My Review / Suggestions

Still following and still enjoying the beautiful pictures and info! ;)

Loved the pictures of the artist's studio - what an exciting burst of colour.

Melanie has a beautiful portrait of a child on her Facebook page. Thanks for the link.

Loved the pictures of the artist's studio - what an exciting burst of colour.

 

Melanie has a beautiful portrait of a child on her Facebook page. Thanks for the link.

Yes .... if your driving around make sure you stop by her place, well worth the visit.

Still following and still enjoying the beautiful pictures and info! ;)

Thanks Karen ....

Lets move on .... getting close to being done on Huahine. Soon to start on Motu Mahana.

As you head back toward Fare the road is good and you never know what you might see ... how about a telephone booth :0

Between Fare and the bridge that separates Nui and Iti the scenery is beautiful.

Once you get to the east side of Iti the panoramic views are stunning ...

Then back to the ship for the 'Kids of Huahine' show ....

The 'Kids of Huahine' Show starts around 4 pm and it is one of my favorite things to photograph while on a Paul Gauguin cruise. Every year it is a different group of children .... all filled with joy and Polynesian charm ....

Then as the dancing progresses you know that moment of embarrassment is soon to follow .... in this case the three teenage boys picked out a beautiful teenage girl .... but I think they bit off more than they could handle as this young lady could move Polynesian style ... great fun!

Then when you think it's over the Polynesian girls go out to the audience that place head dresses on the heads of people ....

Doesn't get any better than this ....

Off to church, I'll add the conclusion of Huahine later today .... then on to Motu Mahana :)

As you leave Huahine you pass a local landmark ... Hiro's 'junk'. Yes that is what it is called but a bit more colorful .....

Then out of the lagoon as the sun sets .... nothing better than South Pacific sunsets ...

Taken from the pool deck ...

Next up when I'm ready to continue will be Motu Mahana and the lagoon around Tahaa :)

Tahitianbigkahuna, what a great review. Fantastic photographs. As I have read your review I started taking notes for our next trip. We have sailed to Tahiti three times and you have pointed out so much we have not seen. Thank you!

Tahitianbigkahuna, what a great review. Fantastic photographs. As I have read your review I started taking notes for our next trip. We have sailed to Tahiti three times and you have pointed out so much we have not seen. Thank you!

Anyone who calls themselves "bubba" is alright in my book .... glad I can help.

And we continue ....

I'm going to stick with the 7 day itinerary first and then we'll add the Cook Islands and then the Atolls ... so next up is Motu Mahana.

When approaching the south pass entering the lagoon of Tahaa and Raiatea it can be a fun ride and dramatic. Usually the wind is blowing with some white caps across the surface.

The weather can change in an instant ...

Sometimes the dolphins come out and greet you as the PG comes through the reef ....

And then the weather can clear up as fast as it came upon you ...

Looking back towar Raiatea as we went by the church ...

BTW, the new pool deck furnishings are nice, very nice!

Incredible photos! Thank you so much for the detail. Amazing you could capture the dolphin - looks like a post card! THANK YOU!

So let us continue ...

As you pass the church on your right you will want to go over to the other side of the ship for what I think is one of the most stunning compositions ....

Mount Otemanu on Bora Bora continues to get larger and larger as the ship continues on toward Motu Mahana. Mount Otemanu is 14 miles away but it is bigger than life, a perfect postcard opportunity.

Then a rainbow appears out of nowhere .... magical

The Le Tahaa resort appears. This is a significant picture to enjoy as the drift snorkel offered by PG is located between the two motus in this picture. Yup ... you get some of the best snorkeling with Mount Otemanu as the backdrop .... one of my BH's favorite things to do ....

As the PG continues toward Motu Mahana you will pass by a few black pearl farms in the foreground all while enjoying the fabulous view of Mount Otemanu.

Then run back over to the other side of the ship .....

A timely post, TBK, as I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms!

Lets continue ....

As mentioned go to the right side of the ship .... Several homes stretch along the shore of Tahaa which are interesting ...

Then as the ship starts to slow you know your arriving at Motu Mahana. If you go to the reef side of the ship you will notice a motu with a new wharf .... Motu Mahana!

Usually the PG arrives around 8 am but no tendering will take place until around 10 am as the crew needs to make preparations. Watching the crew work as a team is fun to watch, you know this is a well oiled machine at work. And just before the first tender heads over the final touches are being made on the famous floating bar .....

Finally yuor on the tender approching Motu Mahana .... only to be greeted by a Polynesian god ....

