The final days & summary

Up at 5.30am to get all packed up and ready to depart. A bit too early for breakfast, so we thought we would wait until the airport. Easy check out at the Manava and we ordered a taxi to take us to the airport. Big line up to go through the scanners, so we looked around at another pearl shop and after my suggestion of let’s get rid of the rest of our Pacific Franc’s, Dale decided that a few more pearls would be in order, so he bought me some earrings (that's not quite how he remembers it but anyway..). Another 15,000XPF well spent I think. Goodbye to Tahiti & French Polynesia – might come back on our own yacht one day.

What a great trip. I think maybe a month earlier might’ve been good – if only to get to Bloody Marys restaurant! Everything tends to shut down over the Dec/Jan/Feb period. 10 nights on the yacht was only just enough – probably should’ve been 14 nights as a minimum as there were places that would’ve been nice to explore and maybe fit Maupiti in as well.

IF YOU ARE CONTEMPLATING A SAILING TRIP TO FRENCH POLYNESIA PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME ON reservations@yachtcharters.com.au

Dining out in French Polynesia:

When cruising around the islands have the phone numbers handy of the restaurants and back up ones just in case and book a table.

Eating out is expensive. When I shopped I allocated 5 nights eating on board & 5 nights ashore. We didn't end up doing this - thankfully but allow 15,000 XPF plus for 2 people to eat out for dinner (about $180-$200). We were not being extravagant either. Lunch dining ashore usually cost us around $50-$70AUD. Plan eating aboard most of the time if on a budget!

Grocery Shopping:

I enjoy planning my own menus and going shopping in foreign countries. However, the base can also arrange provisions for you to be delivered to the boat. You have to allow for everything you will need as the vessel is only equipped with cooking & eating utensils & linen. To restock, you will need to come back to Raiatea or Huahine. Our grocery bill for 2 people/10 days came to 80,000 XPF which was around $900 AUD. It did include 10 bottles of red wine which varied in price from $13-$22 a bottle and 6 white wine/2 champagne also around the same price. We found a case of Heineken on special for 4995 XPF ($57AUD), so we bought 2 of them. We also bought over a 1.25lt of rum, 1.25lt of bourbon and 1.25lt of Vodka from home poured into plastic bottles and placed in our luggage. As a guide some grocery prices in Pacific Francs are listed below:

25pk Lipton Tea bags - 157; sugar 132; 250g pasta 165; 200g block chocolate 335; 30m alfoil 270; cling wrap 310; 400g salami 569; 4pk toilet paper 190; 1l milk Long life 226; 6 x 1.5lt water 600; vita wheat 235; BBQ shapes 185; 25 coffee sachets 560; 250g tasty mainland cheese 349; 2 fish fillet 411; 2 x fillet steaks 638; 2lt multifruits juice 410; 1kg flour 120; Yeast 196; balsamic vinegar 250; 50cl olive oil 490; 4pk sponges 240; 125g salt 110; 1kg tomatoes 630; 1kg zucchini 655; 200gm ham slices 450; 100gm chorizo 260; Vegies from the markets vary in price but expect to pay between 300 to 500 for a small bag capsicum, a cabbage, spring onion, watermelon, tomatoes, salads (lettuce). The fresh produce from the markets is extra fresh!  We did get some imported items such as potatoes & onions and they seem reasonably priced and good quality.

If you love fruit juices, the ones here are some of the best I have ever tasted. If you are into lots of fish, then contact the base as they can obtain fish direct from the fishermen at a good price. 

Stock up on lots of fresh drinking water! We needed double what we started with which was 12 bottles including soda water. 

I would not have got by as well without baking my own bread which was also handy for pizza bases. In hindsight I probably would have bought SR flour also to make scones etc. It's a lot of fun and very rewarding.


Staying in touch
Buy a prepaid sim card from either the airport or you will find many shops that sell them also. The phone is handy for calling ahead and booking restaurants, vanilla tours and Pearl Farm tours. Also for contacting base this is the preferred method. You will need a GSM phone that operates on 900MHZ

You can pre-purchase internet time from www.iaoranet.pf or http://www.manaspot.pf/index.php?lang=english
I tried the former but found it only worked in two places but it listed mana wireless wherever I went.


Travel Light!
We took way too many clothes but only used sarongs, bathers, shorts and a t-shirt or two on the boat.


