March 29 - Final Observations

 High Lights of the Vacation

Brian
Best Meal:	It was all good, but nothing outstanding. If I had to choose one, it would be the Beef Wellington on the Ocenia Regatta.
Most Scenic:	Trip across the volcano on Tahiti Nui.
Favourite Location:	Bora Bora because it is much less crowded than Tahiti.
Favourite Memory:	Watching our boat being swarmed by the beautiful Ma’o Mauri which are Blacktip Reef Sharks
Marg
Best Meal:	Surf and Turf in the Polo Grill
Most Scenic:	View from the balcony in our room in the Te Moana Resort of Moorea Island and the ocean
Favourite Location:	Bora Bora for the scenery and glass bottom boat ride to see the sharks
Favourite Memory:	Mud bath in Laukota Fiji

 

By the numbers
Approximate distance travelled by cruise liner (km)	7,000
Approximate distance travelled by air plane (km)	26,000
Approximate distance travelled by automobile (km)	1,300
Total	34,300
Number of days	18
Number of days at sea	9
Number of countries	6
Number of cities	12
Pictures Taken	1,021

 

 

Some Random Thoughts

Below is a collection of random thoughts that I made during the vacation, but they didn’t make into the daily blog.

The people of the South Pacific Islands are some of the politest people you can meet.  In French Polynesia you are always greeted by “Ia Orana” and In Fiji it’s “Bula”. They are pronounced as “yo-rah-nah” and 'boo-lah' respectively.

Tribalism is common in the South Pacific. The histories of villages are woven very deeply within a single tribe and can date back many generations spanning centuries. The tribe’s history can be seen in tattoos adoring the males of the tribe.

It is funny how the smallest of gestures can impress your hosts. On Fiji, I wore a soccer shirt that was a copy of their national rugby team's uniform. I had numerous thumbs ups from the locals.

It seems to us that the people of the islands are taller and physically bigger that people in North America.

I came into this vacation with the mission to try new foods. I must admit I didn’t discover any dishes that I thought were fantastic nor did find any dishes that I thought were wretched. There were a lot of seafood dishes with coconut milk bases, but nothing that has me looking for a South Pacific restaurant here at home.

I tired Tartare de Thon. This is raw red tuna, pineapple chunks, rice and spices mixed together and shaped into a paddy. I had raw tuna steak once before and didn’t like it, but this was delicious.

We’ve never been big fans of curry because it can be too spicy for our palette. Twice on this trip, I tried Mahi Mahi with green curry in coconut milk. The curry added very little to the taste. In fact, the cilantro added more flavour.

My new favourite breakfast is pineapple and orange pieces. It must because it is so fresh!

After our stay at the Te Moana Resort on Tahiti, I’ve changed my mind about all inclusive resorts and may give it a try at some time in the future.

The sunsets over Moorea island will stick with me for a long time.

Even though we arrived at the tail end of the rainy season, we never had a day wiped out because of the rain. Sure there were torrential downpours, but they never seemed to last very long.

Ireland claims to be the Emerald Isle, but it doesn’t compare the lush green forests on the islands that we visited.

It is too bad we’re not the strongest of swimmers as by all accounts this was a snorkeler’s paradise.

We managed to miss the dreaded traveller’s ABC, “Another Big Church”, with the exception of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Apia on Samoa.

It’s probable my imagination, but it seems every island has a Captain Cook and Munity on the Bounty connection.

Each of the islands has it fair share of wild dogs. Fortunately, they don’t seem to be aggressive.

At the Te Moana resort, we had our own pet rooster that woke me up each morning at sunrise and inspected us each morning at breakfast in the outdoor patio restaurant.

The Central Pacific Franc (CFP) is used in French Polynesia and is roughly equivalent to 80 francs to the dollar. It is a little freaky to see your restaurant meal come to 12,000 francs ($150).

