MARINA/French Polynesia Mar 4-19,2018 REVIEW w/lots of photos

[Hoopster95]

I had mentioned that we were on the Pa'Ati excursion to Ile aux Recifs (Reef Island). Truthfully, I had no clue what was up for today other than another snorkel/boat/beach/shark kind of day. This one would be different than yesterday however, as you will shortly see, as the landscape of Rangiroa is very different than Fakarava... this is the cool thing about the FP islands as it seems that each one is quite different from the next.

 

But first we had to make it out of the pier with the horrible weather that began to hit us.... rain!

 

 

I laughed as the boys pulled out the big rain jackets... I just knew this meant trouble on this boat and that we were obviously going to be extremely wet. Thank goodness we're in the tropics

 

 

 

Everyone dressed and ready to bear the brunt of the weather, we departed

 

 

but very soon after we realized it was not the weather that we had to worry about.... it was the sea! The sea in the lagoon can also produce storms, and this ocean was not smooth at all. We were wet in 5 minutes... and then at 10, 15, 20, 25.... we wondered when the heck we would get there as the land disappeared over the horizon and we could not see any approaching. The chop in the water was substantial and I estimate the swells at about 3-4 feet in some areas as we bobbed up, then down, then up, then down, then up, then down.... ugh

 

 

If you're apt to get seasick, definitely take your medication with you... this was a very wet and very long hour. There were a couple of people who did not realize this and definitely would not have repeated this excursion again no matter how much fun it would turn out to be.

 

BDjXdAoA7Ao

[tropicalkerry2002]

I can't wait to read what you say about this day!!!! We did it in 2016, and it was THE BEST EXCURSION EVER!!!!

[Hoopster95]

I can't wait to read what you say about this day!!!! We did it in 2016, and it was THE BEST EXCURSION EVER!!!!

 

It wasn't our #1 predominantly because of the weather (rough boat ride, etc) ... too hard to follow our incredible day in Fakarava. However you're right, would've been an amazing 11 out of 10 day with great weather. I would definitely book this again

[Hoopster95]

Finally!!! --- we arrived... very wet, a little seasick, and just glad that last hour was over and behind us. The boats pulled up as close to the corals as possible, and we hopped out. It is imperative that you bring decent quality water shoes... there is absolutely no way anyone can do this excursion without shoes

 

 

Weak kneed, we made land!

 

 

Our first look at this motu

 

 

Walking around the corner, we came upon this "hoa" (a water pass between motus). The water was the clearest I have ever seen, soft blue turquoise and perfect

 

 

It was also a clam shell cemetery!

 

 

We had the opportunity to snorkel here within the hoa. The variety of fish we've already seen in other islands are prevalent here, however much less abundant. Snorkeling was not as good as any other snorkel we have done thus far so this part was disappointing... no need for pictures with only one fish. Also it was a little chili! We didn't get that part and were frankly surprised... perhaps we were acclimating to the warmth of the region and waters that this day wasn't as warm as the previous week. Nonetheless we had fun exploring

 

[Hoopster95]

 

Before moving on, here we got to enjoy some juice or water, and a snack of fresh coconut... I loved this on all the islands, just delicious

 

 

Packing up to move on, I had no clue where we were going... like several of the previous excursions, this one was offered on our roll call by one of our group leaders... this time Manfred... and I immediately accepted. While rated #2 on Tripadvisor, the #1 company is strictly a snorkel/dive company whereas this tour really you get to experience the atoll and it's extremely one-of-a-kind features (--foreshadowing--)

 

 

 

The landscape quickly changed as we moved away from the boat from clear water and bright coral to this dark, volcanic lava looking broken coral ... what a change in only a few steps. felt like we were on the moon, with water. very strange.

 

[Hoopster95]

We carefully crossed the hoa convoy style to the other side

 

 

What was this we were approaching?? We didn't quite get it from a distance, however as we got closer we could see, and it was explained to us.... this was a wall of coral, as far as the eye can see up and down the coast. Ile aux Recifs is an area with raised "feo" (coral outcrops) shaped by erosion. The area we were at they were double our height, so about 12 feet tall.