Research
There is not a lot out there as far as cruising guides go (suprisingly). Once you book a charter, we post out our mini charts of the area and a cruising guide to assist you in planning your sailing holiday. A guide website to look at for general information is http://www.tahitiguide.com/

Sailing Day 11 - Faaroa Bay to Ile Taoru to Uturoa Marina to Papeete

Total Miles - 4nm

Our last morning and we had to get the boat back by 9am. Dale dropped the mooring at 5.30am much to my disgust so we had to stop at Ile Taoru so I could make breakfast, clean the boat up, pack our clothes away and have a swim and shower on the transom.

Got back to the marina and went straight to the fuel dock which is right at the end of the entrance channel. We went through 128lt diesel & probably 10lt dinghy fuel – it cost 18,400 XPF to refuel. Jerome gave us a debrief and we went for a walk into town to grab drinks and a salad roll (could’ve made one on the boat but didn’t want to make a mess). In hindsight I should’ve done this anyway as I threw my salad roll away as it had not been refridgerated…



Got a taxi for the 5 minute drive to the airport and this time thankfully there were no delays and we landed into Papeete after a 45 min flight. Caught a taxi to the Manava Suite resort (1700 XPF) & our first impressions as we walked through the door of reception was wow, this is great! Check in was really quick and our room was a lovely suite overlooking the water and the walkways to the little motu. We had a nice spacious balcony and you could see and hear the waves breaking on the reef and the view of Moorea was just across the water. This place was great! In need of a swim, so we headed down to the infinity pool and had lunch at the pool bar of cheese burger and fries and then beers on the pool side of the bar (6260 XPF). We stayed here for hours and just wallowed around in the pool and chatted to a few people. Ended up very water logged and it was time to head back for a shower, relax & nap before dinner. We woke up just before the sun was about to disappear and watched this from our balcony with the sounds of the waves crashing to accompany the spectacle. We decided to visit the hotel restaurant for dinner. On the way we stopped at the lobby shop and I thought being my last chance to get some pearls bought a few more as presents – might’ve been a bit more expensive than other places but hey! So 20,000XPF later we walked out to go to dinner.



View from our balcony



In the restaurant, Dale ordered the duck and I had the last meal of yummy fish and ordered the Mahi Mahi. We found the duck to be a bit too sweet but the fish was excellent. Dinner cost 6320 XPF and after we walked down to the little motu and listened to the waves for a while reflecting on the past 10 days. Back to our nice big comfy bed.




Infinity Pool




Overlooking the pool bar




Infinity Pool





Bathroom of our Manava Suite





Our hallway





Kitchen of our Manava suite



Sailing Day 10 - Nao Nao to Faaroa Bay



Entering Faaroa Bay

 Total Miles - 11nm

A sad morning as we had to depart this most beautiful anchorage. Had breaky and fed toady – the toadfish. We left early as we wanted to get to Faaroa Bay and explore the river Aoppomau. The breeze was about 20-25kn from the NE and we motored into it arriving to Faaroa Bay by 9.45am. The next bit was a bit tricky as we didn’t have a boat hook and we were going to pick up a mooring (one of the old Sunsail base moorings half way down the bay to starboard).



Entrance to the river

 So we tried the old fashioned way – with Dale doing some tight rope walking off the bow and trying to pick it up with the broom handle but the Mooring weighed a tonne! We lost the top of the broom, so Dale went for a swim, retrieved it and jumped back on board so we could try another method. This time we went along side the mooring buoy and tied a rope to it and secured it on the aft transom. We then retrieved another rope, tied this around the buoy and the bow cleat and released the aft line. Phew, we were secured and who needs a boat hook anyway…



The River Aoppomau



Faaroa Bay is directly opposite Pass Iriru therefore you tend to get a little swell rolling down the bay. We spent the rest of the morning watching all the tour motor boats heading down the bay to the river for the tour and decided to wait it out before we went for our own tour. Headed out about 11am – you have to motor very slowly with the outboard up or even row over the entrance to the river due to the debris. Very peaceful and pretty with tropical flowers (gingers & Hibiscus) lining the banks and lots of bends & turns. The water turns to fresh water about half way up and is very cool. I couldn’t believe how hot it was though with the sun beating down and not a lot of shade. You really had to be careful of where you were going as there were some very shallow parts and you could see sunken logs etc. They recommend rowing up the river & drifting back with the current – but no way! It’s way too long to row and we tried a drift back but ended up going backwards. Just motor really slowly to appreciate the beauty of the area and occasionally stop the motor for a bit of a row to appreciate the serenity.



