So it’s
been nearly a week since we got here and I have no idea, where the time has
gone. All the time at the lonely islands
(motus) we had all the time in the world and nothing to do. The minute you hit
civilization lots to do and almost stress is coming up. MOst important: gorcery shopping at Carrefour. Something we had not been able to do in 4 months. SELECTION. A word we almost did not know anymore. Most of the times we were lucky to find some baguette, beans and corn. That's it. We are back to a short
schedule as we still have some ilands to visit (Moreea, Raitea and Tahaa,
Huahine) before we have to be in Bora Bora by the end of the month, picking up
a new guest on August 4th.
We are
anchored in the bay Port Phaeton, just where the two islands of Tahiti, Tahiti
Nui (big Tahiti) and Tahiti Iti (little Tahiti) meet. It’s 1,5hrs away from
Papeete, quiet and peaceful with good (grocery) shopping facilities in walking
distance. Tahiti is a wonderfully green and diverse island. To me it’s an atoll
island, because it is almost completely surrounded by a coral reef mostly about
0,3-1mile out letting the island be mostly be protected from waves. Only Tahiti
Nui east coast is not protected and of course where the cuts are, which are
natural entrances for us sailors (and all the other boats) the waves can go
through. The coral reefs have interesting, rounded shapes. The most famous one
is off of Teahupoo, world famous for being one of the best (and dangerous) surfing
spots in this world. Unfortunately we were unlucky when we went there. We did
see a wave, but ther was no surfing and no boat going out there. The wind waves
came from a more southerly direction making it almost impossible for the
pulling boats (surfers have to be pulled out to there) to go out against the
waves. So, no great pictures from there…
On Friday
we picked up a rental car which we had til yesterday afternoon. This gave us
the chance to see more of the island. When we were in town during the day on Friday
we bumped into the crew from “State of mind”. Small world. You bump into all
the sailors you know here, everyone come here for stocking up and buying things
for the boat. Friday evening we went to see a night of competition in group
singing and dancing and again bumped into all our New Zealand and Australian
friends. Fun. Saturday we went to the competition in traditional sports, which
were rock lifting, spear throwing and producing Coprah (Coprah= coconut flesh
the industry uses for producing anything out of coconut, like milk, dried
coconut etc.) . Making Coprah invovles: cut the coconut open, tear it in two
halves, get out the flesh and throw away the shell of the coconut. That was fun
and great for some pictures. Of course we all met there. On our way home we
drove along the east coast of Tahiti Nui. Very beautiful. Sunday we took the
crew from Duende (Vivian, Bram and their cute little daughter Flora) with us
and drove around the southern Tahiti Island (Tahiti Iti). That was another
beautiful day. Yesterday we went to Papeete again to do the customs and check
in and out with the Port Captain. Marcus then went looking for some more parts
for the boat and I went hiking into a beautiful valley behind Papeepte, walking
along the river coming down from a waterfall. The path started like a path in
the alps along a mountain river with the gorgeous smell of the trees. Then came
a part like in a fairy tale and then continued to be a jungle walk. Just the
diversity we found on all Tahiti: at times you think you’re in the Alps and
then back into Jungle. Very beautiful. The green rainforest and the mountains
here remind me very much of Maui, just that Tahiti misses that completely dry
part that Maui has.
If you’re
not travelling by rental car the travelling becomes an experience itself. There
is a bus which commutes irregularly, but mostly every hour until 3pm in
direction to Papeete and 5pm downwards. Sometimes the last bus leaves earlier
though…So it is quite a habit here to travel by autostop. On Friday morning,
when we were waiting for the bus I did not even have to stop someone. A nice
guy in a Mercedes stopped and took us til shortly before Papeete to a place
where busses commute more often. We had a wonderful conversation about history,
traditions and the changes in Tahiti occurring due to more tourism and “westernization”. People here are very nice, as everywhere in
Polynesia. Yesterday after giving back the rental car at the airport we needed
a bus home. The right one did not come and we hoped that one would come
eventually. I was not successful in autostop. A bus came, but its destination
was only 2/3rd the way down. I stopped him and asked for “Taravao”
and he said “yes”. I was not sure, if he understood me, but we hopped in
anyway. It turns out that everybody got out at the final destination, except
for us. He told us to remain seated, he was going to continue his trip. So in
the end we had a private bus shuttle all the way to our marina! That was pretty
cool. Seems like he had to go this way anyway and he took us with him. That was
soo nice! That’s Polynesia. Also on the other islands it almost always happened
to me that when I was walking along the street somewhere out of town cars
always stopped and asked me if I need a lift.
All Tahiti
and festival pictures are in the photo gallery. Just click on the link:
Here is a small selection of pictures:
Shopping at Carrefour:
Marcus in a restaurant in Tautira, notice the tableocloth: Dolphins.
Papeete
A private yacht in form of a submarine
Maybe our next boat?
Tahiti Iti, near Teahupoo
Strnag to see Plam trees reflection in a river out of the mountains
View from a platform on Tahiti Iti towars Tahiti Nui. In the small area, where the islands come together, there is Tavaro, the town next to our anchorage, which is in this weterly bay
Despit civilization what you find everywhere: chicken
Balck sand beach
Grotte the Maha'a
The unprotected east coast
Looking for a boat? If you have some time, here is one....
MObil phone mast in the shao of a palm tree
View over the bay where we are anchored
Looks like at home...
The water is so clear in the river out the mountains that you can see reflections but not where it is reflected upon. So the green leaves you see in the bottom of the picutre are reflections..
This leave was actually haingn between two trees. I was just not able to see the strings attached..
View over Papeete to the island of Moreea (12nm away)
View over Papeete
Papeete market
Shell necklaces
See the black spot a little bit above and to the right of the center? That's the coconut they have to hit!
First spear is already in...
All the spears that missed the coconut
See the coconut half flying to the right?
Hope you enjoyed the pictures!
