June 15 2013 Society and Cook Islands review

[ALB0711]

Are you sure that is a picture of crème brulee? Sure doesn't look like it and for sure doesn't look like the desert we were served several times on the PG.

 

I think you are looking at the Risotto - my captions for the photo are a little confusing as they are above the picture, not under it. We didn't get a picture of the crème brulee - but the memory lives!

 

While I'm thinking about it, we asked for crème brulee once in the main dining room, and were told if we order it a few days in advance they can have it for us. Apparently a limited number are made based on the reservations in La Veranda and Le Grill.

[Tikiintahiti]

Ask for it when you first get on, if you want it every night like a few do they will take care of it ;)

[ALB0711]

This was my favorite port and the first time on this cruise we snorkeled and set foot on sandy motus. We only brought our old 35mm underwater camera here and ran out of film before we knew it. There were lots of things to photograph on the motus, we wish we had brought our digital camera with us as it would have been safe on the tour boats.

 

Based on cruise critic feedback, we reserved a tour with Tekking. This man is a real character; along with his co-captains named “useless” and “no-good” Tekking aka “The King” gave us a wonderful snorkeling, picnic and motu exploring tour. During a nearly one hour drift snorkel, we saw giant clams and many different fish including one really big one whose name I have forgotten. After a couple of snorkeling stops, we had a really nice lunch at a picnic area on one of the motus.

After lunch we were boated over to one foot island where we were able to walk all the way around the large motu. Tekking had a passport stamp for one foot island which he used to stamp passports, body parts or anything else you might need stamped. We were disappointed because I had forgotten about the stamp and didn’t retrieve our passports from the ship before going out for the day. Passengers on other tours asked their guide for a stamp but were told they didn’t have them. I’m not sure if passport stamping is just something Tekking does, or if other tour operators also stamp.

 

 

Tekking’s boats are clean and fast, he knows his island and insures his passengers have a great time. Ask him for one of the cool triangle shaped NZ $2 coins, they make a nice souvenir. Tekking did take two walk up passengers who had met us boarding the tender and wanted to know what they should do on Aitutaki, they followed us to Tekking’s boats and he was able to accommodate them. I’d strongly suggest a reservation, as I’m pretty sure they were the last 2 he could take.

 

 

Interesting note about Aitutaki, while on one foot island on a small sandbar we found a really friendly local cat strutting around who wanted to be petted by all of the passing tourists. Later that day someone commented that they hadn’t seen any dogs. Our bus driver told us an island king in the past decided he didn’t want dogs on his island and to this day Aitutaki is dog free. No wonder the cats here are so friendly.

 

While boarding the tender back to the ship, a passenger who had been injured riding a scooter was loaded on our tender. She was met by the ship’s doctor when we re-boarded. The next morning we saw the same passenger being offloaded at Rarotonga strapped to a back board. The entire ship knew about the accident by this time we reached Rarotonga and we were all worried about her. We saw her partner that night and she had been returned to the ship with only serious bruising from the accident. Hearsay on the ship was that the scooter had something wrong with its’ breaks.

[NCCruzQueen]

Allen, Thanks for your posts and photos. They are getting me ready for my August 11 day Society and Cook Island cruise. I'm getting excited!!!!

[ALB0711]

Allen, Thanks for your posts and photos. They are getting me ready for my August 11 day Society and Cook Island cruise. I'm getting excited!!!!

 

Glad I can help out - we are waiting for 2015 itineraries and will hopefully go to the Marquesas next.

 

You are going to have the vacation of a lifetime!

[cruisefun27]

I have booked Tekking's for my Nov. 2 cruise to the Cook's Islands. Looks like fun and can't wait until it's my time. Keep up with the reports so I know what to look forward too. Thanks, Janine

[CruisyGirl]

Hi Allen - thanks for the wonderful review! My sweetheart and I were also on board and it's great to re-live the voyage through someone else's experience. We decided it was the best holiday we've ever had!

 

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[ALB0711]

Hi Allen - thanks for the wonderful review! My sweetheart and I were also on board and it's great to re-live the voyage through someone else's experience. We decided it was the best holiday we've ever had!

 

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Hi Cruisygirl -- I think we met on the cruise at some point? Feel free to add to the thread, would love to hear about things you did and liked.

