Port – Brought up to Anchor about 07:30
After a short 160 mls steaming from Papeete, we were awakened by the tender preparation, one of which is directly below us. With a cabin above the tenders, the neighbours are quiet, but you can experience a little banging before tender ports – minor inconvenience in the overall experience. Today we signed up for the “Included” excursion, thoroughly enjoying a brilliant cruise around Bora Bora.
After lunch, I headed back ashore about 15:00 for the final walking tour of the day. This was this port’s included tour, comprising a 2-hour guided walk around downtown Papeete.
Baby 4×4 Mazda Truck
With an overnight and full day in Papeete, we signed up for the AM 4×4 excursion to the volcano caldera and rain forest. We have completed tours around the island on previous visits, so this time we fancied a trip to the interior.
This excursion definitely did NOT disappoint, being way above our expectations.
One of the highlights of visiting Papeete aboard a cruise ship is the performance by a local dance troupe, performing traditional Polynesian music and dancing. We queued for over 1/2 hr to ensure we scored seats in the Theatre, and the performance by “O Tahiti E” did not disappoint.
Enjoy the photos from the show.
Kayaks arriving at harbour entrance at same time as Viking Sun
Today is a mixture of sea day and port day, as we dock in Papeete, at the North end of Tahiti by 18:00. The later arrival guarantees an overnight in port and that no early morning is required to watch the arrival.
Read on to learn about our first sea/port day.
Taiohae Bay Panorama
Our first port of call after 8 sea days and about 3,000 miles, since departure Los Angeles. The islanders are in the initial stages of developing a tourist industry, so at present have minimal infrastructure in place,especially for cruise ship visits on a Sunday. They only receive about a dozen cruise ship visits per year.
Read on for a description of the island, some history and our walking tour of the bay.
Land Ahoy! 3,000 mls since L/A – first land sighted
Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands – French Polynesia
Scheduled Arrival – 08:00
Anchored – 07:20
Our final tender port of the 2015 World Cruise. On entering the lagoon we splashed the anchor, swinging around the pick, a short distance offshore from the main Bora Bora island. Although only a short 2 hours, our tour today was very similar to yesterday, being a scenic drive around the island, with a few stops at points of interest.
Bora Bora – 08:00 to 17:00
After a relatively short jog of about 150 miles through the night we arrived at Bora Bora, another island of French Polynesia. Entering the single narrow channel in the outer barrier reef, we anchored in the bay off the town of Vaitape, commencing tendering operations shortly after 08:00. This morning we completed a two hour circle island tour and with very little on the shore, in the vicinity of the ship, we returned aboard, spending a pleasant quiet afternoon. However, the highlight of the day was spotting the fins of a couple of whales, during the departure. Our 3rd whale sighting.
As we returned from the tour, we noted the Polynesian dancers and drummers on the dock, waiting to board the vessel. Fortunately, I remembered the show and cancelled my plans for taking a walk around the downtown area in the vicinity of the ship. Having been to all the Hawaiian Islands numerous times, we always attend a Luau, so we were interested in comparing both the costumes and dancing.
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