We got to the jetty on the right hand side of the river (you can’t miss this one as it is falling apart) and headed on a walk through what was once a botanical garden. We walked past banana trees, lots of bright red & pink gingers, bird of paradise plants – we were becoming experts at taking macro photo’s of flowers! Pretty overgrown but a nice place to walk through. A nice little stream runs through some of the pathways and it was so hot & steamy. On the way back down the river we dipped our shirts in the water and poured fresh water over ourselves and dangled our feet as we went along. So nice!

Back to the boat for lunch, afternoon nap and then a swim. Definitely can’t venture too far as the current was very strong & the little swell that comes through would be hard to fight against. We were trying to eat and drink our way through the final stores we had left but this was not easy. Made some pizza dough and it was pizzas for dinner on our final night at sea.


Beautiful Ginger



Sailing Day 9 - Ile Taoru to Motu Nao Nao

Over the rainbow...

Total Miles - 10nm

No such thing as a sleep in. Up at 6.30am and started a loaf of bread before setting off down the east coast to Motu Nao Nao. We thought of visiting here for the day and returning to Faaroa Bay. Left at 7.20am and followed the chart closely, navigating through clearly marked areas and arrived to Nao Nao at 9.45am.

Raiatea



The passage down was lovely, with beautiful colours to rival that of Bora Bora. You could clearly make out the shallow from the deep water.

Once we rounded the point of Motu Noa Noa the sight was just breathtakingly amazing – truly no words to describe the beauty of this place. There was one other catamaran anchored in the lagoon – 28ft - all the way from Barcelona! We picked our way through the scattered bommies & anchored in 2m of water. Probably not a lot of room left for another vessel to anchor here. There was a stretch of reef only 7 metres behind us. We couldn’t wait to jump in and test the waters. The Motu is private and very beautiful with a white sandy beach & swaying palm trees and other lush vegetation. We had our first breaky beer with our hot freshly baked bread and swam some more until lunch time.

Dream Yacht Charter in Dream destination



Motu Nao Nao



It was then time to head out in the dinghy with a few beers in hand and explore the outer aquatic surrounds of the island. The breakers on the outer lagoon sounded great crashing on the reef. We motored as far as we could along the southern side of the island – until you come to a reef off the island on the south east point. We headed back very slowly stopping at coral heads along the way & viewing the sealife from the dinghy. The water was like glass and I managed to get some good coral & fish photos from the dinghy! We stopped at the beach whilst a rain shower came through and went for a swim in the rain. After getting back to the boat, we donned our snorkel gear & jumped straight off the back and snorkelled along the coral bank behind the boat. This was the best snorkelling and best reef we had seen. Good colourful corals, many fish and amazing clarity of the water. Very impressive. There was a bit of current running through, so we had the dinghy let out on a very long painter and didn’t stray too far but then we didn’t really need to. We fed the fish off the back off the boat - & along came a big toadfish which was very friendly and we fed by hand!! The other fish weren’t so friendly.

 

South West corner Nao Noa



The little catamaran from Barcelona departed our anchorage and we decided that this was the place to stay as we were pretty protected from the prevailing breeze and very secure. If we had come here at the start of the holiday – I don’t think we would’ve left – pure paradise. We went ashore late in the afternoon with a bottle of wine and sat on the beach watching a really good sunset. There were a few bugs & mozzies, so we decided to drift around in the dinghy before heading back to the boat for a nice steak/potato & salad dinner washed down by more wine and a game of cards. This is bliss.



Sailing Day 8 - Bora Bora to Anapa Pearl to Ile Taoru

Total Miles - 36nm


Going through Rautoanui Pass

 We departed our anchorage on Bora Bora at 6.45am. Dale wasn’t well today, so I had a quick breakfast of toast & we headed off starting with 2 reefs in the main as it was quite gusty here at 25kn. It was easier to shake the reefs that put them in, so off we went and headed out of the pass. When we got out, the headsail was set and when we headed past “the lighthouse” on the south west point of Bora, we found we had between 18-25kn so we decided to shake the reefs in the main. On the way back to Raiatea, I called the Anapa Pearl Farm to check if all was OK to do the tour today (which I organised yesterday) and everything was fine for a 1pm ETA. Our course was a little off and we were headed south of Rautoanui Pass.

Had a good sail back and with 6nm to go we started the motor rather than tack, as we would not have achieved our ETA.



