Review of Maasdam cruise to Hawaii, Tahiti & Marquesas, 25 March – 22 April, 2018

[RetiredMustang]

Enjoying your review very much. We can’t wait to go back to Fanning Island. We loved the handicrafts, especially the knives made from shark bones. We put a small one in a shadow box. It has sparked many a conversation.

 

How fun to see Kainoa as King Neptune.

 

Cheers, Denise

 

Yes, the knives were unique. I realize that I mistakenly posted two copies of one photo of the craft sale, and not one of the close-up of some of the merchandise, including some knives. Here hopefully is that close-up:

 

 

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Vaitape, Bora Bora, April 9

 

After a few more days at sea, we anchored early on Monday, April 9, off Vaitape, Bora Bora. The island is an intermediate stage, in that it still has a mountain in the center, but has eroded some and has an outlying atoll forming. Here are the port guide pages:

 

 

 

Here is a photo as we approached the island at dawn:

 

 

As we arrived at our anchorage spot, a shower fell on the mountain:

 

 

Soon, we were at rest just off the town of Vaitape:

 

 

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Bora, Bora (Cont.)

 

We had booked a ship’s shore excursion called the “Deluxe Lagoon Cruise”, as it offered snorkeling and swimming, but more important to us, it said it gave a tour of the lagoon from which we could see many parts of the island.

 

Now, for a seeming non-sequitur.

 

We thought we had escaped Code Red after several days from San Diego to Hawaii and more days after that with no norovirus outbreaks, but on the second April 6th (after we crossed back over the International Date Line), the Captain announced a rising number of suspected norovirus cases and ordered the precautions such as closing the library, no serving yourself at the Lido, removal of salt and pepper shakers, bread baskets and butter dishes from the dining room, etc.

 

We speculated, and heard from some of the crew, that the virus seems to have been encountered during our visit to Fanning Island, although I’m not sure exactly how since there are no restaurants, bars, etc. there. There was someone selling coconuts with holes in them, from which you could drink the coconut water through a straw; maybe that was the source. In any case, we were in Code Red until no one had had it for a couple of days. The library re-opened after a few days, and on the morning of April 17, the restrictions on the Lido and dining room were lifted.

 

When I was a child in the 1950s and 1960s, before the illness went to college and learned Latin, we just called it “stomach flu” or “24-hour bug” or other, mostly scatological, terms. Over the course of the night of April 8-9, DW had occasion to call it other heart-felt invectives. In the morning she called the medical department to report the illness, and as expected, was confined to the stateroom.

 

To my surprise, I was not. Instead, I was directed to go to medical and get some pills and some papers that told DW what to do about it. This I did, and returned to her. We discussed the shore excursion, and we decided I should go, since I was allowed to roam free, and then show her photos and describe it to her. Since she was officially quarantined, the ship refunded her full excursion payment.

 

So, I reported to the show lounge, told the staff that DW would not make it and returned her ticket, and then waited to be called for the tour. A short tender ride got us to the harbor, where we walked a way down the piers to two waiting speed boats. These were sweet craft, new, sleek and with huge outboard motors.

 

There were only 16 of us, and we split up into the two boats. The boats had comfortable seating for the numbers we had; in fact, they could hold probably up to 12 each. Here are some photos to help illustrate:

 

 

 

 

We went out into the middle of the lagoon/caldera, from where we could see Maasdam at anchor (or at least holding position):

 

 

 

Nearby was the Wind Spirit from Windstar cruises:

 

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Bora, Bora (Cont.)

 

We then headed south to Maitra Point at the southern end of the main island. We went at a pretty good speed, with our captain at the controls:

 

 

 

We had some good and changing views of the mountain:

 

 

 

 

We rounded the point, and went past one of the famous resorts with rooms/huts over the water, the Intercontinental Le Moana:

 

 

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Bora, Bora (Cont.)

We then went a short way beyond the resort and tied up at a float at a snorkeling area, where the boat captain(s) helped snorkelers into the water:

After about a half-hour, we sailed across the lagoon to near a motu for a wading/swim call, and snacks. I asked and was told that the term “motu” denotes a flat small island in an encircling reef, and is not a proper name. Since a few of our upcoming excursions involved a “motu” I was glad to learn the term.

As we neared the end of swim time, the captain recommended we all get back aboard, so we could outrun the squall/shower that we approaching:

We then sped back to Vaitape pier, and I caught the first tender back to the ship to check on DW and show her my photos. The excursion was only a couple of hours total, but it packed a lot into it, and I was glad I had gone.

 

After I returned, DW ordered some food from room service, as she was feeling better. We both seem to remember a “heavy seas” room service menu with such things as broth, saltines and green apple slices, but it was not available on Maasdam this time. Instead, she ordered the chicken soup and some water crackers.

 

By next morning, DW was fine, and in fact was then released from quarantine by the medical staff and was able to go on our scheduled shore excursion. I want to say how impressed we were with the care and concern shown by not only the medical staff, but also the front office and shore excursions people. Yes, it was their job, but they were not only professional but also very nice about doing it.

