We had been to Papeete a number of times before so thought it would be good to do something different so we booked a private catamaran for the day. There were 11 of us on the tour with Ann our tour guide from Liberty Cruises.
The agenda for the day was to meet at 9am on the dock for a full day of cruising, snorkelling and lunch then return at 5pm.
All went to schedule until the rain came after lunch and it looked pretty much set in for the afternoon. Not ideal for more snorkelling and lounging around on the nets out the front of the cat.
Luckily in the morning we headed for some snorkelling at the reef before our Polynesian lunch prepared on board by Anne. The water was pleasant and the sun made visibility ideal although the fish were not as plentiful as we have seen in other places.
After a delicious feast we were about to set off for our afternoon activities when the rain came down so we stayed put for a while with some playing cards others sleeping and the rest of us taking in the views and trying to avoid getting wetter than what we already were.
As the rain did not seem to be abating anytime soon we decided to motor to the surfing break where we saw the surfers and a whale! There was a big surfing competition that had just finished the day before with Kelly Slater winning the crown.
We then decided to make our way back to the dock as the rain was steady and no-one was interested in any more snorkelling as conditions were not ideal and we were all wet and cold.
Once back at the dock we said our goodbyes and the guys headed back to the ship while the gals hit the shops. It was 4pm which only gave us an hour before the shops close at 5pm and one of us (not me) was on a mission to buy a pearl. After walking the streets looking for any shop that might be open we stopped off at a lovely french bar for a sav blanc before heading back to the dock area to meet up with the boys for dinner. The plan was to have dinner at the night food market but due to the rain the conditions were not ideal for eating outside so we headed for the nearest bar across the road. Here we found free internet, happy hour for wine and beer and excellent pizzas…. what more could you want??!!
We then headed back to the ship tired but satisfied.
Next stop Bora Bora tomorrow.
Quick Facts:
Regions: French Polynesia's capital city and situated on the island of Tahiti
Climate: Pleasant tropical with distinct wet and dry seasons
Language: French and Tahitian
Currency: French Pacific Franc (CFP)
Our welcome to Papeete
A stone sculpture at the dock
Our yacht awaits us….
Where is the sun??
Found it briefly
Not quite the Great Barrier Reef but it was Tahiti!!
Our Tahitian lunch
And then the storm came….
Relaxing between showers
Sheltering from the rain
A great day but….
Walking around the streets of Papeete
A wall mural
The Ukulele school
And yes we found a nice french bar as no shops opened!
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