Gallivanting Grandma

October 6, 2017

The ship stayed overnight at the dock in Papeete, Tahiti then left very early in the morning to anchor near the neighboring island of Mo’orea in the French Polynesian chain. The Golden Princess slowly approached the butterfly-shaped island at sunrise and set anchor in one of the protected harbors.  We were told that Mo’orea means “yellow lizard” in the Tahitian language.

Several people said Mo’orea was the island that inspired the paradise legend of Bali ‘Hai in the story of South Pacific. As the ship’s tender drew closer to the island, we saw the jagged mountains carpeted with lush green foliage. A woman carried a huge freshly caught fish along the tender dock:

Jeff and I signed up for a photographic excursion to see several scenic locations on the island.  Our small group of 15 people boarded two 4X4 vehicles and we set out to explore.  Our first stop was an exquisitely beautiful white-sand beach.

The Golden Princess floated peacefully at anchor while we took pictures.

We drove to a botanical garden to photograph beautiful tropical plants and flowers. There was also a greenhouse where vanilla plants were growing.  The guide said vanilla was very difficult to grow.  At a small cafe in the gardens, we sampled jams made from a variety of fruits.

We drove along and admired the beautiful scenery.  Coconuts, mangoes, pineapples, breadfruit, papayas, bananas and other fruits grow all over the tropical island.  We held on tightly as our 4X4 vehicle climbed a steep mountain to get a good view.

Mo’orea is an extinct volcano and the sides of the mountains are the sides of the original caldera.  As we stood on top of the mountain we could see the magnitude of the volcano all around us.  After a few hours, we returned to the tender dock.

The local people set up a market for the cruise ship passengers to buy souvenirs and trinkets.  One enterprising woman cut a hole in the top of fresh chilled coconuts and inserted a straw for drinking.  The coconut milk was cold and refreshing.  If a purchaser brought the coconut back to the woman, she removed the coconut meat with a special tool so we could eat it easily.

The locals dressed in beautiful floral print garments.  I took a photo of a young woman looking at her cell phone in the shade of a palm tree.  Many Tahitians wore interesting tattoos.

We reluctantly returned to the ship, after falling in love with Mo’orea.  It was the most incredibly beautiful place we had ever seen in our lives. On board the Golden Princess, we went to the aft deck to have our final views of the island.

Jeff and I sat on lounge chairs as the ship maneuvered through the coral reefs surrounding Mo’orea.  We watched the island fade away as the sun set on the Pacific.  It was an unforgettable experience to visit the island.

October 5, 2018

When I was a kid growing up in Manhattan, my brother and I used to watch a show called Adventures in Paradise on black & white television.  It featured Gardner McKay sailing a beautiful wooden sloop around the South Pacific Islands.  There were scenes of magnificent lush tropical islands, beaches, and lagoons – all in black and white!  So, I’ve wanted to visit Tahiti and the Polynesian Islands and see them in color ever since…..

I have to admit that it was very exciting to see land after being at sea of 5 days and 6 nights.  In the brilliant sunshine and cloudless sky, the water was an amazing shade of blue. The ship steamed ahead toward the million year old volcanic island of Tahiti.

We went out to the bow of the Golden Princess to watch her thread her way through the narrow space between channel markers.  It looked like the ship was wider than the distance between the buoys.

With the assistance of several tugboats, the behemoth crept into the commercial harbor and docked at the pier in the center of Papeete, Tahiti.

A group of Tahitian musicians greeted us on the dock:

Of course, Papeete was much more developed with modern buildings and heavy traffic on the streets.  It didn’t look at all like the “Paradise” of my childhood television images. But it was warm and tropical and covered with flowers and pam trees.

We signed up for an excursion so we could see a little more of the island than just the capital city. Our guide, Sally, was a middle-aged Australian woman who visited the island for “a couple of days” thirty-one years ago, “and never left.”

We visited the lighthouse which was designed by Robert Louis Stevenson’s father and also saw the monument dedicated to Captain Cook erected on Venus Point.  The beautiful tropical volcanic island had black sand beaches and clear blue water.  Huge billowing clouds covered and uncovered the mountains all day.

Back in town, we had a delicious lunch of fresh fish at a sidewalk cafe called Le Retro.  Later we found the post office to mail postcards and we explored Papeete.  A large covered market sold fresh produce to locals and had souvenirs for tourists.

The Golden Princess stayed in Papeete overnight because our next port of call was the island of Mo’orea, just 12 miles away.  We were scheduled to leave at 5:30 AM so the passengers and crew made the most of their time in port.

The sun set over the commercial port with the mountains of Mo’orea in the distance.

After dark, about a dozen food trucks set up in the parking lot just behind the ship.  They set up folding tables and plastic stools and sold crepes, pizza, chow-mein, fish, burgers, fries, etc.  Loud music helped give a party atmosphere as passengers joined local Tahitian families for an lovely outdoor supper.

It took 60 years, but I finally made it to Tahiti – an adventure in paradise!!!