 

This is also a time to commend all of the housekeeping, food service and other staff who pitched in with deep cleaning, extra staff to serve, people to make sure we used the Purell at any opportunity, etc. They put in a lot of extra effort and time to take care of us, and we appreciated it. Well done, Maasdam staff. I’m glad most of them got some time off in our overnight stay in Papeete.

Next, on to Raiatea,

Dave

[St Pete Cruiser]

Glad to see they did the King Neptune Ceremony, one of the most "fun" activities Holland America does. They did NOT do it last year on the Veendam, and we asked why. Complain to Seattle was the answer as they had decided not to it anymore. Of course, Veendam does not have its rear pool anymore either.

[RetiredMustang]

Raiatea, April 10

 

Raiatea is not very far from Bora Bora, and in fact from various vantage points during the day in Raiatea, I could see the unique shape of Bora Bora’s mountain in the distance.

 

 

Here are the port guide pages for the island. Actually it is two islands encircle by the same reef – the larger Raiatea, and a smaller island called Taha’a.

 

 

 

 

 

We approached in early morning with sun and a few clouds.

 

 

 

We passed through the reef through a pretty tight squeeze, and went to our dock in the town of Uturoa:

 

 

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Raiatea (Cont.)

 

We had booked a ship’s shore excursion called “A Taste of Vanilla & Tahaa Motu Picnic” which was a very popular tour that sold out quickly; we were glad we had booked online well before the cruise.

 

We met in the show lounge, got our stickers and went ashore to meet our guide on the pier. We were a few minutes late as a couple of our group was delayed getting ashore, but we were soon on our way. We walked a way along the piers and boarded an excursion boat for the trip to Taha’a island. It was a pleasant ride, and as a bonus, we had live entertainment:

 

 

 

 

At Taha’a, we debarked our vessel and walked a total of about a quarter-mile/400 meters to the vanilla plantation.

 

 

 

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Raiatea (Cont.)

 

We went through a patio past some buildings to a canopy-covered grassy area where a young lady from the plantation used some visual aids to explain to us the process of producing vanilla.

 

 

 

It turns out that it is a very labor-intensive process, from hand-pollinating the orchid flowers, harvesting the beans, drying them, massaging them to, I guess, release the seeds inside the beans or something. I admit I kind of missed some of the talk as I was engaged in taking photos, but it did sound like a lot of work and gave me an appreciation for vanilla. Here are photos of the vanilla orchid plants, and some of the green vanilla beans/pods:

 

 

 

 

Afterwards, we returned to the patio for some snacks of fresh bananas and coconut, as well as fried breadfruit chips, which were quite good, actually. And of course we had an opportunity to purchase some vanilla products.

 

 

 

 

The package of ripe vanilla beans/pods was U.S. $50.00, but easily held a dozen or more, so the individual price was pretty good. But, since we may use one or two in a year, we did not buy any. The staff told us that the U.S. and Canada would allow us to take the packages back, but that Australia and New Zealand would not. Most of our group were North Americans, and the shop did a brisk business.

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Raiatea (Cont.)

 

We then walked back to our boat and went a short way to a nearby motu. We waded a way from the boat to the beach, and made our way to a picnic pavilion and a bunch of chairs and tables under the trees. We were greeted by a musical group:

 

 

 

And we were invited to make ourselves comfortable. And not just us tourists:

 

 

 

There was a swimming and snorkeling area for those who wanted to do that, or we could just sit and enjoy the beautiful weather, water, and smells of lunch being prepared. Lunch was heavily seafood-oriented, with a fresh poke salad, rice, vegetables, green salad, and my favorite, fresh cooked fish.

 

 

 

 

After lunch, we got back on the boat, which due to a deeper tide was able to get to the little pier so we did not have to wade this time. A ride back across the lagoon, with musical entertainment again, brought us back to Uturoa pier, and Maasdam.

 

This was an interesting, informative and enjoyable tour that was not that physically taxing.

 

 

Up next, Moorea,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Moorea, April 11

 

Moorea is another mountainous island, close to Tahiti. Here are the port guide pages:

 

 

 

 

We pulled in to Opunohu Bay, the western of the two bays in north Moorea. Here are photos of our approach and as we neared our anchorage:

 

 

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Moorea (Cont.)

 

We had booked the ship’s shore excursion called “Motu Beach Picnic & Ray Feeding.” We did the usual meet in the show lounge, get stickers and then took a morning tender northwest to a landing just around the point of land.

 

Here is a photo I took of Maasdam at anchorage in Opunohu Bay:

 

 

 

At the landing, we boarded an excursion boat and set off along the northern coast of Moorea, en route to a sand bar to snorkel with stingrays. Along the way we passed some great scenery, and another resort with huts over the water, although these were closer to shore than the ones in Bora Bora.

 

 

 

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Moorea (Cont.)

 

Shortly after passing the resort, we stopped at a sand bar. Our guide got into the water with some fish to lure the stingrays so we could stroke and interact with them.

 

 

 

 

Stingrays were not the only ocean dwellers that were attracted. There was also a school of sharks, luckily harmless black-tipped sharks.