The blowing of the conch may soon follow marking your arrival ....

You hop off the tender, you know you've arrived at paradise ....

The Gauguins and Gauguines are there .... your senses go on overload as Polynesian music fills the air ....

Yup .... it's this good ans you haven't even gotten off the wharf ....

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. We are about 6 weeks away from our first trip and are so excited. The picture with the church is stunning! Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to read and see more.

Karen

I've been reading and hoping that you would get to the Cook Islands before we leave for our cruise this coming week. We spent a week on Bora Bora and a week on Moorea back in 1995, and took our first ever cruise on the Paul Gauguin to the Society Islands and the Marquesas last winter. It was a supposed to be a once in a lifetime cruise, but we booked onboard for next week's cruise because we loved it so much. This time we're staying at the Tahiti IC the night before the cruise, and 2 nights after so your info on that was very helpful. After arriving at 6 AM, we'll be there on Friday night and will try take a nap in the afternoon so we don't miss the show. The information on Huahine was also very helpful to us. Last winter we did the day at the beach. The hotel was very nice, and not crowded at all. It turned out that a couple we met at LAX and spent some time with on board were the only other people on that excursion so we had a great time, and the included lunch was delicious. This time we booked the 4x4 to Huahine Iti so we hope to see those beautiful views in your posts.

Please keep this going. I've read the other thread as well, and it has some very detailed info for a first timer, such as menus. But you have the experience that those of us who have been there once or twice before are looking for. We don't want to miss the best of any of these islands. Thank you so much for all your work. It is appreciated.

OK .......... detour time. I'll continue on Motu Mahana after we return from the Cooks ;)

Let me start with the sea day between the Society Islands and the Cooks. This is a great time to take in the guest host as they usually do their presentations on sea days.

Another thing ... get up early and enjoy the sunrise and of course be on deck at sunset as it is usually magical. Some of the very best sunrises/sunsets I've enjoyed have been on the sea days between the islands. I'm going to use links here so you can view in a larger format.

Here is the sunrise on the sea day from one trip ....

https://photos.smugmug.com/South-Pacific-Photography/i-qP5psRt/0/423fb113/X2/somewhere%20between%20Rarotonga%20and%20Bora%20Bora%20%281%20of%201%29-X2.jpg

Another sea day sunrise from a different trip ...

https://photos.smugmug.com/South-Pacific-Photography/i-8mGd3JF/0/5a2cc6ad/X2/sunrise%20%281%20of%201%29-X2.jpg

And yet another sunrise from another trip ...

https://photos.smugmug.com/South-Pacific-Photography/i-R7t5pGk/0/01551a4d/X2/Sea%20Day%201%20-%20sunrise%206-45%20am%202%20%281%20of%201%29-X2.jpg

I'll share some sunsets tomorrow morning and start in on Rarotonga and Aitutaki. FYI, we've been to the Cook's seven times. Four by cruise (Priness once, three times on the PG) and 3 times we stayed at properties. I'll share some good tips and suggestions ;)

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. We are about 6 weeks away from our first trip and are so excited. The picture with the church is stunning! Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to read and see more.

 

Karen

Thanks Karen for the kind words ...

Following along as well...looking forward to your pics of Motu Mahana and the rest!!!

Wow, that first sunrise shot is spectacular with the cloud formation.

Looking forward to your info on the Cooks, we are renting a car on Rarotonga and Tekking Lagoon tour on Aitutaki.

Can't wait to go, finally less than 6 months :D.

Doug

Thank you so very much for the detour. It will be our first time to the Cook Islands and I want to make the most of it. I'll definitely be watching those sunrises at sea. I'm an early riser. Staying awake for the shows after dinner are my problem.

Following along as well...looking forward to your pics of Motu Mahana and the rest!!!

Glad your following ...

Wow, that first sunrise shot is spectacular with the cloud formation.

 

Looking forward to your info on the Cooks, we are renting a car on Rarotonga and Tekking Lagoon tour on Aitutaki.

 

 

Can't wait to go, finally less than 6 months :D.

 

Doug

Thanks Doug ... yes that sunrise was spectacular, not only the colors but the composition was nice with 3 leading lines to the subject, the sun.

Thank you so very much for the detour. It will be our first time to the Cook Islands and I want to make the most of it. I'll definitely be watching those sunrises at sea. I'm an early riser. Staying awake for the shows after dinner are my problem.

Your like me .... early to rise .... early to bed. Glad to make the detour for you.