French Polynesia

It's been nearly a month since Rick and I returned from our Tahitian Cruise.  We left on the 7th of January and flew overnight into Papeete.  We arrived early in the morning and had some time before we could board the ship so we took a small tour to see some sights of the island.  We visited a black sand beach, something neither of us had ever seen. 

Rick's first experience with island wildlife:)

A black sand crab

We stopped at an archeological sight.

Me posing with an old statue!

On day two we were able to attend the Papeete Temple.  The workers there were so kind to us.  We listened to the session with headphones because it was in French.  It was a wonderful experience except in the middle of the session I could feel my body start to ache and I knew that I was getting sick.  Luckily, we took our pictures before we went into the temple because when we came out it was POURING rain!  We hitched a ride back to the boat with a local patron and then I stayed the rest of the day in our cabin. 

After a nap Rick ventured out into the marketplace but I still felt crummy so I stayed behind.

He brought me back a beautiful tropical arrangement and we enjoyed those flowers the full ten days of our cruise.  They were sooo beautiful!  

The next morning we woke up to this view of Huahine as we pulled into port. 

 It was an amazing sight!

I still didn't feel up to par but I didn't want to miss the island so I bucked up and we went out for the day.  We took a bus to the other side of the island and into a little village.  We wanted to do a little hiking before we hit the beach.  This walk was really fun!  A lot of vegetation and fruit trees.  We saw pineapple, avocados, mangos, papaya, breadfruit, and bananas all growing in the wild.

Rick found a little pineapple:)

Here's a view of our ship from the bus.

That night the flu hit with full force.  We pulled into Bora Bora the next morning and I knew that I would not be going anywhere that day.  We had scheduled an excursion to go swimming with the rays and sharks and I had to miss it.  Rick went though and had an amazing time:)  He took his go pro and got some good video of the snorkel trip.  He loved it!!  The next day was Sunday and I was determined to make it to church.  I was feeling a bit better and didn't want to miss it.   I got up and got showered and ready and was to meet Rick at the breakfast buffet.  He went to pick up some medicine for me and once the infirmary found out that I had been sick they said I had to wait until THE NEXT day to leave the ship.  In fact,  I was quarantined to my room.  I just about cried thinking of another 24 hours cooped up in my room.  Luckily,  our room had a balcony and I had a beautiful view of the island and could step out to get some fresh air every once in a while.  Rick went to church and then came back and spent the day in the room with me.  We ordered room service and played games.  I felt pretty good so it wasn't too bad.  So I can say I've been TO Bora Bora but I haven't been ON Bora Bora,

Anyway, moving on.... the next day we docked at Raiatea.  We went on an excursion to a pearl farm.  It was neat to see how the Tahitian black pearl is made.  

Here the man behind me is giving a demonstration.

While we were here Rick bought me a black pearl bracelet.  (I didn't mention when he was on Bora Bora he surprised me with a pearl necklace and earrings:)

They had a pearl necklace on sale for $20,000!

Mine were a little less than that:)

After the pearl farm we got to go snorkeling.  

Well, Rick went snorkeling and I just enjoyed playing in the water.

This is the little island that we got to play on!

It was so beautiful!

Here we are playing on a coco palm!

The next day we docked into Moorea.  We rented a car and did some sightseeing.  One stop was at a juice factory.  They gave free samples.  We really liked the pineapple juice.

We drove up into the interior of the island for this beautiful view of the Opunohu and Cook Bays.

Further up the island we could see Tahiti in the distance.

Here are the Hilton Bungalows that rent out at $1,000 dollars a night.

Right on the water....pretty cool!

Next we docked at Ragiroa Motu.  Not much on this island but it was the most memorable place for me.  We began the day with a scooter ride (it was kind of miserable for me because I sat on the back and I do not think this particular scooter was made for two people.  My tailbone hurt the whole time!!)  The memorable part though is the amazing snorkel excursion that we took that afternoon.  This was the best snorkeling EVER!!  It was great because we got to "fly" on the current.  We got into the current and it just grabbed us and we floated over the most beautiful coral and amazing fish.  We saw at least 6 moray eels,  thousands of beautiful tropical fish, sharks, rays, and my favorite find... a lion fish.  I have never seen one in the wild and it was super cool!  The water in French Polynesia is very clear and there is so much to see!

We were serenaded by this group of guys.  They had great harmony.

Our last day we were back on Tahiti.  Here's the fruit market.

A head wreath for me:)

We stopped at a little shop and bought some earrings for Kendra and Sarah.  

Here are a couple of pics on the ship.

Our formal night.

Same night eating lobster....delish!

Here we are with our dining 'mates' from Australia.  Doug and Rhonda with Bang Bang (from Thailand) our server:)

One last picture of Tahiti.  Our last day we took a tour around the island and got to see a couple of waterfalls.  This one was spectacular!

Well, finally it's recorded!!  

Our Cruise was an excellent way to celebrate our 25th anniversary!  I will never forget it.