3 May: The lagoon at Bora Bora
François had some early morning exercise this morning as he had
to walk 15
minutes to
the
supermarket
and back
to buy
us breakfast.
It's tough
not having
a car...
We ate in
the
kitchen
overlooking
the
beautiful
lagoon.
We're
lucky that
the other
rooms in
the house
aren't
occupied,
so we
have
the
kitchen
and
the bathroom
to
ourselves.
We then
proceeded
to plan
our
day.
The
prices in
Bora Bora
are pretty
scandalous;
30-200%
higher
than
the
other
Polynesian
islands,
which are
already
very
expensive.
But
then
it's
Bora
Bora...
We
decided
to
take a
pirogue
tour
around the
island
with the
pension
Chez
Nono,
a
few
minutes'
walk from
our
pension.
We
departed
at 9:30am
and our
first stop
was
at a
coral
garden
at
Motu
Piti
Un
Tai,
not
far
from
Matira
Point.
The
visibility
was very
good and
the number
of fish
impressive.
We
saw a
huge
moray
eel
that
was
coaxed
out
of
it's
hiding
place with
fish by
another
tour
operator.
After a
few more
kilometres
in the
boat
we
stopped
over a
shallow
sandy area
of the
lagoon to
see sting
rays.
They
are
accustomed
to being
feed by
the tours
and were
soon
circling
around the
pirogue
waiting
for
feeding
time. We
all jumped
in with
our masks
and tubas
and
watched in
awe as the
sting rays
swam in
front of
us sucking
up small
pieces of
fish
thrown in
the
water
by
our
guide.
Gaelle
wasn't
really
comfortable
so quickly
climbed
back up
into the
pirogue,
but Sophie
was
fascinated. It's
debatable
whether
feeding
marine
animals is
ethical or
not, but
it's the
only
way to
be able
to
see so
close up
such
creatures
and the
experience
was
fantastic.
Next stop was on a muto to the east of Bora Bora where our
guides
prepared
us a
lovely buffet
with
plates
made out
of
coconut
leaves. The
beach was
stunning:
white
sand, the
shallow blue
lagoon and
the peaks
of Bora
Bora in
the
background.
The girls
made
friends
with some
children
from
Tahiti
who
were
on
the
tour
and
swam
in
the
lagoon
and
raced
crabs
with
them.
After lunch we continued our journey around the island. We
motored
out of the
lagoon at
the only
pass on
the west
of Bora
Bora
to
see
sharks!
The sharks
quickly
arrived as
we moored
at a buoy.
François
and Sophie
were the
first in
the water,
followed
by Jenny
and
finally a
very
hesitant
Gaelle.
There were
20 odd
black tip
sharks
circling
around us,
eating
scraps of
fish
thrown
into the
water.
It's
really
impressive
to see so
many
sharks, so
close up
and
so
near
the
surface.
We were
all really
thrilled.
We were
then
treated
to
a final
stop
inside the
lagoon to
see and
even touch
sting
rays. We
stood in
the
shallow
lagoon and
a dozen
sting rays
swam
around us
and even
rubbed
against
us. Their
skin
around
their
eyes
is
smooth
and
it
feels a
bit
gooey
but
further
back it's
quite
rough,
as
is the
tail. The
sting ray
is usually
somewhat
feared due
to its
potentially
lethal
dart on
its tail,
so it was
awesome
being
able
to
get so
intimate
with these
beautiful
and
graceful
animals.
All in all
a really
super day
on what's
often
referred
to
as the
world's
most
beautiful
lagoon!
 |
 |
 |
| Snorkelling
with
the
sting
rays |
The
magnificent
motu
on
which
we
had
lunch |
Snorkelling
with
the
sharks |
4 May: Diving at Bora Bora
This morning we walked around Matira Point to Bora Dive Centre to
see if it
was
feasible
to do a
dive in
the
afternoon.
We were
warmly
welcomed,
the prices
were
reasonable
and more
importantly
they could
take care
of the
girls on
the
boat during
the dive.
Fantastic!
We did a
quick shop
and
enquired
about
renting a
car, but
as there
is
very
little
to
see around
the island
and the
price is
extortionate
we decided
to give
that idea
a miss. We
spent the
rest
of
the
morning
snorkelling
in the
lagoon
around
Matira
Point:
there
are
nice
coral
clusters
in fairly
shallow
water and
the fish
are
abundant.
After
lunch we
were
picked up
by the
dive
centre and
we set off
for our
dive on a
boat to
Tapu, a
dive site
outside
the
lagoon to
the west
of the
island. In
fact it
was the
same spot
that
we
visited
the day
before
when we
snorkelled
with the
black tip
sharks.