 

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Moorea (Cont.)

After being with the stingrays for a while, everybody got back aboard and we went a short distance to one of two nearby motus for our picnic. This small island had a pleasant picnic area, and an area for swimming or snorkeling in the channel between the motus.

 

It also had a large covered kitchen, where cooks were grilling chicken and sausages for our buffet lunch. Soft drinks were provided, and beer was available for purchase.

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

 

[RetiredMustang]

Moorea (Cont.)

 

After lunch, our guide demonstrated how to husk a coconut using a sharpened stick.

 

 

 

 

 

And, after he had expertly cracked it open with a sharp blow with the stick, he demonstrated how to shred a coconut into a cloth which he squeezed to show the coconut milk flowing out of the shredded fresh coconut.

 

 

 

Next, we take the downhill run to Papeete,

Dave

[canadianbear]

Really enjoying your details and photo review. It's something we are interested in doing within the next couple of years.

[Mtn2Sea]

Loving your informative review and, as usual, your photos are great. It’s been over 20 years since we visited Bora Bora and Moorea. Your pics are bringing back very fond memories.

[erewhon]

Nice to hear from you! I hope you and DH are doing well. The Captain is Arno Jutten. The Hotel Director is Bert van Mackelenbergh,

 

Dave

 

Thank you for your reply.

We are both well.

Sorry to hear about the Noro virus, and C being affected.

 

Bert van Mackelenbergh boarded Maasdam in Sydney, on the day you disembarked from the Australian Circumnavigation cruise.

 

Maybe he will be on board for our December Maasdam cruise.

[jimbri]

Photos are great! Looking forward to rest of your review.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Loving your review and pictures.

[RetiredMustang]

Papeete, April 11-12

We sailed from Moorea about 5:30 p.m., and moored at Papeete (pronounced PAH puh AY TAY) about 9 p.m. We saw several crew members the next day who looked a little dragged out, and they confirmed they had gone ashore for at least part of the overnight.

Here are the port guide pages for Papeete:

The morning after we arrived, April 12, I got a photo of Papeete in the morning sun from the decks of Maasdam, and a photo also of the Windstar vessel Wind Spirit across the pier from us:

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Papeete (Cont.)

 

We had booked the ship’s shore excursion called “Tahiti’s Natural Treasures.” Tahiti is oddly shaped. I heard, or read, someone who said it kind of resembles a pennyfarthing, an old-time bicycle with a large wheel in front and a smaller one behind. I looked at the port guide map, and I could see a large roundish bit of land connected by an isthmus to a smaller blob of land, so I suppose the description is accurate enough. In any case, we boarded our bus and set out on a counter-clockwise circuit of the coast road of the bigger bit of land.

 

Our guide told us that there is a cross-island road, but it is rough and takes longer than just going around the coast. Besides, he said, when he rode on it once, the bumpy cross-island road kept causing his beer bottle to bang against his teeth. It was a fun tour.

 

It took a few hours to make the circuit, and we made a few stops on the way. The first stop was Taharuu beach, a popular black-sand beach.

 

 

 

 

We stopped next at the Vaipahi water gardens and were able to stroll the grounds, which were not large but well worth a visit.

 

 

 

 

The gardens area had a small shop and public toilets.

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Papeete (Cont.)

 

We left the water gardens and drove only a short way for a refreshment stop at the Paul Gaugin restaurant. Soft drinks were free, and you could buy beer and other drinks from the bar if you wanted. The restaurant had a nice interior, and a walkway outside that led over some bits of water with various creatures like fish and turtles.

 

 

 

 

 

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Papeete (Cont.)

 

Following the refreshments stop, we drove for quite a way around the island, passing many small river valleys that were very pretty.

 

 

 

Most of the way back to Papeete, we stopped at the Point Venus park. The park has several attractions, including a lighthouse designed by Robert Louis Stevenson’s father, and a monument to Captain James Cook, who sailed there in 1769 for a scientific expedition to track the transit of the planet Venus across the sun.

 

 

 

 

Cook’s voyage to Tahiti was important, but probably more important were the orders afterwards to sail the southern ocean in search of a possible southern continent. Cook did as he was ordered, and eventually hit upon a place that became known as Australia.

 

 

We then drove back the short way to Papeete. At a couple of points, we had brief but great views of the city from the hills, but there was no way the bus could pull over or stop for us to get a good look or photo. So, it was back to the pier.

 

 

Next, Fakarava,

Dave

[G&G]

Moorea (Cont.)

 

After lunch, our guide demonstrated how to husk a coconut using a sharpened stick.

 

 

 

 

 

And, after he had expertly cracked it open with a sharp blow with the stick, he demonstrated how to shred a coconut into a cloth which he squeezed to show the coconut milk flowing out of the shredded fresh coconut.

 

 

 

Next, we take the downhill run to Papeete,

Dave

 

Great review and photos. Bring back great memories. We did this tour in 2008 & 2010 and go back to Moorea on the Eurodam in 2019.

 

Did you have a guide named Terry on the Motu tour in Moorea?