I’m not sure if these countries have a minimum wage law. If they do, is it considered a living wage? I wonder about this because every time we left a tip, their expression of gratitude was stunning in their sincerity. This leads me to believe that tipping is a rare event.

Credit card terminals on the islands don’t have TAP facilities. I find this strange because the technology was invented twenty two years ago in Australia for the Sydney Olympics.

Mastercard must have angered the merchants on Fiji as they charge a fee to use that card in their stores. Visa doesn’t have that problem.

Most Canadians would weep if they saw how cheap cell phone and internet plans are on these islands. One plan I saw on Tahiti was 60Gb for about $12.

It is only after you try to access your account on a web site that requires 2FA (two form authentication) that you wish you had roaming on your cell phone.

None of the islands that we visited allow guns. Not surprisingly there is little violent crime. One of the stories that cracked me up was a story about a gang that robbed a bank on Bora Bora, only discover that there was no way off the island. They were captured by the police that same day.

With the exception of Fiji, there is not a dominating Chinese presence in the nations we visited, or at least not as substantial as the American press and government would lead you to believe.

I admit I’m a news junkie. Somehow though when you’re in the serenity of the South Pacific, the petty politics that you read about on CBC, BBC, or CNN, just seems irrelevant

Mormons from Salt Lake City are among the biggest importers of produce from Tahiti. They import Noni, which is used in beauty products. The pulp of the Noni fruit actually has a quite pungent smell.

Since the lifting of Covid restrictions, the people of the islands let you know they appreciate you visiting and supporting their beleaguered economies.

Airplane travel has not improved in the year since most Covid restrictions have been lifted. They still herd you into cramped seats, like cattle on their way to the slaughterhouse. Ask for a drink on Air Canada and you get a cup that might contain two sips. As if a can of coke is going to break them. This is pathetic.

It is shocking the number of four and five star resorts that are still closed because they haven’t recovered from the Covid shutdown. Club Med seems to be the hardest hit.

I’ve been told it is wise to say nothing if you don’t have anything good to say. With that in mind, I won’t comment on Oceania Cruises.

Our next trip is to Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland ending up in Boston. This is scheduled for the summer of 2024.

March 25 - On Our Way Home

Goodbye Tahiti. 

We started our long journey home yesterday.  We left  Pepeete at 9:45pm Friday and got into Toronto, via San Francisco at 8:00pm Saturday.  Pepeete  International is a strange airport. It is an open air concept. The departure lounge has a roof but is missing two of its walls. You get a nice breeze, which I guess is the reason.

It was a long uncomfortable trip. Both flights were fully booked. The seats were so crammed together, any movement is torture.

Especially for Margaret. She caught some virus on Thursday, not Covid 19 thank goodness, and has not been able to keep anything down. The excessive mucus has resulted in long coughing spells. To make matters worse, all the coughing has strained her stomach muscles. She is dehydrated and weak.

It took over an hour to get our luggage at Pearson, so we didn't hit the road until close to 10pm. Marg was too weak from lack of sleep to drive all the way back to Port Stanley after being on a plane for close to 18 hours, so stay in Toronto overnight.

P.S.

On Sunday got to the hospital and the doctor confirmed, after multiple test, that it is indeed a virus.  They treated her for her pain and replenished her fluids. So we are official home.

March 23 - Volcano Safari

On the penultimate day of our vacation, I decided to take a 4x4 excursion through the dormant volcano that makes up Tahiti Nui or the biggest volcanic massif on the island of Tahiti. This was, without a doubt, the most extended physical torture and never wracking experience I have ever experienced. I’m glad Marg decided to skip this excursion because I sure she would have been physically sick.

For six and half hours we drove up and down two thousand metre mountains with ten to twenty degree inclines using cow paths not wider than the width of the 4x4’s axile. Usually, the only barrier separating us from a three hundred metre plunge to our certain death was a growth of ferns. These cow paths had so many deep potholes that Ottawa drivers should be ashamed for complaining about their roads. The 4x4 had little suspension left and each pothole, which occurred every other second, sent bone jarring shocks throughout your entire body.