Two other
people
were also
diving
that
afternoon
and
surprisingly
we'd
already
met them;
they were
on the day
tour we
did
on
Raiatea.
The dive
was really
nice. We
saw a
lemon
shark
almost
immediately,
then black
tip sharks
and more
lemon
sharks
accompanied
by their
pilot fish
along the
way. We
also saw a
moray eel,
big
anemone
with baby
clown fish
as well as
the normal
array of
tropical
fish.
During our dive Elise, a dive instructor, kindly took the
girls
snorkelling.
Both saw
the lemon
sharks and
Sophie
tried
breathing
compressed
air for
the first
time! She
also waved
hello as
she saw
us
diving
beneath her! When we
reached
the
shore,
Sophie
was
presented
with a
first dive
certificate
which
made
her
day.
The
dive
centre
staff were
all
extremely
kind and
friendly
with the
girls;
definitely
an address
that we'd
recommend.
That evening we decided to treat ourselves to a meal out. We
reserved a
modest
restaurant,
well
situated
on the
edge of
the
lagoon
that
proposed
free
pick-ups.
When we
arrived we
saw that
the
restaurant
had
changed
owners and
was now a
much more
up-market,
even
gourmet
restaurant...
We had a
very
enjoyable
dinner,
accompanied
by a very
nice Sauvignon
Blanc from
Marlborough
(NZ) and
the
deserts
were
excellent!
5 May: Bora Bora
We enjoyed a leisurely morning on the beach in front of our
hotel.
Gaelle and
Sophie
practiced
cartwheels
on the
sands and
we
did
some
snorkelling.
François
wandered
to a
nearby
hotel to
rent a
couple
of
bikes
for
us. In
the
afternoon,
we rode to
Vaitape
for a
look
around.
Sophie was
nicely
seated in
a baby
seat on
the back
of
Jenny's
bike
whilst
Gaelle was
perched on
the handle
bars with
her
feet
in
the
shopping
basket on
François'
bike! We
made it in
one
piece
along the
6 km road
to Vaitape
and
visited a
pearl shop
in
town.
We
looked
a
bit out
of
place
in
our
beach
gear
in
the
posh
jewellery
shop! On
the way
back we
stopped by
Bora Dive
Centre for
a
spot of
snorkelling
around the
Hotel Bora
Bora,
where
fishing is
forbidden.
The corals
were not
spectacular,
but there
was a nice
variety of
fish.
Before dinner we sat on the beach with a beer to watch the sunset
over the
lagoon.
The
colours
were
beautiful:
red and
intense
orange.
In the evening we went to the Intercontinental Hotel, a 5 minute
walk from
ours, to
see a
Polynesian
dance
show. We
sat in the
bar
with a
beer and
watched
the entertaining
and
colourful show.
The
Polynesian
dance
movements
are quite
similar to
the hip
movements
in
oriental
dance,
only their
skirts
are
not
covered
in
coins
but
feathers!
 |
 |
 |
| Our pension at
Matira
Point |
The girls
doing
their
homework
on
the
beach:
it's
a
hard
life! |
The sunset
from
Matira
Point |
6 Mai: Bora Bora to Rangiroa
The truck, Polynesian equivalent of a
bus, was booked to
pick us up
at 9:30am,
direction
the
airport.
Beforehand
Jenny went
to do a
spot of
shopping
whilst
Gaelle
worked on
the
imperfect
tense of
verbs
ending in
"er" and
Sophie
did
some
additions
and
subtractions.
The 25
minute
ferry ride
from the
port in
Vaitape to
the
airport's
muto was
nice. The
colours
of
the
lagoon
are
stunning.
The ATR72
left Bora
Bora at
11:30, 20
minutes
late,
direction
Rangiroa
in the
Tuamotu
islands.
The
approach
was
beautiful;
we had a
lovely
view over
the atoll
which
is consists
of coral
formed
around a
long gone
volcanic
island.
The atoll
of
Rangiroa
looks like
a dotted
oval line
of
coral
with
an
immense
lagoon
in
the
middle,
measuring
60 odd
kilometres
across.
The owner
of the
pension
"Chez
Olga"
drove us
in
her big
4WD to our
bungalow
situated
right on
the edge
of the
lagoon.
The
fashion to
own a big
and fuel
hungry 4WD
is
followed
even
here;
difficult
to justify
such
expense
when the
highest
point
on
the
atoll
is 5m
above
sea
level
and
the
one
and
only
road
is
10km
long!
One
would
think that
the
inhabitants
of the
atoll
would
be a
bit
more concerned by
global
warming
and make
an
effort to
be more
ecologically
friendly...