 

 

Take the time to click the link below... There are some incredibly awesome google images available on-line, much more spectacular in the sunshine compared to mine here in this review

https://www.google.ca/search?q=ile+aux+recifs+formed&rlz=1C1RNVH_enCA559CA585&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjMlpPEtMDaAhWJiVQKHVwzAagQsAQIPg&biw=1600&bih=745

 

Here's what I saw as we approached... simply gorgeous

 

 

Very very carefully climbing up the jagged mountain of coral, only GF and I followed the tour guides.... they easily jumped up there with no water shoes and walked around like nothing... crazy! Here you can see the width and expanse of this coral as it gently rolls into the ocean

 

 

This shot gives you an idea of the height/size, Note the many pools of water, some deep. Here we had a very deep pool where the boys actually went ahead jumping and diving in. They urged me to try which I was all over doing.... excpet when I looked down from 10-12 feet up and decided right there that the closest help would be another 1 hour boat ride back to the tender pier. I decided to hold back... not like me. I regret at least not cannon balling into the pool below.

 

 

I wish we had more time and better sunnier weather here.... this place was simply gorgeous

 

[Hoopster95]

The boys performed their dives for us... and of course with me videoing they were all for a little showing off as well... YIKES!

 

 

vqreFuPA3VU

 

 

AwaVKB_2K6g

 

 

We enjoyed about 1/2 hour here, dipping inot the pool and walking around to explore the coral formations. My time was spent standing at the top and enjoying the view in all directions... and of course enjoying the dive show. It was time to bid farewell to the reefs, as we walked away and over to the next hoa.... which was much wider and deeper than the first one we crossed. This one was a real walk (maybe 15 minutes?) and deep (up to our chests in places), so we had hold up all of our bags as we crossed.

 

 

Reaching the other side, I looked back before entering the jungle path before us. Where would this lead us?

 

 

[Hoopster95]

The jungle opened to our lunch area, and the coconut bread was already cooking on the fire

 

 

The boys got busy behind the scenes getting our lunch ready

 

 

While we chilled out with a beer in hand

 

 

Out overlooking the picnic area we were on the shore and i can see our boats tied down.... well, well well! What's that in the water?

 

 

Aha! Awesome.... more sharks

 

[Hoopster95]

We got to chill out and watch the sharks for a while, however the first order of business was lunch as we were all famished. This turned out to be a favorite lunch of the entire cruise.

 

 

 

The spices used in this meal was out of this world. Just a great lunch with the amazing coconut bread start, then grilled mahi mahi, chicken, rice, and the best ever poisson cru of the entire trip... awesome lunch!

 

 

Desert too

 

 

The boys pulled out their ukulele's and played while we ate. I had the opportunity to buy an almost exact replica of the one being played here and, although expensive, now I regret not doing so as a one-of-a-kind souvenir to bring home.

 

 

z0w-XPk3atE

[Hoopster95]

Lunch over, I was the first to get out in the water to check out the sharks. Unbeknownst to me, GF video'd me wading out into the shallow water as the sharks circled around

 

KHPmklouOwc

 

 

On shore, we discovered hundreds of hermit crabs all over the place in the sand... quite cute actually.

 

 

28eT55pjjlc

 

 

The boys had collected all the plates and were bringing them down to the water to wash up.... ah yes, more showtime with the sharks!

 

[Hoopster95]

As the plates were cleaned, the scraps were thrown to the sharks. They gathered and circled in extremely shallow water, at times coming in in much shallower water than their height so much so that their bodies were half out of water as they squirmed back.

 

 

I wanted to get closer to them. They got very close to us and our feet... whatever you do, don't drop any food right by your toes!

 

 

The boys would show us how to get close enough to grab the shark's fin or tail and hold on for a couple of seconds as the shark thrashed around to get away. I tried a few times but was successful only once, but at least I can say I did it!

 

 

DCU84vcCRfk

 

 

Everything cleaned up, the boys had packed up and closed shop, it was time to leave

 

 

We headed down to the beach to wade out to our boat

 

[perfect match]

I seem to keep repeating myself in my replies on this thread, but I'm running out of superlatives! WOW! What an awesome excursion! Those sharks really have your tour guides well trained! Sharks show up, sharks get fed! My kind of excursion!