I would have hated every moment of this excursion except it had “THE MOST AMAZING SCENERY I HAVE EVERY WITHNESSED!”

The volcanic edifice that surrounds the central crater is made up of several large mountains that hold the rain within the valley, which produces a lush rain forest.

Our trip started by a leisurely climb through the east side of the island. We should have know we were heading into the jungles, when we stopped to let a convoy of French soldiers pass. They had been in the valley on jungle warfare exercises. Along the way, our guide pointed out the various plants and trees that make up the rain forest.

We stopped at river crossing, where two young fathers were playing with their very young children in the water.  Apon closer examination, the water was filled with multiple mountain eels. The children didn’t seem the least bit scared of these long slimy creatures.

The climb at this point started getting very steep.

As you can imagine the rain forest is very hot an oppressively humid. Eventually after about an hour, we stopped at a small river crossing, where I was able to take a short swim to cool off. The rocks were very slippery, and I took a couple of tumbles onto my butt.

We then descended to the crater floor, where we had lunch. The was a tremendous view of the valley and mountain pass we had just used to gain access to the crater.

For the rest of the afternoon, we were treated to some spectacular scenery as we made our way west to the ocean.

With all the bone crushing jarring on this trip, I was very glad to return to the resort. I immediately joined Marg with a drink in the newly opened infinity pool.

March 22 - Papeete : Lunch bag letdown

We woke up this morning to a wonderous site. They have finished repairing the infinity pool with the swim up bar and are filling it with water. Hopefully, it will be ready for use by the afternoon or tomorrow at the latest.

We decided to go into Papeete to do the obligatory souvenir shopping. After spending the afternoon there, I can in all honesty say that this is one of my least favourite cities I have ever visited.

The shopping area is a busy concrete jungle that holds the oppressive heat in with little or no breeze.

The tourist maps bear no relation to the actual street layout and the scale of the maps are a joke. You would have better luck winning the lottery than finding a street sign at a corner.

Store hours are totally random. The market closes at 2pm instead of the advertised time of 3pm. Other stores close for lunch and reopen when they feel like it. Entrances to shopping concourses are carefully camouflaged to avoid detection. After wasting an hour looking for the black pearl market, we found that it was closing in five minutes after we found it. This was an hour earlier than advertised.

Most restaurant close in the middle of the afternoon. If they do remain open, they may or may not serve food. At least the beer in the one café we found was cold.

I was very glad to get back to the hotel and a sense of sanity.

March 21 - Tahiti Half Day Tour

You wouldn’t believe the looks Marg gets when she orders a hamburger, here in the South Pacific islands. Marg will order the hamburger with no bun, because of her Gluten sensitivity. First the waitress appears to be confused as if she didn’t hear properly. So, they’ll repeat the order as a question. When Marg confirms she does not want a bun, they try to convince her that the bun is indeed part of the meal. After Marg again askes for no bun, they get the most stunned look on their face, as if they are being asked for the impossible. Finally, when the hamburger arrives, they again ask Marg if that is what she wanted, thinking there must have been a terrible mistake. They then retreat to the kitchen, where I am sure they tell the cooks about the crazy North American lady and her bunless hamburger.

This afternoon we went on an excursion around the island of Tahiti. This was one of the better trips we have taken, mainly because of the guide.  He was friendly and extremely informative. He knowledge of local customs and myths, Tahitian plants and trees, and the Tahitian environment were outstanding.

Our first stop was Arahurahu Marae, which was a ceremonial place of worship where chiefs were cremated, and their ashes scattered in grounds surrounding the alter. This is Tahiti's best example of the ancient Polynesian temples and meeting places called Marae. It has been fully restored and properly maintained like a museum. It is now used for the reenactment of old Polynesian ceremonies during the July Heiva Nui celebrations.