Anapearl Farm in the distance

I called Summer who ran the Pearl Farm Tours and she guided us to where the farm was located. Once it was pointed out to us (it was the overwater hut on the far western side of Raiatea) – look right as you come through the pass and it is a few miles down & stands out in the middle of nowhere.

Anapearl Bungalow

We were directed to pick up a mooring in 3-4m of water amongst a heap of bommies which we did with some trepidation. There is another mooring a little further toward the mainland in deep water as an alternative. I guess in a monohull that draws 1.5m or more we wouldn’t have chosen this mooring – but it is a lovely place to snorkel as well. When picking up the mooring Dales directions to me were lost in translation and as a result we lost the boat hook! Thought it would float but it was nowhere to be seen – we even got in the dinghy for a look in the almost crystal clear waters but to no avail. It was a little too choppy to see clearly.

We had a beer whilst we waited to be collected by their boat and soon we were picked up by Summer and 2 crew and they took us to the bungalow but stopped on the way where one of the crew dived off the boat and bought up a string of oysters. You could get in the water with guys if you wanted but we chose not to. Their farm is cleverly disguised under the water – usually you see rows upon rows of buoys, which are the farms but this style kept the area looking natural.



Checking the Pearl



Once we got to the bungalow, they cleaned the oysters and then slightly prised open the shell and with a dentist mirror they inserted this to check out the colour of the shell from the hairlip (which determines the colour of the pearl). If the colour was exceptional that would sacrifice this one and take the DNA from it and insert it into another oyster. If the colour was good then they would place a small incision in the “genitalia” remove the pearl and insert a man made ball of the same size back into the shell – which the pearl would then take form around. It would be left for another 1.5 years to grow. It was truly remarkable what they do to perfect the perfect pearl. Even the man made ball has an amazing history. Well worth doing this tour. You may or may not want to buy a pearl afterwards – I did as I wasn’t going to leave French Polynesia without one. So I bought a nice A grade black/peacock colour 12.5mm pearl (25,000XPF) & a small A grade silver coloured pearl. They have a boutique also in this bungalow.

We were dropped off to the boat at 2.45pm and we dropped the mooring straight away and headed to the main wharf in Uturoa. We purchased another 5lt of dinghy fuel and I ran to the supermarket across the road & bought some steak, fish & veg for the next few nights. The supplies must have come in as I spotted Broccoli, Zucchini & other vegetables that don’t grow here that looked fresher than those I get here in Airlie Beach!



Ile Taoru



Small "island"



Back to the boat and we motored around to Ile Taoru which is a little island on the east side of Raiatea about 20 minutes from Uturoa & immediately after Teavipiti pass. We dropped anchor in 8-10m of clear water just on the south-west corner of the island but we had to keep away from the buoys they had there. Again a private island but had good protection from NE-E. I cooked up the Thazard fish fillets, with some mash spud & ratatouille – Dale ate a little as he still felt crook & we went to bed fairly early.

Sailing Day 7 - Bora Yacht Club - Taurere Bay - Bloody Marys



Motu on north end of Bora



Total Miles - 16nm

Up early, toast for breaky, tidied up and went to shore to a little boutique near the yacht club where  we bought a fresh bread stick for lunch. We departed around 9am for the motor around the inside of Bora lagoon on the eastern side. This area is a little tricky to navigate, so you closely have to keep an eye out on the markers and the colours of the water as they change from deep to shallow. You then should have someone on the bow looking out for coral bommies. 



Motu on north end Bora



Such beautiful postcard colours. We got down to 2.5m of water. The breeze was NE at 25kn but the sky was clear and blue and sunny. All around the motu’s north and east of the main island (motu Orme, Tofari, Tupe & Tape) have resorts with over water bungalows. It really is a shame as it is overkill and no longer unique. I also think there are resorts that are suffering financially on this island. However, the area is still gorgeous and the colours of the water indescribable. We saw Jerome again – he called me on the phone and told me he could see me in the bay! They were on one of the by the cabin boats dropping a few guests off to a resort who are in the tourism industry. Gee, I am beginning to think Jerome has the best job in the world.

After picking our way through all the really shallow areas, we dropped anchor in 3m of water off Taurere (which took us 1.75hrs to get to for 7nm) and had a sandwich and champagne for lunch. Decided we would set out in the dinghy around Point Faroone and visit the coral gardens & shark & ray feeding area.



