Feb 27, 2017 - The case of the missing wallet!

We continue on with the sea days. The commodore tells us we have travelled 17332 nautical miles since leaving Southampton . As we move into the tropics the temperature rises. It's in the mid 30's on deck. I only sunbathe for max 2 hours but some people are out all day and are a deep shade of mahogany! One woman burns the soles of her feet walking to the pool. Ian has found someone to play chess with and is delighted when he wins a game. He also beats me in scrabble that day and wins the quiz. Shame there's nowhere to buy lottery...

Feb 27, 2017 - Exploring the deep!

The next morning I'm up early to see the sunrise and through the mist the island of Bora Bora emerges. Bora Bora is known as the Pearl of the South Seas and is the most famous of the Leeward Islands. It is a territory of France. It is a mountainous volcanic island, surrounded by coral reefs and 150 miles NW of Tahiti. The island was used by the Americans as a base after the events at Pearl Harbour. Operation Bobcat saw 4500 troops descend on to the island. Bora Bora is believed to have been the inspiration for the Rogers and Hammerstein...

Feb 7, 2017 - Tahiti. French polynesia

Wednesday 1st February 2017. We arrive at Easter Island at 0800. There seems to be a problem with immigration as nobody is allowed off and the tours are put back by 2 hours. We wonder whether the norovirus is the problem as many people are confined to their cabins with the bug. Eventually things start moving at 1100 and we manage to get on the first tender . I should say that we are anchored about half a mile off the Island and must get to and fro by the ships lifeboat/tender. There is a half metre swell which makes getting on the tender...

Apr 26, 2016 - Nuka Hiva

Nuka Hiva in the Marquesas group of islands is our last stop in French Polynesian before the 6 day cruise to San Diego. Jutting vertically from the ocean floor, the emerald green Marquesas form the most spectacular and remote archipelago in French Polynesia. Nuka Hiva is 340 square km in area. It is 1,250km NW of Tahiti. First settled by Polynesian mariners from Samoa or Tonga over two thousand years ago it was discovered by Europeans in the mid16th century. Captain Cook arrived two hundred years later in 1774. This was the beginning of...

Apr 24, 2016 - Moorea

Moorea is known as the “magical island” and it is easy to see why, with its towering mountains and incredibly lush vegetation and its heart shape. It is only 15km from Tahiti but has few of its urban problems as it only has a population of 16,000. Along with Bora Bora these two islands are the Hollywood dream of what a tropical island should look like. We went ashore looking for a tour that would take us out to a small island or motu as they are called for some good snorkeling and to swim with sharks and stingrays. It was very warm and...

Apr 23, 2016 - Papeete, Tahiti

The Island of Tahiti is the largest of the French Polynesian islands and Papeete its major city and port. There is a population of approx. 60k on the Island and most, as you might expect are French speaking. Papeete is a very busy crowded city with all the modern problems of traffic and noise pollution. We decided to go to a beach called PK 18 by local bus, about 30 minutes outside of town. It was very easy to get too even with our limited French. After spending a nice few hours there we headed back to have a look around the town and find...

Apr 20, 2016 - Bora Bora

In Bora Bora we had booked a 4X4 jeep ride up into the mountains. On a road that was part river, mud and rocks. It was quite an adventure but the views were fabulous. Seems all the trouble we have been having was due to a cyclone in the area. We were in Bora Bora overnight but torrential downpours on the second day curtailed activity! We had a sunny break for a couple of hours and went ashore in the tender to look at black pearls. Tomorrow we are going to Papeete in Tahiti which is another schedule change. The ship is giving us discounts on...

Apr 19, 2016 - Raiatea

There is a low system covering the Islands and this has given us some really rough weather for the past week and as we approached Rarotonga it was too rough to tender in. This means we have been eight days on board and unable to go ashore to send emails etc. Finally we tied up at Raiatea the second largest island of the Society Islands after Tahiti. We did a jeep tour around the Island with 6 others from the ship. The highlight here is the Taputapuatea Marae. This is the second most important archeological location in all of Polynesia...

Mar 20, 2015 - Bora Bora

Today was our last day on this island. Tomorrow we will be traveling to the island of Fiji. Bora Boras weather was amazing again today so we spent most of out time with the locals boat fishing in the ocean. When we got back on the island the natives showed us how to make the traditional baskets often woven on the island. We went to Mount Otemanu, one of the two volcanoes on the island. Hiking on the mountain was a great experience. We went on one of the many trails up the mountain and ended up 2,400 feet above the water! We will definitely...

Mar 13, 2015 - Still at Sea

I was up and had breakfast fairly early since I wanted to go to a lecture on authors who wrote about the South Pacific. It proved quite interesting and when I came back, Christine was finishing her breakfast in the Neptune Lounge and talking to the New York couple with whom we seem to have struck up a friendship. We came back to the room and sat outside in the cold and wind - bear in mind everything is relative! - and read and knitted and played games. We went for an early lunch being held for those in the Mariners Society, which is...

Mar 12, 2015 - Pressing on

Another day closer to home! We are heading north and leaving the really hot weather, Now it is fairly normal, but feels cold! Christine complained all day of the cold and displayed the goosebumps on her arms and legs to prove her point. Not sure what she will be like this time next week in Sherwood Park! We had a leisurely breakfast then sat on the balcony and did puzzles and played games till lunch time. We went up to the Lido and took our lunch out beside the pool to warm up. We sat beside a couple who had been on some of the tours with...

Mar 11, 2015 - All at Sea

Another day at sea with nothing but sea outside! We have never been on a cruise before where one has felt so alone. We have not seen a ship since we left Nuku Hiva on Sunday, and the prospects of seeing one before San Diego seem somewhat dim. We did see some flying fish this morning and that is the only life outside of the ship we have seen since Saturday. We were up this morning and had breakfast in the Neptune Lounge as usual. We returned to our room and watched the flying fish and I did some laundry while Christine did some puzzles. We...