Next, we stopped at a public beach, where we got to see the surfers. The guide explained that surfing is one of the most popular sports in Tahiti. He also told us that surfing will be included in the Paris Olympics next year and the competition will be held in Tahiti.

The beach was black volcanic sand. This is because the area is feed by a fresh water stream and coral can’t survive in fresh water. White sandy beaches in this area is made up of mostly crushed coral from the sea.

Next up were the Water Gardens of Vaipahi. The gardens are steeped in local mythology. It seems that the bodies of dead warriors were washed in the waters of the this garden in preparation for journey to meet their gods. Vaipahi Gardens displays a wonderful selection of endemic plants and trees.

After going around the southern tip of the big island, we came to Maraa Grotto. The grotto is fed by a high narrow waterfall. Our guide told us that the stream at the bottom of the fall is prone to flashing flooding and that people who live downstream, do so at their own risk because there is no insurance available.

Our next stop was the Arahoho Blowhole. A lava tube is created by liquid lava flowing under cold and hard lava, producing a channel. When waves crash against the rocks and enter this channel, the result is a powerful sea water geyser that showers on lookers. Unfortunately, today it was not very powerful.

Our last stop was Point Venus. Located in the north on the edge of Matavai Bay, it is a special area where successive landings of European navigators landed. James Cook named it after the planet in commemoration of the transit of Venus that was observed during one of his scientific voyages to Tahiti. There is also a special memorial to the sailors of the HMS Bounty, who returned to Tahiti to live after their munity.

All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend the day and we would highly recommend it. It is called the Tahiti Half Circle Island Tour by Bus and we booked it thru Viator.com

We had the guide drop us off at the Blue Banana restaurant, where we a nice sunset supper.

 

March 20 - Shopping at the Carrefour

Today will go down in our travel memories as one of the strangest miscommunications we’re ever had in our travels.

We decided that in the afternoon we would get a taxi and go into Papeete to do some shopping. Marg is looking to buy some cloths and is interested in the Tahitian black pearls, while I’m interested in the local architecture.  The main area for stores in the downtown is called Le Marché.

The taxi driver, who picked us up at 13:30, was the same lady that driven us back to the resort after dinner last night at Casa Biancia. When we told her that we wanted to go to Le Marché, she looked panic stricken. She told us that the stores there would close within the next hour. As an alternative, she said she could take us to a Carrefour store, which she said was a large department store with attached sidewalk cafes for lunch. She compared it to a Walmart. While driving us there she kept talking about how locals go to Le Marché on Sunday to get reduced prices on groceries and fruits and how you can’t get alcohol at the Carrefour on Sundays.

It was only after she dropped us off that we realized that she thought we wanted to go the main farmer’s market in Papeete for groceries, instead of the speciality stores and souvenir shops. The Carrefour can best be described as a huge grocery store, with a few isles of other merchandise. To top it off, the store didn’t have gluten free bakery items, Gatorade or diet Code/Pepsi, which were the only things we could have possibly wanted.  What a waste of our valuable time, as we have only a few days left on our vacation. We will try again later this week.

What a gorgeous sunset we had tonight. The red glow over the mountains of Moorea was fabulous. 

For dinner we ate al fresco, next to the lagoon. Marg had a seafood dish with rice, and I had fish with green curry and coconut milk. I’m not a big curry fan, but this was very mild and not at all spicy.

The resort had a popular local singer performing tonight, but I must admit most of his songs sounded the same and were  just plain boring. I guess you can’t please everyone!

March 19 - A Lazy Sunday

Another lazy day in paradise. This what we see from our balcony each morning. Later in the morning I went for a walk along the northern shore away from the resort. Being that it is Sunday, everything was closed. There were two parks along the route I took, and they were packed with families, there to cool down with a swim in the ocean.

For dinner we went to a nice little seaside restaurant called Casa Bianica. I had mussels and fries and Marg had seafood risotto.

