Wow!!!! Tahiti…. we finally made it to a place where most people know : ) It was a decent passage here from the the Tuamotus, just an overnight but we had to time it right to make it through the pass so we actually had to slow down to arrive at day break in Papeete, Tahiti. We sailed here with SV Me Too and SV Fandango, we all stayed about 2-3 miles away from each other which was a comfort to see lights in the distance for a change! The Society Islands (Tahiti to Bora Bora) are a nice balance of the Marquesan islands (high mountain islands) and the Tuamotus (collapsed reefs). The society islands are surrounded by a reef and there is an inside passage round most of these islands and makes for great protection against the open sea but has mountains on the island for great hiking.
Tahiti was a whirlwind…we spent about 2 weeks there but did some amazing and fun land trips…because why not…we live on the boat 24/7 so it was great to do “land things” for a change. We Here is a snap shot of our adventures : )
Town, boat work, provisioning, shopping…..
Tahiti has an airport built right on the reef. We needed to pass the airport to get to the marina mooring balls. We had to call on the VHF radio to air traffic control for clearance to pass the runway. This is to ensure our masts don’t get in the way of takeoffs and liftoffs : )So surrounding the island, there is a reef with a few passes between the reefs where boats can enter, similar to the Tuamotus. However, the island has mountains in the middle…it was a perfect mix/match of the Marquesas islands and the tuamotus. Here you can see palm trees sitting on the reef that protects the inner island from the open ocean swell. People anchor on the reef sometimes…we opted not to.We had saved some boat work to be done and parts to purchase until we got to Tahiti… a more populated place to get supplies. Unfortunately, we were having too much fun to do projects but we did manage to cruise the chandleries and parts stores and got a few things off our lists. Here we got 2 additional alternators…they even added output for our tachometer.BIG grocery stores!!!! Here is the cheese isle…my favorite!The store was just a few blocks away. A few of us did some shopping and figured it was easiest to “cart” it back to the marina. You should’ve seen us….hoodlums!I missed taken the bus since Mexico…In tahiti we were back on the bus from the Marina to downtown for 2 $2 usd one way. I love this stuff : )Ok so I loved the graffiti in the town. there were lots of walls painted in these beautiful images, some funny, some classy…it was for me…refreshing!Trevor in front of a graffiti wall…..do you see the little orange flower in his eyeglasses?There are food trucks HERE!!!! It was so awesome….only open for dinner at 6pm but you could have burgers, fish and chips, chow mein, crepes, and even beer and cider. The prices were about $12 usd which is pretty good prices for here. I saw asian people here too!Let’s just say…NOT YET!!!!There was a really expensive resort by the marina…we would hear the music from our boat. So a few of us investigated and went to the show…had a $30 burger and a $15 drink…but who cares…we are in Tahiti!!!!!
Teahuupoo – the famous surf town. We rented a house, all 8 of us (SV Slow Flight, SV Me Too, Sv Fandango). We all provisioned and bought so much food it barely fit in the fridge. So the price was $200/night but split 8 ways and they had laundry facilities…..this made it worth the price.
DId I mention LAUNDRY!!!! We all took turns and hung out items to dry. We are basically family at this point so hanging our laundry was no big deal : )Briley was Trevor Sous Chef for the night….They prepared salmon with pine nuts, green beans…it was fantastic..as always.Ian found bread friut, a local “starch” that is cooked like potatoes….however there is this sticky gummy stuff that is not easy to clean up….don’t ask how I knowTrevor surfing backwards….The group photo! The waves that day were low at 2 meters. However our friends from SV Beach Flea were there just a bit ago and they had Red Bull crew there filming the surf : )Jill decided to tie die their comforter. Here is Liz and Jill doing purple, it was harder than I though to choose a pattern. The end result was amazing…wish I had a photo of it
Car tour of the Island of Tahiti and Tahiti Iti –
Botanical Gardens
Swampy trees…they looked like Dr. Suess treesLiz and Briley in front of a huge banyon treeThere were a pair of turtles…the oldest EVER. Fact check me but they were HUGE!
