Big Waves, Happy Faces

The Society Islands Part 1- Tahiti, Moorea

https://www.oceansfive.net/societyislands

On our way to Tahiti, we are told there’s no space for us at the dock. Ugh. A short while later we are advised to head to a space at the super yacht dock. Oh, fancy! There’s a more cautious approach to this marina because it’s near the airport. We have to wait for airport clearance to pass and then proceed to the marina. This is a tricky marina to dock. All the boats have to pull in stern-to the dock. Then divers from the marina come and set ground lines off Jolie’s bow that tie to cement blocks at the sea floor. This keeps the boats from having to use their anchors to hold the bow stable. There’s quite a swell causing lots of movement between the boats, making the ground lines especially important. And, making it especially tricky to step off the passerelle onto the dock. A passerelle is like a fancy gangplank which extends off the stern of the boat so you can step onto the dock. Sounds simple enough. However, when the boat’s shifting up and down and side to side, along with the tide changes, and throw a couple drinks in the mix, or big grocery bags, it can be challenging. I can’t help but think one day I may end up in the watery stew below….

For as long as we can remember, we’ve heard of Tahiti as one of the most exotic, gorgeous, honeymoon-caliber destinations in the world. Expectations are high. At first we’re excited to be back in civilisation! Big grocery stores! Clothing stores! Restaurants! Boat professionals and parts! Hooray!! Because we’re close to the largest city, Papeete, the excitement quickly gives way to frustrations with lots of traffic, noise, people with drug issues in the downtown area making it not that safe to walk around, etc. The bigger city issues you find in any city. The island itself is beautiful, but not more-so than the islands we’ve been.

Our first visit, about 5 days, to the dock in Tahiti is primarily working on the boat, shopping and a day of driving to the other side of the island to see the big waves at Teahupo’o. Rob thoughtfully stays on the boat to meet with the freezer tech, knowing Calvin is a big surf fan and has talked about this famous wave. Calvin, Ellie, James and I drive the hour and a half to the southern part of the island. Once outside of the Papeete area, the island is fairly unpopulated and poor. The small town of Teahupo’o revolves around this famous wave. Because of the large south swell recently, some of the most famous surfers in the world have flocked to the area. The swell peaked a couple days before, thus the waves aren’t quite as enormous the day we lay our eyes upon it. We catch Coco’s taxi boat out to observe the wave and surfers at a closer angle. Our driver backs us up to the end of the wave, very close to the waves themselves (a little unnerving - the driver jockeys us closer in and then further away if the wave comes crashing closer to us.) There are only 3 or 4 surfers - some from the Japanese Olympic team - and their jet skier rescuers who zoom in to retrieve them if they fall and are unable to exit before the next thundering wave. Whoa, the power of the waves and the large pipe they create is an awesome event to witness close up. Even the sound is intimidating - like a deep roar. The mist after the break soaks us. Exhilarating to behold. And then to watch the fearless surfers paddle rigorously to time catching and riding one of these beasts, then come shooting triumphantly through the end of the pipe, even when we thought they must have fallen. After rocketing through, one of the Japanese surfers celebrates near our boat with a back flip off his board and a giant smile across his face when he breaks through the surface of the water, obviously delighted with his ride. I can’t imagine joyfully jumping in the water with these monster waves knowing confidently that I could master them. Must be a cool feeling.

On Friday, May 17th, we happily leave the dock and head over to Moorea, which is easily visible, about 70 miles east of Tahiti. We anchor, along with most of the other OWR boats, in Opunohu Bay. A lush, beautiful bay dotted with a few small homes along the shoreline. This bay was originally owned for many years by Medford Kellum, who sold the bay to the government for $1 on the condition that no hotels/resorts were ever built in there. The result is a lovely anchorage surrounded by beautiful forest and green mountains. Only one restaurant sits on the shore by the small dock. A beautiful, recently renovated, museum sits at the apex of the deep bay. This is where we’ll have the Moorea Oyster dinner Saturday evening. Many other events have been organized for us this weekend by the locals through the Tahitian Historical Society, which is housed in the old Kellum House. We begin the festivities on Saturday morning at the Kellum House with a dance by the local boys and girls. The boys dance first and in true boys-from-all-over-the-world fashion, are a combination of boys taking it seriously, and others giggling and yucking it up. Then the girls turn… And they take it much more seriously, the younger ones watching the older and trying to get every move right. Very sweet, earnest faces with flower halos on their heads. We are then lead across the street into the Kellum Estate gardens where we partake in a treasure hunt with the kids. The local kids and the rally kids run madly around the gardens searching for clues, with some guidance by the adults. Later that day, we have three local kids, along with the mom of the youngest, on board Jolie. We show them around the boat and then jump in the water and they play on the paddle boards and toss a ball with us. They speak only French, so communication is a bit limited, but we still really enjoy the time with them. They’re really polite kids and happily accept our gifts of pens, pencils and lollipops.

That evening, we enjoy seeing everyone at the dinner party and catching up on adventures. We’re given tours of their contemporary museum facility, then cocktails and food on the terrace. The night concludes with drummers and fire dancers in the garden below the terrace. And, unfortunately, James lodged his drone into a tree above the fire dancers. A local jumped to assist and hacked down the tree so he could retrieve it!