Once we were settled in our bungalow which is basic but
functional
(kitchenette,
shower
room, and
a room
under the
roof for
the
kids
to
sleep
in),
we
started
to
explore
the lagoon
in front
of
the
bungalow
with our
masks and
tubas.
There was
a nice
variety of
fish
but
the
coral,
as
elsewhere
in
Polynesia,
was
nothing
special.
Afterwards
we took
two kayaks
lent to us
by Olga to
explore
further
afield
in
the
lagoon,
leaving
behind us
our noisy
neighbours:
a
group of
blokes
have just
arrived
from
Papeete to
partake in
a
pirogue
race at
the
weekend.
They've
taken over
the garden
with
their
numerous
pirogues
and
plugged in
their
stereo.
When we
saw the
number
of
crates
of
beer
they
brought
with them,
we began
to
forecast
animated
evenings
ahead...
The return journey in our kayaks was a bit of an ordeal because
the bad
weather
was
drawing
close, the
waves
began to
lap over
the
kayak
and
Jenny's
kayak
started to
fill with
water. Are
all our
kayaks
cursed?! Back
at our
bungalow
we enjoyed
the
coconuts
that
we
collected
at the
beach and
we ate a
generous
serving of
pasta on
the
terrace,
whilst the
torrential
rain
pounded on
the
roof.
 |
 |
 |
| Snorkelling in
Rangiroa |
Our bungalow
at
Olga's |
The view over
the
lagoon from
the
terrace
of
our
bungalow |
7 Apr: Rangiroa
We had reserved a dive in the well known Tiputa Pass
this
morning
and Olga
had kindly
offered to
look after
the girls
for us as
the
dive
centre
wouldn't
allow them
to come
out on the
boat with
us. We
had
high
hopes
of
seeing
manta rays
and
sharks, as
the Tiputa
Pass
is a
mythical
dive site.
We saw 2
turtles, a
dolphin
and three
Napoleons
(Humphead
Maori
Wrasse).
We were
disappointed
by the
lack
of
big
fish
and
in
particular
not to
have seen
any rays
or
sharks...
In the afternoon we returned to the pass with the dive centre for
a
snorkelling
outing
with the
girls.
Dolphins,
manta rays
and sharks
were on
the
agenda. we
were
accompanied
by Pierre
who we'd
dived with
in the
morning
and
his 8
year
daughter,
Chloé. The
girls got
on like a
house on
fire! We
saw
a few
dolphin
fins but
the usual
school
of
dolphins
playing in
the waves
of the
pass was
mysteriously
absent,
the manta
rays didn't
make an
appearance
and we saw
only one
solitary
grey
shark...
Even the
dive
instructor
was
embarrassed
by the
lack of
marine
life and
offered to
take us
all
back
out
on a
trip
the
following
day to
make up
for the
lack of
animals.
Maybe it
was the
full moon
that made
the marine
life shy,
or
maybe
they've
all gone
away for
the long
weekend.
Whatever
the
reason,
fingers
crossed
that
tomorrow
will be
more
fruitful!
 |
 |
| On the
pneumatic
dive
boat
for
a
snorkelling
tour |
The solitary
grey
shark
we
spotted |
8 May: Kia Ora in Rangiroa
The Kia Ora shuttle bus came to pick us up from Chez Olga at
10:30. We
were
warmly
welcomed
at the
hotel with
a necklace
of
flowers
and a
glass of
fruit
juice. The
room
wasn't
ready so
François
took the
girls to
the pool
and Jenny
ordered a
pick up
service
to
go to
Gauguin's
pearl farm
and shop.
There was
a vast
choice
of
pearls
all
classified
by size
and
quality.
My
objective
was
to
buy four
pearls,
for a ring
and a pair
of
earrings,
without
breaking
the bank!
It's hard
to choose
when
there's so
much
choice
in
terms
of
colour
and
quality
and even
shape. I
finally
made
my
selection
with
the aid
of a
helpful
sales
lady: an
intense
bottle
green and
aubergine
pearl for
a future
ring and
two
lighter
green
pearls which
they
pierced
for me and
mounted
with white
gold
studs.
François and the girls spent their time in the pool of the hotel
and Chloé,
Pierre and
mum
Christine
came to
join us
for lunch
at the
hotel.
At
2pm we
returned
to the
dive
centre,
next to
the hotel
for
another
snorkelling
trip with
Chloé in
tow.
Pierre and
Christine,
liberated, were
happy to
be able to
dive
together
for
once!
We started by hunting down the manta rays without success... but
outside of
the pass
our luck
changed
and we
snorkelled
with
several
dolphins
which swam
by, a
metre or
so from
us. We
jumped
back in
the
boat
and
caught
up
with
the
dolphins
for a
second
dip. When
the
dolphins
left, a
group of
grey
sharks
came up
from the
depths to
investigate.