Never tire of the sight of this mountain



We didn’t quite make it to latter but we did drop our anchor in a sand patch amongst the coral and dropped into the water for a snorkel. The first thing that took me by surprise were the hundreds of huge black spines coming out of the rocks which belonged to all the sea urchins. I think we found their breeding ground. Freaked me out a bit. Some of the urchins had the brightest blue patches on them. We experienced lots of colourful fish and lots of different coloured clams – including one clam that had closed up on a little fish who was desperately trying to wriggle free. Had to be careful with the currents here and I never strayed too far from the dinghy.

Row upon row of overwater bungalows

We got back to the boat before 1pm and my thoughts were returning to food and that our stocks for dinner were getting low. I found that there was a small market directly across the bay from where we were anchored but discovered it closed between 1pm & 3pm. So we back tracked the way we came and I kept trying to call Bloody Mary’s restaurant as this is where we were headed for the night. No luck there. However, we decided to pick up a mooring (Bloody Marys is located in Bay de Povai on the southern part – with a large jetty out the front - GPS S16°29’.467 W151°42’188 ). It was a 9nm jaunt of slow motoring which took 2.5hrs.

Tied up to the jetty in the dinghy and went ashore to find out what was happening with the restaurant. A bus load of tourists were out the front but the place was under renovation which was a real disappointment. I guess the upside is that we got to look around and take lots of photo’s. Many famous people have walked through the doors of this iconic place, which they list on boards out the front. We will have to add our name’s…So the mooring was free.

Very windy with big gusts coming through over the hills – not unlike the bullets you find funnelling down in the Whitsundays.



Taurere Bay



Jumped in the dinghy, thinking that Hotel Bora Bora was just on the corner and we could eat there. However getting closer we realised that this resort had been shut down for some time. Buggar again. We kept going and heading around to Matira Beach where most of the tourists can be found as it is a lovely beach and fairly calm in comparison to where we moored the boat. We also found half a dozen boats anchored here, which I am sure we could’ve done if we were careful about picking our way through the coral to get here. But – in our guide it does state under no circumstances are you allowed to go here in your Dream Charter Boat… We beached the dinghy at the snack shack and walked around the road which would lead to the Tiare market.



Overwater bungalows and Archipels yacht



This is a pretty nice area – full of all the big resort names and quite pretty – a far cry from Vaitape. Loads of restaurant’s here and I browsed menus with my mouth watering as we walked past. Got to the shop but they didn’t have much in the way of fresh meat, so we had to grabbed more ham, chorizo and a few salad items, along with beer after our walk in the sun. Once we got to the checkout and I went to pay, I realised that all our money had been left on the boat!!! Couldn’t believe it. No groceries, no restaurant dinner..NO BEER! Trudged back to the dinghy and motored back to the boat wondering where we were going to eat that night. Don’t get me wrong we had food on the boat but nothing that we wanted to eat as we had been looking forward to eating out for the last few days.



Motu on north end of Bora



So into the Lonely Planet book I delved and found a place they spoke about where you eat on a houseboat – but lo & behold – closed on a Monday. I felt we were destined to starve. Found another restaurant listed being the Bora Kaina Hut and I called them first and found out they were open, so I made a reservation. They were only 500m down the road from Bloody Mary’s too and they did offer to pick us up, as the restaurants here often do. What a lovely little restaurant. Sand floors, candles & nice timber décor. There was a couple from Florida and another couple from Brisbane sitting right behind us. We ordered a shared entrée of breadfruit gnocchi in tomato sauce & parmesan crisp which is their signature dish and very nice but filling, then we had a lamb shank (Dale) and I ordered the beef fillet in red wine – which was under cooked for me but I ignored that as it was so beautifully tender and tasty. There was a side dish of crispy potatoes & I also had a couple of cocktails – a Mai Tai and a Pahia (the latter being very refreshing & minty without being too sweet). We shared a coconut cheesecake for dessert with a raspberry sorbet. Not quite the cheesecake I was expecting – more like a sponge but delicious. Our dinner cost 15,070XPF (about $180AUD).

Matira Beach

The Australians behind us ordered lobster which was freshly caught the evening before and they were huge and looked divine. We were fully stuffed and chatted with the other patrons before walking back to the dinghy and crashing for the night.

Bloody Marys Restaurant



Bloody Marys



List of famous names who visited



Money wall



Guess where?



Interesting way to flush!



Interior bar under renovation



The jetty & Satie on a mooring

The restaurant