More activities are planned for Sunday morning. We meet at 9:00 for the outrigger kayak race. Each kayak must have 5 rowers, plus a local at the back who will maneuver the kayak. For those of us who only have 4 rowers, they add a local as the fifth. There are roughly 20 kayaks competing from amongst the OW Rally, so quite an enthusiastic turn out. We compete in heats of 4 kayaks at a time. We’re in the first heat. When the race starts, I’m shocked by the power of the rowers behind me (I’m in the front position), driven hard by the local. What I thought would be a fun row, suddenly feels like a fierce competition(and yeah, Rob and Calvin are a bit competitive at times). We find we’re all rowing as fast and hard as we possibly can, thinking that once we make it to the marker, the race is over. We stop rowing, breathing hard. The local in the back shouts we still have to row back to the start! Once again, we row like maniacs, pulling out front and winning our heat. So fun! But so exhausting. That’s when we learn we have to compete again because we won our heat. Ha! After all the other kayaks have competed, the four winners of their heats line up. Serafina, Mexican Wave, Altaia and us scramble, rowing hard. As we turn around the marker, our local person steering us, strategically cuts off Altaia. We push hard stretching for the finish line - I can hear the grunting behind me - and we surprise ourselves by winning! Fun way to start a great day! The race is followed by an impressive Polynesian lunch, additional games (coconut cracking, tug-of-war, rock lifting and fruit carrying). The finale is an impressive dance performed by the locals to the big Polynesian drums.

Rob and I ducked out after lunch. We’d rented an adorable Polynesian bungalow on the beach and were excited to have a little time to ourselves. We were a little bummed to miss out on the festivities, but were easily lured away with the idea of some alone time.

Our time at Temae Beach at the Ti Hina Vai bungalow was lovely. We were directly on the beach with a private garden separating us from the beach and the owners who lived next door. Two turquoise Adirondack chairs rested on the back porch, and a cafe table with two chairs sat under the tree in the back. There was even a little platform built up in the tree which provided an unimpeded view of the ocean. This part of the shoreline doesn’t have a barrier reef way out in the distance. Instead, the waves crashed near the beach, more like we see in Florida, creating a wonderful background sound. However, the beach has very little sand. Chunks of broken, beautiful coral fragments line the water. It’s difficult to walk on, but still gorgeous. There are many dogs in the area, all quite friendly. A gang of 5 or 6 of them meet on the beach each evening (no owner in sight) and run after birds that land on the coral. They may be the happiest dogs we’ve ever seen!

The next morning, we enjoy coffee out at our little table, watching the sun rise. Meanwhile, Calvin and Ellie have a rough crossing moving Jolie from Moorea back to the dock in Tahiti for some essential work. We’ll join them in a couple of days. We rent a manual Ford which Rob hates because it’s really difficult to shift into reverse. Shifting into reverse is always accompanied by a bit of cussing. After researching hiking trails, we decide to hike up the 3 Coconuts Trail. We pass through dense forest, occasionally through ancient ruins and encounter a fair number of wild jungle chickens. The trail is longer than anticipated and after a couple hours, we run out of water, as well as develop a bit of an appetite. We joke about how great it would be if we came across a little snack bar. Lo and behold, at the Belvedere Lookout, there’s a little food truck! We are delighted to get drinks and a couple greasy croque monsieur’s to sustain us through the rest of the hike. Happy to return to our bungalow, we make dinner as we watch the sunset. Watching and listening to the waves crash is comforting. The ocean is such an integral part of our lives at this point. Constant, really. If we’re not on it or in it, we can see it or hear it. As powerful, sometimes scary as it is, it’s also kind of like a respected old friend. We enjoy the next day driving around the island, shopping and snorkeling by the Sofitel Hotel. We pop on the ferry to Tahiti the following afternoon and return to Jolie at the dock. Calvin and Ellie’s turn to take some time off at an air bnb. We spend the next few days working on the boat, provisioning, shopping and spending evenings with friends at the local restaurants. Mostly, we’re excited to receive the part necessary for the water maker. Will, from US Oyster in Newport, was the only person who could locate the part. He brought it with him to Tahiti. This is one of the times we really appreciate having the Oyster support.

Rob’s sister, Amanda, joins us on May 25th. She flies from Hawaii, about 6 hours. Hawaii is in the same time zone as Tahiti, making the transition easier for her. We pick her up at the airport in the evening. Airports are an interesting place to people watch. And this one is no different. Everyone enters the arrival area from the plane with at least 3 large suitcases. They’re greeted by loved ones with hugs and flower leis. One tiny, elderly Polynesian woman in a wheelchair is lovingly received by children and grandchildren, each with flowers for around her neck and on her head…To the point her crinkly eyes and broad smile are barely visible between the mound of flowers below and above. It’s a pleasure to witness their loving culture.

We’re really excited to have Amanda with us. Not only her fun, easy manner, but she’s also an accomplished free diver and underwater photographer. Always ready to pop into the water and see what there is to see, she fits right in with our love of underwater exploration. The following morning, we finish up preparing to leave the dock - Rob returns the rental car, Calvin goes up the mast to tape the halyard and we finish up the other preparations for departure. The plan is to spend the day over in Moorea, then leave after dark for the 12 hour night sail to the Society Islands. Unfortunately, the seas are a bit rolly and rough - not the best for Amanda’s first night sail. We always plan to arrive at a new destination during daylight to be able to properly anchor without damaging coral or the boat. Thus night sailing is often warranted. We’re looking forward to the Society Islands - the first stop with be Huahine…