 

Seriously, though, I think both you and your GF should look into getting scuba certified. From the snorkeling pictures I've seen in this review and several other of your reviews that I have read, you would both probably love it as much as I do. At the very least, try a Discover Scuba excursion to give you a chance to see for yourselves how great it is! You can either do it as a ships excursion or book it privately. I would suggest finding a PADI 5 Star Dive Center if you do a private booking. You can even do it at home if there is a dive center near you. The price of your Discover Scuba can even be applied to your certification if you decide to go ahead and do that. At least give it some thought......

[RJB]

What a wonderful thread. Have not posted lately as i am too busy reading it. Just about the best that I have seen on these boards. Thank you and i will continue to keep reading if you keep writing. :):):)

[Waynetor]

I did this tour as part of the 2016 world cruise. It's one of my 2 most amazing places ever. Very highly recommended. Our guide also did the jump off the rock (very sharp if you ever slipped) as did some of the other participants and the guide also picked up the shark by the fin.

 

Your review of the islands brings back great memories.

[Hoopster95]

Seriously, though, I think both you and your GF should look into getting scuba certified.

 

GF is certified, I'm not but have done the quickie one day dives before (Mexico and Great Barrier Reef). I have sinus issues and had a real hard time in Oz regulating that they almost forced me to surface.... luckily on the last try I was able to clear my head as it felt like it was about to explode!

 

No doubt about it, if there is a next time in FP, I will get certified. Anyone just "thinking about it" will sorely regret not doing so.

 

What a wonderful thread. :)

 

Very kind words. Thank you RJB.

 

Our guide also did the jump off the rock (very sharp if you ever slipped)

 

Right?! Yes, One false move or slip and it's over as far as getting back anywhere for any kind of real help... there's no helicopters or cell phone towers anywhere out there.

 

Thx for following along :D

[Hoopster95]

Back on the boats, the boys untied us and prepared for us to get going

 

 

We prepared as well for the very wet return trip!

 

 

And off we went... good bye Ile aux Recifs

 

 

You might think the "getting wet" think is an exaggeration... nope

 

 

Ever wonder how long an Olympus TG-4 camera battery lasts? Well I finally noticed that I has turned my display off to not show battery remaining, and now my camera was almost dead. There's really nothing to take pictures of for an entire hour as we make our way back across the entire lagoon, so I have no further pictures until we get back all the way to the Tiputa Pass. In fact, we passed the Marina and continued out through the pass almost to the mouth of the open ocean to see if we could get a glimpse of any dolphins. Unfortunately, after about 10 minutes of hanging around and seeing nothing, we departed the area

 

[Hoopster95]

We came back through the Tiputa Pass and into the lagoon. Very close to the motu Nui Nui and the Marina anchored in the Bay, is the "lagoonarium" of Rangiroa, a very well known spot where most excursions visit.

 

 

As we came to a spot, you can totally see this area was teaming with sea life. Fish were everywhere.

 

 

Knowing my camera was almost dead, I wanted to save it for when I entered the water. Within seconds of entering I took this shot

 

 

And also this video, and then suddenly....

 

xhj_ZAQ7sek

 

 

Yep, dead water camera!!!!! AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! Darn it. Oh well, nothing I could do except enjoy the moment without any further pictures. We got to enjoy the multitude of fish everywhere. Swimming away from the boats into deeper water, we could see sharks and rays. As I swam away, I noted larger fish species in schools... and then in the corner of my eye this humongous black slithery thing moving way below. I froze.... and watched..... I will attempt not to exaggerate, not a word of a lie it was a large black moray eel slithering about 20 feet directly below me. I guess it was minimum 8 feet long and quite thick. No way in hell I was hanging around! I'm a good swimmer so I turned around and bee-lined back to the boat. GF laughs at me now because she was watching me snorkel at the time and thought to herself as I did the Olympic Speed record back to the boat that I "saw something". lol

 

Our friend Gary was on the O excursion that dropped people off there and he followed two of them ... and delee correct me if I'm wrong but Patrick tells me you were trying to dive down and get closer to them to take pictures? Is that for real or am I thinking of someone else who did that? Ker-razy. Those things are nasty at the best of times if they feel threatened.