Tahiti is the largest island of French Polynesia It is divided into two parts, Tahiti Nui the larger, northwestern part and Tahiti Iti the smaller, southeastern part. It had a population of 190,000 in 2017 making it by far the most populous island in French Polynesia and accounting for 70% of its total population.

As you would expect, Tahiti is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The capital of French Polynesia, Papeʻete, which is located on the northwest coast of Tahiti and has the only international airport in the region. 

Tahiti was originally settled by the Polynesians and they represent about 70% of the island's population, with the rest made up of Europeans, Chinese and those of mixed heritage. The island was part of the Kingdom of Tahiti until its annexation by France in 1880, when it was proclaimed a colony of France, and the inhabitants became French citizens. French is the sole official language, although the Tahitian language (Reo Tahiti) is also widely spoken. We’ve tried to pick up some simple phrases, but it is an extremely difficult language to get your tongue around.

Tahiti was fought over by the French, English and Spanish during the 1700s. Later the USA joined the fray. Possible the most famous visitors during this time was the HMS Bounty, under the command of Captain William Bligh, It landed in Tahiti, in 1788, with the mission of carrying Tahitian breadfruit trees to the Caribbean. Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist from James Cook's first expedition, had concluded that this plant would be ideal to feed the African slaves working in the Caribbean plantations at very little cost. The crew remained in Tahiti for about five months, the time needed to transplant the seedlings of the trees. Three weeks after leaving Tahiti, the crew mutinied. The mutineers seized the ship and set the captain and most of those members of the crew who remained loyal to him adrift in a ship's boat. A group of mutineers then went back to settle in Tahiti.

France eventually became the dominate power, due to its missionaries and its skillful diplomatic maneuvering with the local chiefs. In a treaty signed by the reigning Tahitian Queen, France recognised the sovereignty of the Tahitian state. The Queen was responsible for internal affairs, while France would deal with foreign relations and assure the defence of Tahiti, as well as maintain order on the island.

Between 1966 and 1996 the French Government conducted 193 nuclear bomb tests above and below the atolls of Moruroa and Fangataufa. The last test was conducted in 1996. On 17 July 1974, the French did a nuclear test over Mururoa Atoll, but the atomic cloud and fallout didn't take the direction planned. Forty-two hours later, the cloud reached Tahiti and the surrounding islands. As many as 111,000 people were affected. Reports showed that some people on Tahiti were exposed to 500 times the maximum allowed level for plutonium.

March 18 - Te Moana Resort

 Sorry my snow bound friends in Ontario, but the weather remains sunny and hot. Thankfully, there is a slight breeze off the ocean to make it bearable. From our balcony we can see immense breakers as the waves hit the barrier reef protecting the shoreline of Punaauia. It is hard to tell how big they are but I would estimate the waves to be bigger than three meters.

We went to the local corner store to see if we could find some Gatorade to help Marg with her leg cramps. The manager said they did not have anything like this, but suggested a multi vitamin drink with many fruit juice combined. What he did not mention was the fact that drink contain a healthy does of pepper. It was enough to make you sick with one gulp.

At the beginning of the afternoon, while sitting on our balcony, we heard a lot of cheering and yelling. It turned out that we are here for the Moorea to Punaauia canoe race. I believe the canoes circle Moorea island and then cross the strait to the main island of Tahiti finishing just down the shore from us in Punaauia marina.

The Hawaiki Nui Vaa race, in November, is the largest outrigger canoe race in the world. It is a three-day marathon that covers 130 km, starting in Bora Bora and ending at Punaauia. It is the equivalent of French Polynesian Super Bowl.

Each village in French Polynesia enters an outrigger canoe and they carry with them the pride of the village and the families. They are accompanied by motorboats filled with spectators, that loudly cheer and encourage the racers to row faster. It is hard to say, but over the space of an hour, I suspect there may have been more than 50 crews paddling like crazy for the pride of their village.