 

 

Allen

[ALB0711]

Woke up to discover ship was going around Rarotonga, swells were still 9-10 feet and I was worried we wouldn’t be able to tender in. Eventually we got an announcement from the ship that told us that due to the high swells, we would be tendering in to Arorangi on the other side of the island instead of the main city of Avarua. We had pre-paid for a rental car in Avarua and the ship was offering to bus us from the Arorangi to Avarua for $15pp round trip. While we were quite happy we were able to make land, we felt that transportation to Avarua should have been complimentary. While in line waiting to buy the bus tickets, a very nice lady from the Cook Islands tourist bureau offered to call Avis in Avarua to see if they would pick us up at Arorangi. 15 minutes later the Avis manager arrived with our car, he drove us back to Avarua where we completed our paperwork and off we went. We were told later in the cruise by another passenger that this was the first time this tender dock had been used by the Paul Gauguin.

 

DW bravely offered to drive on the left or as the Cook Islanders say “the proper side of the road”. To insure the safety of those also on the road, we decided to keep the ocean to our left and when we had a turn to make, we would both agree which side we were going to and coming from. Our first stop was Muri beach where we had a little trouble finding a place to park in the resort area. Another nice Cook Islander directed us back to a road we had passed that led to a public parking area in a park. We walked along the beach a few hundred yards and discovered a restaurant on the beach with a large tent on the sand full of very nicely set tables. Learned later that this was the Pacific Resort and decided to have lunch here. We both ordered well prepared fish, and a side of “island fries” which consisted of Taro, Arrow Root and sweet potato served in a basked with an aioli sauce. They had a great selection of New Zealand wines and we were able to try our first ever bottle of New Zealand rose. Muri beach was a very popular place, several resorts and a lot of cruise passengers spent the day here.

 

 

After lunch we continued driving around the island where we pulled off at the abandoned and very scary looking Sheraton for a drive up to one of the waterfalls. While the coast had been very clean, the picnic area at the waterfall had overflowing trash cans, mosquitoes and just a trickle of a waterfall. We saw several people hiking up the 1-2 mile road to see the waterfall. I’m not sure I would recommend coming here in the dry season, especially on foot.

 

Somewhere between the waterfall and Arorangi we came across the perfect beach. No resorts and no crowds here. We simply parked along the road and walked down a small embankment and found our own beautiful sandy beach. If we ever make it back here, we'll probably find this beach again and spend the day here.

 

 

The Avis manager suggested we drive up to the hospital for a nice panoramic view, so we took a small detour up the hill following the signs to the hospital. The best view we found was on the left at a small pullout where a large water tank is located a short distance before entering the hospital parking lot.

 

Filled up the car at a station just before the rental agency and returned the car without a problem. The very nice Avis manager drove us back to our dock and we returned to the ship.

 

Another perfect day in paradise.

[ALB0711]

I have booked Tekking's for my Nov. 2 cruise to the Cook's Islands. Looks like fun and can't wait until it's my time. Keep up with the reports so I know what to look forward too. Thanks, Janine

 

Tekking is a man you won't forget, try and get in his boat. I'm not sure how he decides who goes in which boat, but I got the feeling those that reserve first get in his boat. His co-captains were also great, but Tekking had the personality.

[cruisefun27]

Thanks Allen, We're looking forward to it. Heard he can find someone to pick on in his boat. Hope it won't be me!! I'll make the best of it.

[ALB0711]

My wife was the designated "pickee" - and we still laugh about it. Nothing mean, just "tek-ish"!

[ALB0711]

DW and I were trying to remember what we did on our second sea day going from Rarotonga to Bora Bora. We remember sleeping in, having some pool time, going to a lecture about the geology of the islands and their lagoons and doing a little shopping in the boutique. Seas were still running 10ft and the patches were working well. It was nice to do nothing!

 

 

While thinking about doing nothing, We made a choice to completly disconnect during our cruise. we didn't sign up for the internet plan, we didn't get the little newspapers the ship prints and except for the station with the daily schedule on it, we didn't turn on the TV. While it wasn't easy to avoid the news, somehow we did it. When I reconnected my ipad to the internet at the Tahiti airport just before we boarded our flight home, the world was still there. What a relief. :rolleyes:

 

 

Our cruise critic rollcall was very small. We met Oakislandgirl on our Tekking tour but kept looking for Hrprof who shared our anniversary month and day with with us. We finally met Hrprof during the galley tour a few days later.