 

Back on the boat I was pretty much snorkeled out. The boys were serenading those on board with the 4 of them all playing and singing together, so I joined in to listen and chill out

 

 

 

 

They played two songs and then it was time to get going. In the last photo you can see Marina in the background, so it was maybe only a 5 minute ride back to the tender pier. What a superb day we just had. We thanked and tipped them, and headed for the awaiting tender just steps away.

[Hoopster95]

I believe we were on one of the last tenders as their weren't too many cruisers left piling into it. I sat beside a gentleman who had been diving and I was watching him scroll through his beautiful live dolphin pictures... must've been an amazing experience! Our other cruise pal Shelley had gone diving and experienced the same... yes, next time in FP I will dive.

 

Getting back to our cabin, it was not very long at all until Marina was turning towards the Tiputa Pass in order to leave the lagoon.

 

 

And what better way is there to enjoy this sailaway with a full view of the pass as we turn into it to leave Rangiroa

 

 

Here's a great look of Ohutu as we sailed through. I was desperately hoping to see dolphins at the mouth of the pass, but none on my side. I understand that delee saw them as we were leaving from here vista suite on the starboard side. Many locals were a shore watching and waving as we sailed by.

 

i-5boU-z31s

 

 

 

We did not leave our balcony for quite a while, simply enjoying the evening before us and watching for the sun to set

 

 

At the beginning of this review I showed some photos of sunsets in Moorea and mentioned how beautiful the colours are of the sunsets here in FP. Tonight we were once again blessed to witness one of these colourful sunsets. How utterly gorgeous!

 

ZJEHprLSiIY

[Hoopster95]

It was announced earlier in the morning and on the "Currents" daily flyer that tonight the Terrace would offer a "St Patrick's Day" theme dinner

 

 

There were some very tasty offerings including Irish Lamb Stew, Roast Beef Wellington and Gammon & Cabbage.

 

 

Of course the fresh tuna was still being served fresh off the grill

 

 

And the deserts... YUM... including Bailey's Cheesecake, Irish Apple Pie with walnuts and raisins.

 

 

This was yet another great night hanging out with our pals and having a great dinner. We stayed up at the terrace until closing just enjoying each others company, and then headed directly to our cabin to enjoy the rest of our evening star gazing on the balcony and getting an early shut eye. Tomorrow was our final day of the cruise and another early wake-up call in Huahine.

[perfect match]

GF is certified, I'm not but have done the quickie one day dives before (Mexico and Great Barrier Reef). I have sinus issues and had a real hard time in Oz regulating that they almost forced me to surface.... luckily on the last try I was able to clear my head as it felt like it was about to explode!

 

No doubt about it, if there is a next time in FP, I will get certified. Anyone just "thinking about it" will sorely regret not doing so. :D

 

 

I hope you are able to get your sinus issues out and are able to get your scuba certification. Sinus issues while diving are not to be taken lightly, as you have already discovered. Judging by your love of French Polynesia that has come through so clearly in this review I have little doubt you will find your way back there one day.

 

I have made a note to myself to be sure to pack extra batteries for my Olympus when I finally manage to schedule a trip to French Polynesia!

[delee78]

So, Patrick likes to exaggerate! Yes, I did swim down a bit, but he likes to say that I was 3 feet away. Not true - more like 10-12 feet. However, I agree now that it was probably stupid :D. At least I am here to relive it. This guy did swim out after I went back to the surface. He was probably 8 feet long.

 

I have to look into scuba certification again. I had one experience at the Great Barrier Reef and said I would never do it again. Then again I said that I would never (knowingly) get in the water with sharks after that experience. FP broke me of that fear. I saw tons of folks diving in Rangiroa. I did feel a bit jealous.

 

For folks going to Rangiroa where you don't have a full day planned (ship tours tend to be only 90 minutes long at the aquarium that Hoopster mentioned), there is a beach of the opposite site of the atoll from the tender pier. You actually find yourself at the Tiputa pass. Dolphins are easy to spot and the views are amazing. I think that the beach is actually called Dolphin Beach. We also saw folks drift snorkeling the pass. It looked so cool. If you like to collect shells or coral, this is also the place for you. I had to limit what I brought back because I couldn't carry it all!