Later in the afternoon, we went for a swim in the lagoon and sat out in the sun. There was a rookie bar tender in lagoon side bar. All he could do was pour beer and make Pina Coladas. At least the beer was cold and Marg’s Pina Colada was good.

Tonight, went to a local restaurant called the Blue Banana. The food was good and the place was packed with locals and tourist alike.

March 17 - Te Moana Resort

As the expression goes, Marg has hit this one out of the park. We decided to stay an extra week in Tahiti after the end of the cruise. Marg after several hours of searching and researching, booked us into the Te Moana Resort in the town of Punaauia. Punaauia is just outside of Papette, which is the main city on Tahiti.

The rooms are huge. It is more like a one-bedroom apartment than a hotel suite. The bedroom has a queen size bed and more than enough closet space. It is more than half the size of the entire cabin we had on the boat. There is an enormous walk-in shower, a soaker tub and two full size sinks. After the small and cramped size of the Regatta’s cabin bathroom, this is heaven. There is a small but efficiently design kitchen. The living room is spacious and bright and leads to a large balcony which overlooks the Pacific and the island of Moorea.

The furniture is very comfortable and can best be described as a mix of modern and Polynesian. The computer desk is solid wood and reminds me of the old desks with multiple pullout drawers. The arms of the chairs and the couch in the living area have beautiful seashell inlays.

The TV offers a wide selection of channels. The only problem is that all but one station, CNN, are in French. We did discover that randomly a station may duplicate itself on the next channel and offer a show with an English soundtrack. The internet is amazing. I think it is faster than the service I have at home, which is the top speed offered by Roger’s in my area of Port Stanley. Given those two factors, I think we may be watching most of entertainment on the small screen of this laptop.

For my Ottawa readers, while watching the news on CNN last night, I was pleasantly surprised to see a Max Keeping trained reporter, Kim Brunhuber anchor the news. I know Max must be up there smiling down on Kim, as Kim joins a long, long list of reporters, who have gone on to success after training at CJOH. https://edition.cnn.com/profiles/kim-brunhuber-profile#about

Down from our balcony is a large lagoon for swimming in the salt water. The main pool is being repaired, so we don’t have a swim up bar. You’ll not hear any complaints here. There is a bar and restaurant as you enter the lagoon area and the lagoon has a large number of loungers for sun bathing. Along the ocean front there are two areas with tables for eating and drinks.

During the afternoon, the front desk sent up a bottle of wine. Although it was white wine, which is not our favourite, it tasted great. It was better than the table wine served on the cruise.

The courtyard is a tropical garden with a stream, palm trees, ferns, and flowering shurbs.

The hotel restaurants have a very limited menu. For dinner Marg had a steak and I had seafood risotto. It was tasty. The restaurant’s tables are out in the garden and the evening temperature was very comfortable.

March 17 - End of the Cruise

At the end of a cruise, I usually do a review of the cruise ship and compare it against other cruises we have enjoyed. I won't be doing that this time because I'm sure that you all are sick of my whining. I will point out some of the positives about the Oceania Regatta. It is the crew. They are all super polite and usually efficient. 

Starting with our housekeeping staff of Margateta and Rizzky. Our rooms were always super clean and neat. They always made us feel as if we were the only people that mattered. 

Next was our head waiter Lloyd. Once he was informed of Marg and Trudy dietary requirements, he went out of his way to make sure that gluten free dishes were always available, Joy, who worked the reservation desk and handled Marg and Trudy's menu requests was wonderful. 

The sommeliers did their best to ensure that our glasses were never empty and when required they made wonderful choices in their wine selection. Mave was one of our favourity servers. The wait staff were amazing. Always quick and very rarely making a mistake.

A BIG thank you to all our Cruise Buddies. You made this trip so enjoyable and we will remember it for always. A special shout out to Coleen, who again, arranged this trip and made sure that everything, within her power, ran smoothly.

Jay

Trudy

Coleen

Ron

Gail

Mike

Debbie

  

Olive

Linda

Gail

Arlene

Margaret

Brian