Our first port of call after 8 days of sailing the high seas was Papeete. A bustling little town that you could sense had been severely economically affected by Covid and the cruise ships not being able to visit. They have had 6 cruise ships visit in the past week and when you consider that our ship carries 4,000 passengers as well as 1600 crew, when all that stopped it would have been catastrophic for the people and the local economy.

The day weather was humid but the night was balmy and seeing we weren’t leaving port until 11:30pm we made the most of it. The day was rounded out by a presentation by the Tahitian Folkloric Dance Group. They can really sway those hips! I wonder if those dancers ever need hip replacements.

The next day when we awoke, we were moored and would need to catch tenders onto the heart shaped island of Moorea. The island was formed by volcanic activity and holds the brightest blue waters with a backdrop of soaring green mountain tips. Our adventure was a 2 hour trip into the highlands. The vehicle was a 4×4 ute with a canopy on the back and our seats were under that. We passed sugar cane and pineapple fields as we meandered through to the higher country. The mountain (Bali Hai) used in the movie South Pacific was in full view with the tip being covered in clouds. The views from the lookout, over the mountains and down to the sea, were spectacular.

The bigger buses certainly couldn’t take us to where our 4×4 did. A tropical downpour saw us all scrambling for our beach towels as the driver closed some of the Utes side curtains. Then a quick stop past his home so he could change into dry clothes. The quad bikes following along behind us weren’t so lucky. Our last stop was at a distillery for happy hour tasting. The sugar cane rum and the coconut rum were amazing so we have now become Rum drinkers as a bottle was purchased.

On our 2nd day at Moorea, we enjoyed a beautiful swim in the clear blue sea. Ruthie already has a Tahitian pearl so there was no need to go shopping this trip. Phew! Some quick wifi time in a carport for a small donation which an entrepreneurial Tahitian had set up. Ah well, back onto the ship for a Long Island Tea by the pool.

Adventures in Paradise!