Day 33: Bora Bora, Society Islands … French Polynesia

Tuesday, 7 February 2017
At Sea — South Pacific Ocean

Stats @ Ship’s Time 9:00p (TAHT) … UTC 7:00a (8 February)
Temp: 81F (27.2C)
Position: 16.17.60S / 152.48.35W

Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.
~ Anonymous ~

Our final stop in French Polynesia.  And what an amazing one it turned out to be … though at first we weren’t sure if we were going to be greeted by ‘liquid sunshine’ or the real thing.

A glimpse of Otemanu from the motu where we enjoy a “feet in the water lunch.”

We were up early.  The ship was still en route to Bora Bora — in the Leeward group of the Society Islands.  The more accurate pronunciation and spelling of the island’s name would be Pora Pora — there is no “B” in the Tahitian language — and it means “First Born.”  I’ll have to do more research into the reason for that designation — but that will have to wait until I have better (much better) internet.  In the meantime, we can thank early explorers to the region for the Bora Bora version of the name … they misunderstood the locals apparently.
   
A popular international tourist destination, the island is surrounded by a lagoon of the most amazing shades of blue and a barrier reef.  From its center rise two peaks — Pahia and Otemanu … the latter being the highest point of the island.  These are all that’s left of an extinct volcano, and they add to the already dramatic scenery.

With such amazing land- and seascapes welcoming us, we knew we were in for a wonderful day — except that as Insignia arrived at her anchorage, the skies opened up in a downpour.  So glad we didn’t give in to the temptation to sit at one of the tables near the railing to get a better view of the scenery.  The good news — once the rain band was past us, the day gave every indication of remaining sunny with blue skies dotted with puffy texture-clouds … excellent news for the planned O event for the RTWers.

Since this was a tender port, we planned to just enjoy the pre-event hours by relaxing on the ship.  But it was such a nice day that the temptation to go ashore early was impossible not to heed.  So we switched gears and took the second tender ashore to explore Vaitape, the largest town on the island.  Though the area has been inhabited for over 1,500 years, the town experienced most of its growth when the US military based itself here during WWII … and later when tourists started arriving in droves in the last few decades.

To be honest, there wasn’t much to see in the town — at least not without transportation.  Had we known the logistics details of the O event early enough, we could have booked an island tour for a few hours.  Despite multiple queries, however, that information wasn’t available to us until about a week ago.  So, we just saw what we could on foot.

The one church visible from the ship was closed, and the shopping market didn’t hold much of interest — though I did find some cheap pareos to use on our beach stops.  We found another church on the other side of town when we ventured in that direction — dedicated to Saint Pierre Celestin if I interpreted the sign correctly.  It was a simple church, with a big hand-painted window behind the altar … a la the stained glass windows of bigger churches.  Through the window one could see Otemanu — beautiful.

By the time we returned to the pier, people had started to congregate on the waterfront.  Around 11:15a, the Destinations person in charge of logistics said something about starting to load the boats.  We lined up right behind her with the Zs, and Sonia & Boris, and three other couples to board a local motorboat for the short 10-15 minute ride out to a motu … I don’t recall the name in Tahitian, but it meant Island #2.

The event — available also to those who had booked multi-segment grand voyages — was billed as “Feet in the Water Lunch.”  The description we had been given sounded fabulous …

Renowned throughout the world for its gorgeous turquoise lagoon and thatched bungalows, Bora Bora offers all the makings of paradise.  Relax in the abundant sunshine and dreamlike setting as you glide along the water, transferring to a secluded lagoon for a unique in-the-water luncheon experience.  At picnic tables set amidst the shallow, crystal clear water of the lagoon, dine on fresh Polynesian fare such as coconut-and-lime-marinated fish, coconut rice and fresh tropical fruit.  As you enjoy your island-style lunch, take in the lively sounds of Polynesian music and witness special cultural demonstrations.

What the description didn’t say was that swimming and snorkeling were part of the afternoon activities.  But we ferreted out that information a few days before and went prepared.

The boat that took us out to the motu, while motorized, did indeed seem to glide through the water … the colors changing from aqua, to navy, to turquoise … and every shade in between along the way.  En route, we passed islets clad in green, palm trees swaying in the breeze … and behind us rose Otemanu … a monolith of tropical green.

When we arrived at the motu, we were greeted by locals in native attire, ready to present leis made of frangipani as well as frangipani flowers that they placed behind our ears.  A group of Polynesian musicians accompanied a chorus of women welcoming us with the lilting sounds of the islands.  As we walked down the path, samplings of rum punch were handed out for us to sip on.

We’d already seen the tables set in the water, and there were some on shore as well for those preferring not to get their feet wet.  We were all set to take a seat at the tables nearest the pier where there was a view of Otemanu.  Instead, we were led across the motu to a small cove overlooking a secluded portion of the lagoon.  Destination Services had told Mui that we would be broken up into three groups … and this is how the smaller groups were managed.  So while we were all on the same small island, it didn’t feel crowded.  One group may have been crew and staff as several of them had told us they were attending an event similar to ours — paid out of pocket … hopefully at a reduced rate.

Once we found a table — in the water was our preference — we were told to grab our plates and help ourselves to the buffet.  The selection was plentiful, including grilled swordfish, barbecued chicken, marinated raw fish, rice, coconut bread, a variety of pasta and potato salads, fruits and more.  All quite tasty.  On each table were two bottles of wine.  Later we found out there was a bar as well — but since we don’t drink much, I didn’t check it out.

No sooner were we seated that disaster struck at a nearby table — three or four people, all sitting on the same side of an otherwise empty picnic table, caused the table to tip over.  Not only did they land in the water, but so did their plates of food — and at least one person lost an expensive-looking camera to the salt water.  After seeing that mishap, we were all the more careful getting up from and sitting down at our own table just a few steps away.

As we enjoyed our meal, we were serenaded by musicians on shore … unseen but heard.  Dancers also performed some of their traditional dances for our enjoyment.

Once the meal was over, the snorkelers went off to check out the coral and fish.  Fins came in very handy here as there was a very strong current.  Those without the means to steer themselves struggled and gave up.  Not so Mui.  He had his fins and persevered, going out a ways towards the center of the channel.  He later reported that it was good snorkeling, but very tiring.  He has not yet processed the video he took, so I have yet to see what he saw.  I did venture into the water myself — it was too hot a day and too beautiful a setting not to.  But I didn’t go far as the current could have easily carried me out towards the main lagoon.

After we all had our fill of the water, we loitered on land for a while.  Many of the event attendees had left to return to Vaitape and the ship, but we were far from ready to do so.  Sipping rum punch, we chatted with others who, like us, wanted to linger.  At one point, I took a short stroll to the other side of the motu.  My reward was more beautiful views.

At 3:00p, we were on one of the last passenger boats to leave the motu.  The afternoon light made the scenery even more brilliant than it had been going out to the motu earlier in the day.  The line of demarcation where the water changed from turquoise to navy blue was amazing — reminded me of the wedding of the waters in Alaska … different colors, of course.

We arrived in Vaitape around 3:30p.  A tender was getting ready to leave, so we jumped on it for the short ride back to the ship.  I had visions of enjoying a few quiet hours on the veranda, but my hopes were dashed as it was broiling under the sun.  Luckily, when the ship pivoted around to head back into the Pacific, we had shade to enjoy the scenery that the rain had veiled from our eyes this morning.

What a magnificent day we had in Bora Bora.  Oceania deserves kudos for this special event.  And now we get to enjoy two days at sea en route to American Samoa.

Click here to see some of the images from today's visit to Bora Bora.

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