 

 

Tomorrow Bora Bora....

[hrprof]

We're delighted that we finally discovered each other in the galley! Spent more time together in the airport lounge and on Air Tahiti Nui! I assume you made your connection to Denver OK - we overnighted in Lax - back to Charleston the next day. We are entranced by the active schedule you maintained - you did it all! We had one unusual experience - were invited to dine with the captain in Veranda following his reception second night out. Turned out that it was the captain plus just 2 couples! BTW, we weren't invited because of our sparkling personalities - occupying an OS had something to do with it!

 

Looking forward to hearing more about your assessment of your delayed honeymoon cruise.

 

Ted and Joan

[ALB0711]

Hi Ted and Joan! Nice to hear from you. Yes we made our connection, but had to walk fast from the Bradley International terminal over to terminal 6 where United is located. Ran into some other friends we met on the cruise at the baggage claim in Denver. Their baggage didn't make it from LAX and they had to wait for the next flight to hopefully get their checked bags.

 

It was great to meet you two. Libby says hello, and if you are ever in Colorado look us up. We'll think about you every time we celebrate an anniversary.

 

Please feel free to add to the review - I have to warn you though, it has a sad ending.

[ALB0711]

Our itinerary gave us 2 days and a night in Bora Bora, and we made the most of them. Seeing Bora Bora for the first time is a dream come true, and when we tendered to shore we could hear drums and Tahitian singing coming from the performance area where the islanders were competing in their annual Polynesian festival.

 

Our morning tour was with Fabian and Reef Discovery. We took the first tender from the ship and along with 3 or 4 other couples headed out for a morning of snorkeling. We stopped at a really nice coral head where we were able to see a lot of smaller fish. Our next stop would have been an area where Manta Rays hang out, but our captain told us the water was very stirred up and visibility was low in the area near where the mantas are typically sighted. We detoured to an area with a very strong current and incredible visibility and were told to just go with the flow of the current. Here we saw a few larger fish, sting rays, eagle rays and one black tipped reef shark. The boat drifted with us and when it was time to re-board we essentially swam in place while the boat drifted to us. From here we went to an area Fabian referred to as "the aquarium" with an incredibly rich and diverse population of sea creatures in an area of thick coral. Fabian found a stone fish and was able to coax him out of his hiding place. Stone fish are very ugly, poisonous and camouflaged to look just like the coral they are hiding in. After our tour, Fabian returned us to the dock where we tendered back over to the ship for lunch.

 

That afternoon we headed to the PG Motu, which is in fact a shared Motu with a great PG beach and the wonderful bar staff there to take care of whatever you needed.

 

 

I've always wanted to go to Bloody Mary's because my late parents who visited French Polynesia several times in the 70's and 80's were lucky enough to see Jimmy Buffet perform there in 1983. The story they told me was that he performed there occasionally, and while dining one night, then owner invited them to come back the next to see Jimmy. I'm not sure they really knew who Jimmy Buffet was in 1983, but they went and took several photos and impressed Buffet Fan's with their good fortune the rest of their lives. I took their photo collection and shared it with our waitress "Mama" who brought over a few other long time employees of the restaurant. They pointed to people in the photo telling me this person is so and so and wow she was a lot younger and this other person is no longer with us and that is where the fish display one was, etc etc. They showed us how the restaurant had changed in the years following and even parts of the restaurant that were destroyed in a tycoon at some point. They also shared with me that in fact Jimmy had only played there 3 times, and that this 1983 show was his first. They didn't have any photos of the show in the restaurant, but thought there might be some on their facebook page and asked that I email the collection to them. I'm hoping I see a few on their walls next time we get to Bora Bora.

 

 

 

 

 

Bloody Mary's in 1983 with Jimmy - I think he'd had a few!

 

 

 

Bloody Mary's today with our PG friends - I KNOW we had a few!

 

We went to the restaurant with a group of friends we had been hanging out with, most of them from our nightly blackjack tournament. The ship concierge called the restaurant and they met us at the dock with a bus. The food was great, I had my first ever grilled marlin while my wife had a steamed mahi mahi that she enjoyed. The restaurant as expected had really good bloody Mary's (of course) and a nice French wine-list.

 

After dinner we were returned by bus to the dock where we watched the dancing competition with the locals. Apparently you could buy a ticket and sit in grandstand style seats or do what we did and just stand along the edges of the performance grounds and watch the show.