We had
between 20
and 30
1.5-2
metre
sharks
swimming
about
5
metres
below us.
The sight
was
stunning -
it's quite
unusual
to
see so
many
sharks at
once. Our
luck
fortunately
seemed to
have
changed!
Next we
drifted
down the
pass from
the ocean
into the
lagoon
in
the
strong
inward
currents
and
spotted a
young
white tip
shark
on
the
way.
Then
another
snorkel in
the
current
past the
motu
in
the
pass
where
we
saw 2
turtles
and
a
final
snorkel
where
we
spotted two
black tip
and one
white tip
shark as
well
as a
barracuda.
A great
afternoon!
We returned to the hotel for a dip in the jacuzzi outside the
bungalow,
which
regrettably
was too
chilly, so
we
returned
to the
pool
with
Chloé
for
a
swim. It
was so
nice
sitting on
the edge
of the
pool
overlooking
the
lagoon,
watching
the
sunset and
sipping a
Pina
Colada!
Paradise
must be
something
like this!
Pierre and
Christine
came to
join us
for a
cocktail
at the bar
which
is
built
on
stilts
over
the
lagoon.
We
exchanged
contact
details
and
promised
we'd
contact
them when
we get
around to
visiting
Bordeaux.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner in the hotel's restaurant. The girls
were tired
out after
all the
day's
sport and
Sophie
fell
asleep in
her
chair
after
meal. A
super day
for
everyone!
 |
 |
 |
| Our beach
bungalow
suite! |
Sophie, Chloé,
Gaelle
and
Jenny
ready to
snorkel |
A Pina Colado
at
sunset! |
 |
 |
 |
| Gaelle and
Mum |
Sophie and
Dad |
Sophie after a
long
day... |
9 May: Return to Pepeete
We were able to take advantage of the pool after breakfast until
11am. We
then had
to leave
the Kia
Ora
for our
flight
back to
Pepeete.
We rented
a Fait
Panda at
the
airport
and drove
to "Chez
Armelle"
the B&B
we'd
reserved
on the
beach. We
couldn't
have
had
more
of a
contrast
with our
suite of
the
previous
night!
We
decided
to
visit
the
museum
of
Tahiti
in
Papeete,
which had
a few
interesting
displays
but which
is in
desperate
need of a
bit of a
facelift!
Then we
returned
to
our B&B
to watch
the sunset
on the
beach.
After dinner on the terrace we drove to the Intercontinental
Hotel to
watch the
weekly
Polynesian
dance
show. We
had good
seats
in
the bar
overlooking
the scene
and we all
thoroughly
enjoyed
the
professional
performance;
it lasted
for about
45 minutes
and there
was
a
troop
of about
30 dancers
dressed in
beautiful
costumes.
Sophie
was
so
exhausted
that she
fell
asleep
again on
my lap before
the show
had
finished.
Gaelle was
still as
bright as
a button
at the
end
of the
performance,
she even
went on
stage to
have her
picture
taken
with
the
dancers!
 |
 |
 |
| Rangiroa atol
from
the
air |
Polynesian
dance
show |
Gaelle with
the
sweaty
male
dancers! |
10 May: Papeete
We were surprised to have to wash and dry the breakfast dishes
after
breakfast
at the
B&B -
it's
amazing
how we can
adapt from
a 5 star
hotel one
day to
a grotty B&B
that we
wouldn't
set foot
in back in
France!
We started the day off by returning to the Arahurahu
Marae. We
were
luckier
this time
as we were
able to
visit the
ruins before it
started to
rain! We
then
headed to
Papeete to
have a
look around the
town and
in
particular
at the
cathedral
and port.
We had to run for
cover a
couple of
times to
avoid the
pouring
rain...
Next we drove
further
north to
Point
Venus to
see the
lighthouse.
The girls fell
asleep in
the car on
the way
and had a
nap in
preparation
for the
long night
ahead. As
the
weather
was uncertain
we decided
to skip
the
waterfalls
and took
shelter in
a cinema
instead. We
saw a
kid's
animation
film
"Monsters
and
Aliens"
which the kids loved
and dare I
say, even
the
parents
enjoyed!
We then headed to Jaqueline and Christian's who had kindly
invited us
back for
dinner
before our
flight to
Easter
Island. We
spent a
very
enjoyable
evening
with them,
before
leaving Papette on
the 00:30
flight for
Easter I
sland.
 |
 |
 |
| The Arahurahu
Marae |
Gaelle and
Jenny |
At the
Arahurahu
Marae |
BACK
| 
