January 24th, 2024

Since scuba diving was canceled due to “swells” the only thing we had planned was an afternoon included boat tour of the island and that was not until 4:30pm. Having been to Moorea before and actually staying on the island we knew there was not a lot to do that did not involve water. When we got up it looked very cloudy so we went up to the Explorers lounge on deck 7 and Kathy got some coffee and I worked on the computer. While we were sitting there looking at views of the island it started raining. Then it started pouring and it was so bad you could not even see out the windows of the lounge. It was a total sheet of rain which lasted for about 30 minutes.

This was my favorite picture taken as the rain was ending

We ate a light lunch on board and then took the tender into the docking area around 1:30. I can’t say town because it really is not a town. Just an area for the tenders to dock and they have a market with local folks selling their crafts. Most everything they sell is jewelry based on black pearls since that is what Tahiti is known for. So lots of earrings, bracelets and necklaces with pearls.

It was hot and muggy and we took a walk for a couple of miles along the road which ran along the waterfront. Lots of lush green yards and tons of fruit trees of al kinds and flowers.

Lots of different colored flowers

We walked down to the water a couple of times and the water was crystal clear but had a strong current.

lots of boats

There were also lots of crabs and crab holes on the beach. Most were small but there were some large ones.

This guy looked like a robot to me

We did the 4:30 boat ride and it was nice. Not to hot, boat was not full and had a great guide.

You can see the water color even though it was not a sunny day.

This mountain looks like a lady leaning back with her hair flowing down her back. There is actually a hole on the mountain that is right below what would be the nose. The more we looked at it the more you could see the face.

Due to the tides we left Moorea about 7pm to sail the very short distance to Papeete where we docked overnight. This is a view of us goin out of one of the 5 channels that let you into the lagoon that surrounds Moorea. You can see the over the water bungalows in the background and the waves got really big as we went through the channel.

It was a very short sail to Papeete and we were docked by 8:30.

Sailing into Papeete at night

Papeete, Tahiti next stop