 

We were lucky to see a ton of dolphin on the trip out of the pass. They tend to swim with the cruise ships at they come in and out of Rangiroa. Patrick has a photo and video. I will have to bug him to send to me so I can post here.

[Hoopster95]

So, Patrick likes to exaggerate!

 

Nah....really? ;p

[Hoopster95]

Last Day 12 - Huahine

 

I'll start this last and final port segment by saying this was the only port of the entire trip where we felt we didn't get a great excursion nor the opportunity to experience what this island was about. So hopefully with this overview of the island coming up combined with the excursion we did, you can see and choose for yourself possibly a better option.

 

Again following our experienced cruisers here, we booked on a private sail boat/yacht with Tahiti Sailing Charters

http://www.tahitisailingcharter.com/

Several excellent reviews on Tripadvisor has this boat booked for full 7 day cruises around the islands, let alone single day cruise excursions... owners Claude and Martine will do whatever they get booked for. This seemed like a perfect low key idea for the final port day after being very busy and port intensive, however this is one island that stood out over the others with seemingly endless opportunities to discover and explore things on land vs. on the water. If only I had done proper research here rather than jump on the opportunity to book with a private I may have known better.

Below is a map of the island. Cruise ships enter the east side of the island into the Maroe Bay where they anchor. Our excursion led us to take a shuttle with "Le Truck" (the local transit bus company) over to the west side of the island to the town of Fare, where we would board the sailboat. We'd sail up and down the west coast, stopping for a snorkel at Bourayne Bay and beach break at Hana Iti before heading back to the tender pier. You can follow the red line from Maroe tender pier to Fare where the bus route was, as well as the orange route where we sailed.

 

 

 

As far as what we missed and may have seen otherwise instead of this short cruise up and down the coast, take a look at the following aerial.... this island is simply stunning! It reminded me of what possibly Maui looked like 50 years ago.... lush, raw, sparsely populated. I've pointed out the same spots as the 2 dimensional map above of our excursion... you can see how little of the island we actually experienced. Keep in mind that this stock photo is looking south... so east is on the left and west is on the right. red line is where Marina enters Maroe Bay and anchors... orange line is our sailboat excursion on the west side of the island. I would have loved to have toured this island on land as there were several circle island tours available. GF and I have already decided that if we ever visit FP again would would island hop, staying at each island for a few days....Huahine would be an absolute must-see and stay for sure.

 

[Hoopster95]

6:30am and I'm up on deck 14 at Baristas getting our morning coffees to start the day. Huahine is split into a smaller and a larger island (approximate 1/3 and 2/3 split), the smaller on the left being Huahine-Iti and the larger on the right named Huahine-Nui. Here we are approaching Huahine in the distance. (I couldn't make out the cruise ship passing by there)

 

 

We had ordered in breakfast to our room for the final time as again we had to meet early in the theatre to get tender tickets right away. Breakfast done and as we prepared for the morning, we approached the pass into Maroe Bay. Simply gorgeous!

 

 

cISIex0ZZac

 

 

The landscape was breathtaking. This is the "iti" side of the island, and we could view these landmarks from our snorkel site all the way on the other side of the islands through the bay.

 

 

Finally we were closing in to our final resting spot anchored in the middle of Maroe Bay. We headed downstairs to meet up with the rest of our group right at 7:30am so that we could grab those coveted red tender tickets for the 1st tender

 

 

[Hoopster95]

The tender ride is a very short 5'ish minutes over to the mainland. They were ready for us and organized

 

 

As usual we were welcomed with a white Tahitian Tiare flower to put behind our ear

 

 

Unlike Nuku Hiva, Fakarava and Rangiroa before, this pier was very busy with several tents for those selling their wares and excursion options.

 

 

 

So we knew that with our early tender tickets that we had to get out to the town of Fare in order to meet our excursion sailboat using the shuttle transportation. Looking around we saw these and wondered....