Retired Nomads: Tahiti, Fr. Polynesia

Tahiti, Fr. Polynesia – February 2

This will be our third time here. In 2017 it was not a scheduled stop, but when they canceled Honolulu, American Samoa & Tonga due to bad weather, Tahiti was substituted as was Bora Bora.

We have done a Motu Picnic & snorkel off the Island of Morea and last time we did an inner island tour of beautiful sites and waterfalls.

from our balcony

one of our table-mates had to be rushed to the hospital - ambulance coming for Harry

DK & Harry is on the stretcher

Today I set up a tour with Captain Benoit for snorkeling and we were joined by new friends, Toni & John. https://www.whale-dolphin-turtle.com

Since our tour didn’t start until 3:00 we did a Self-guided Walking Tour around Papeete in the morning.

performers as we exited the ship

They are doing construction on the walkway along the harbor, so it blocked much of the view past a certain point. It will be a lovely walk along the quay once it is completed. We came across 4 Myna birds that seemed to be fighting (we debated mating until it got brutal). We’ve never seen anything like it. I got a few photos.

We passed by Centre Vaima, a chic shopping mall. We stopped at an ATM to get the local currency for all 3 port days since they all use the XPF.

We walked past the main post office and wandered through Parc Bougainville. It is named for the French explorer who found Tahiti a little too late to get credit for its discovery. Two naval cannons flank the statue of Bougainville.

Parc Bougainville

Louis Antoine de Bougainville monument

man sleeping on shopping cart

Chestnut-breasted Munia

Myna birds

Next, we came across the Presidential Palace which is both the working area and the living quarters of the president. We weren’t allowed very far inside the gates, but a guard came over and showed us where we could stand to take pictures.

Presidential Palace

Chestnut-breasted Munia

Our next stop was at the Territorial Assembly. Built in 1960, the building is the main part of the Polynesian government and includes the Territorial Assembly edifice, the High Commissioner's residence and a once popular clubhouse of Paul Gauguin. There was a craft market set up which I took a quick spin through.

Territorial Assembly

Myna

A big traffic circle, under which pass four busy lanes of boulevard Pomare, and the adjacent underground parking garage. On the harbor side, the semicircular-shaped park is known as Place Jacques Chirac, whose name created quite a stir because French tradition says not to name a public place after a living president. Underneath is a public parking garage.

Marché Municipale was closed the last 2 times we were here (too late in the day).

It’s a large tin pavilion full of a multitude of fruits and vegetables for sale. Lots of beautiful flowers for sale as well. There is also a second floor with more shops of crafts, pearls, unique souvenirs, local arts and a restaurant.

Marché Municipale

Red-vented Bulbul

I found my token magnet and we proceeded to the Cathédrale de l'Immaculée Conception which is Tahiti's oldest Catholic church and it houses a series of paintings of the Crucifixion. (aka Notre Dame Cathedral) Inside the building are beautiful sculpted glass, Roco lifts and other pieces of historical significance.

Cathedrale de Papeete Notre-Dame de L'immaculee Conception

City Hall is surrounded by a beautiful garden which has several sculptures and artifacts. We went back to the ship for lunch and to get dressed for our snorkeling tour.

shops near the port

John & Toni had a morning tour and we had planned to meet at 2:00 to go share the cab to the wharf. We went in search of a taxi, but in the middle of the afternoon there weren’t any. We walked to a taxi stop that we saw earlier and there was a taxi there, so we had hoped they could take us. When we got there, the keys were in the ignition, but no driver to be found. We hadn’t waited more than 10 minutes, but a lady passing by called for a cab for us. So, he arrived quickly and we were off to the marina. We were a half an hour early for the tour and we ran into Bob’s group and they were able to take the cab we used back to the port. Captain Benoit met us, but said he needed to grab some lunch and then we could be on our way. We knew we were early, but not sure what the taxi situation would be or how far it was we opted to be early rather than late. We met in front of the restaurant "La Casa Bianca" at Marina Taïna in Punaauia.

we waited here for a taxi

Marina Taïna in Punaauia

views from the boat

Since the port time changed here, it pushed our tour later in the day so our lagoon cruise turned into a sunset cruise. We were able to get all of our snorkeling in. Our friends Bob & Phyllis had him booked for his morning tour and it had to be adjusted as well. Benoit was very accommodating to get us both worked into the timeframe we had.

We had a great afternoon snorkeling with Captain Benoit. (pronounced Benwa) Our first stop was to look for turtles. We saw 2 right away when we got in the water, but they were gone before everyone else got in the water. I was still watching them when the Captain motioned for me to join them. He then went in search of turtles. We didn’t come across any more at that spot. We snorkeled there for quite a while amongst the corals & fish. He also so showed us where water was coming in from a natural spring.

From there we went to Coral Gardens. WOW. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, or it would have been amazing snorkeling. It was awesome none the less with beautiful healthy corals and lots of interesting colorful fish. Captain Benoit led us through the maze of corals as he knew the way without getting stuck in the corals. It was very shallow and at times it felt like you might rub your belly on them as you passed over. At one point, Greg said he had spooked a turtle. All I know is this turtle came flying under me and just kept going. I have never seen a turtle move so fast. He captured it on his Go Pro.

turtle

John & Toni

Captain Benoit

Our last stop was a plane wreck and 2 boat wrecks. The plane was really interesting and there were quite a few fish around the wrecks and the corals.

Since the port times changed to a later arrival time, it meant that the end of our tour was in the dark. So, after the snorkeling was done, we did a harbor cruise. Because of the clouds the sunset was non-existent, but it was still a lovely boat ride. A fine end to a wonderful day on the water. You can’t go wrong with booking a tour with Captain Benoit.

He called us a taxi and within minutes it arrived, and we made our way back to the ship. We had planned to eat at one of the many food trucks that set up near the pier, but we wanted to shower and grab a quick dinner before making the culture show on board.

The folkloric show was a local group called Tahiti Ora. What an amazing show. The women did several costume changes as did the men. We just love these special culture shows, and this was one of the best we have seen. (right up there with the Whirling Dervishers in Turkey)