 

 

We took one of the last tenders back to the ship at 11PM and heard the native drums all the way across the bay. Very nice!

[J-D]

...

The Avis manager suggested we drive up to the hospital for a nice panoramic view, so we took a small detour up the hill following the signs to the hospital. The best view we found was on the left at a small pullout where a large water tank is located a short distance before entering the hospital parking lot.

 

Please excuse the intrusion into this thread. We spent a week in Rarotonga in 2011, based on the west coast "below" the hospital. The view from the water tank toward the north (toward the airport) is good. However, there is a walking trail from the hospital parking lot that goes up the ridge toward the south, and (within a few hundred yards from the hospital) provides great views of the west coast of Rarotonga. The trail is a bit rough and it was hot when I did it -- take water.

 

John

[hrprof]

Hi Ted and Joan! Nice to hear from you. Yes we made our connection, but had to walk fast from the Bradley International terminal over to terminal 6 where United is located. Ran into some other friends we met on the cruise at the baggage claim in Denver. Their baggage didn't make it from LAX and they had to wait for the next flight to hopefully get their checked bags.

 

It was great to meet you two. Libby says hello, and if you are ever in Colorado look us up. We'll think about you every time we celebrate an anniversary.

 

Please feel free to add to the review - I have to warn you though, it has a sad ending.

 

A sad ending? I hope the sadness descended solely because the journey came to an end.

[ALB0711]

Please excuse the intrusion into this thread. We spent a week in Rarotonga in 2011, based on the west coast "below" the hospital. The view from the water tank toward the north (toward the airport) is good. However, there is a walking trail from the hospital parking lot that goes up the ridge toward the south, and (within a few hundred yards from the hospital) provides great views of the west coast of Rarotonga. The trail is a bit rough and it was hot when I did it -- take water.

 

John

 

Hi John - We didn't know about the trail - we drove all the way up to the hospital parking lot hoping for a better vantage then the water tank, but didn't get out of the car to explore. Will have to try the hike next time!

[ALB0711]

A sad ending? I hope the sadness descended solely because the journey came to an end.

 

Spoiler Alert! :rolleyes:

[CruisyGirl]

Allen! You didn't write about the wonderful honeymoon/anniversary party! We celebrated our 3rd anniversary on board - and we didn't know about the celebration before we boarded. We have to thank Michael Shapiro for insisting that we attend - it was a truly magical event!

 

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[Familygoboston]

Jimmy appears to have blew out a flip flop and kneeled on a pop top- luckily for your parents he self medicated and didn't have to cruise on back home!;)

Sounds like they were delighted with your photos. Great idea to bring them!

 

Island girl- we also did the anniversary celebration- it was delightful, I want to return before my girls marry (which is hopefully several years away) and buy them each one of those beautiful wedding blankets! I had tears in my eyes thinking about what a lovely tradition that is!

[ALB0711]

Allen! You didn't write about the wonderful honeymoon/anniversary party! We celebrated our 3rd anniversary on board - and we didn't know about the celebration before we boarded. We have to thank Michael Shapiro for insisting that we attend - it was a truly magical event!

 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Forums mobile app

 

Oh you are right! I'm doing this from memory and the honeymoon anniversary celebration was very special. I'll post a photo from that one before Bora Bora day 2.

 

Familygobston - Your quite the poet! I'm trying to figure out who the keyboard guy is with Jimmy - I think it's Mike Utely who still plays with him now, but it's hard to tell from the photo.

[Familygoboston]

Parrot heads will recognize Jimmy is the poet!;)

[ALB0711]

We received an invitation in our cabin mail fairly early in the cruise for the Honeymoon and Anniversary party in the aft bar on the deck during the overnight in Bora Bora. As I recall the party started about 5PM and concluded about 6PM.

 

There were honeymooners of all ages and many anniversaries. One couple was celebrating their 57th. We had Tahitian songs by Les Gaugines and a beautiful Tahitian wedding vow read to us. The celebration concluded with each couple being wrapped in the traditional Tahitian wedding blanket and a complimentary photo. If you've got a chance to attend one of these, by all means do.

 

 

Right after the ceremony and before we boarded the tender to Bora Bora for our night at Bloody Mary's, we caught an incredible moonrise.

 

 

Another perfect day and night in paradise!