles away.  The sun was still too low to make our way safely over to the village so we dropped anchor in 26m of water and decided to snorkel by the pass.

As we each plunged into the water off the dinghy we all let out exclamations of delight at the crystal clear water, colourful coral and multitude of fish.  It was without doubt the best snorkelling any of us have seen since the Red Sea.  We were struck by the size of the fish – huge groupers everywhere, several Napoleon fish, giant morays, schools of enormous parrot fish; it was like a spectacular aquarium.  There were also dozens of sharks of at least 4 different species swimming all around us but fortunately none over 2 metres and for the most part they seemed very uninterested in us.

In the afternoon we anchored by the little village of Tearavero marvelling at the spectacular colours of turquoise water punctuated by ramshackle wooden stilt houses, white sand and green coconut trees.  We walked across the narrow spit of land to the windward side to beachcomb, picking up beautiful pieces of coral and cowry shells.  The next day we returned to anchor near the pass for the night so that we could enjoy some more snorkelling there before setting off for Fakarava on Sunday morning.