Blow hole
This blow hole was not like where water spouts up…but rather the wind that blows through could push you over. We actually have a video of Liz, who was wearing a skirt, stood in front of it and blew her skirt well above her underwears : )
Venus pt.
Venus Point was where Columbus anchored….a tower to commemorate this. Black sand beach, lots of locals playing volleyball, and just hanging out.Nap time for 4-legged friends at Venus Pt. parking lot
Waterfalls and Caves
We took a short hike through to this waterfall…cool pools and lots of bugs : )Briley and her model pose by the pools near the waterfallLocals swimming in the pools inside the cave…there is a sign that said no swimming…but when in Rome….
The Hike
So we took an overnight backpacking hike up the mountain Aorai. It’s the 3rd tallest peak on Tahiti. The guide book said moderate and the hike should be 4 hours.The beginning of the trailThe hike was basically on a ridge line so you had to be careful not to step to far on each side of the trail as it was not soild ground.The lean to we spent the night in. It reminded Trevor and I of the Appalachian Trail….Briley hanging out the lean to windowI was of course in the back of the group…Trevor, I found out later, was nice enough to warn us about the trails slickness…..Briley pushing her dad, Clay, off the mountain….jkIt took us longer to reach the lean to and the trail just got more narrow was we tried to keep going….the fog rolled in and we decided to not summit. Here is Ian and Trevor headed further up the trail to do recom. They found ropes to hang on to as you climbed up the ridge.Brad and Elizabeth having a romantic moment by the outhouse….So we decided to contribute to the graffiti on the side of the lean to. This was our trail name on the AT….In the morning the fog was gone and the view was amazing. You can make out the town of Papeete and the pass, even Venus pt.So the trail head began near a fancy restaurant called the Belvedere. We were muddy, dirty, stinky…but after our hike we didn;t care. We had wine and fancy dishes to celebrate our triumph.The Belvedere had a pool..no one had suits so we got in with our undies…..I am having technical difficulties at this point. The frog floaty was easy to get into but getting out was a different story : ) It might f been the wine….
PPJ-rendezvous – Part of the reason we spent 2 weeks in Tahiti was to participate in the Pacific Puddle Jump Rendezvous sailing rally to the island of Moorea. This was a 3 day celebration for the PPJ’ers who made it across the pacific. It was great to see everyone who we met in Mexico who was able to make the rendezvous…..
Susan and Darryl on SV WizLisa from SV Beach Flea and Jill from SV Me TooBriley, Abbey and LizWe had a short presentation from vendors, marinas, and representatives from Fiji and New Zealand promoting their services …thank goodness : )The captains were given leisThe men had a chance to show off. Trevor is in the back…Clay is in front with his red beard : )The ladies had a chance to shake their hips….I declined…Honestly I couldn’t understand a word this man said..but he commanded our attention….impressive!
I let out a shriek when I saw the alternator! You know you are a sailor when images can immediately put you back to a time loaded with memories. For us, it was in San Diego with a flat alternator, a replacement that didn’t fit, and fabulous angels that chauffeured us all over the city in rush hour traffic, and let Tom marinize a new one in their shop.
Simply wonderful to see where you are at next, always!
Bright Blessings from BC, Vancouver Island, and the Cooks! Sheila, Tom and Brennan
We hope all is well and you are plotting your next adventure… North or South. If you need contacts in Seattle let us know. We have some marvelous friends we can introduce you to.
Looks amazing guys can’t wait to see you again.
Jp and lp.
I let out a shriek when I saw the alternator! You know you are a sailor when images can immediately put you back to a time loaded with memories. For us, it was in San Diego with a flat alternator, a replacement that didn’t fit, and fabulous angels that chauffeured us all over the city in rush hour traffic, and let Tom marinize a new one in their shop.
Simply wonderful to see where you are at next, always!
Bright Blessings from BC, Vancouver Island, and the Cooks! Sheila, Tom and Brennan
We hope all is well and you are plotting your next adventure… North or South. If you need contacts in Seattle let us know. We have some marvelous friends we can introduce you to.