Must see's of the ports on the PG

[Atlcple]

I have read several reviews of the Paul Gauguin cruise and the majority seem to be very positive. So I am probably going to book a cruise with them this week for late April. My partner and I have done 23 cruises, so we are very familiar with the "cruise experience"; however, we have never done the South Pacific and we are really trying to come up with a list of the "must sees" while docked in each place. WE are both pretty active, in our lates 40's, in good shape so hiking or any other physical activities aren't an issue.

 

If anyone has recommendations of execursions or "must see's" for Raiatea Taha, Bora Bora, Moorea or Papeete we would really appreciate it.

[Toto2Kansas]

I have read several reviews of the Paul Gauguin cruise and the majority seem to be very positive. So I am probably going to book a cruise with them this week for late April. My partner and I have done 23 cruises, so we are very familiar with the "cruise experience"; however, we have never done the South Pacific and we are really trying to come up with a list of the "must sees" while docked in each place. WE are both pretty active, in our lates 40's, in good shape so hiking or any other physical activities aren't an issue.

 

If anyone has recommendations of execursions or "must see's" for Raiatea Taha, Bora Bora, Moorea or Papeete we would really appreciate it.

 

Not sure if you enjoy water related tours, but if you do, this is definitely the place. The waters in Tahiti are some of the most beautiful in the world. Please make sure to fit in at least one snorkeling or swimming tour, especially if you have never been to paradise before.

[Spikesgirl]

My first suggestion would be to get a copy of Jan Prince's Tahiti travel guide either at your local library or bookstore and give it a read. There is a limited amount of things to do upon the island - not like Hawai'i in that sense - and this is definitely the place for water sports. There are a few 4x4 tours, some circle islands, but the water is definitely the high point here. Most folks would thumbs up Bruno on Riaitea/Taha'a though. That is a no brainer in my book and the best way to see the coral gardens.

 

There are tons of threads here on various tours for the islands and I would be happy to share our diary (or you can read it over on the Tahitian Princess review board. I paid special attention to tours in it.

 

Good luck!

[debshomespun]

We just did a 30 day Hawaii/Tahiti cruise on the HAL Ryndam, and visited these islands.

 

Raiatea: We did the tour with Bruno, and had a nice time. His website is: http://www.tahaa.net/?p=-1 I would only caution you if you are not a good swimmer and snorkeler, to be very careful in the coral drift, or skip that part. I got caught up on the coral and had a few nicks on my arms and legs to show it.

 

Bora Bora: We did the tour w/Patrick of Maohi Nui, and he was excellent! His website is: http://www.maohinui.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=31

We did the snorkeling and motu luncheon, 5 hr. It was the best! Also, we booked him for the next day for the 4X4 excursion. We had 2 days in Bora Bora, and we got to experience it by water on day one and by land on day two. If you only have one day, he does have an all day tour that is the snorkeling, motu luncheon, and 4X4. Patrick is very knowledgable about the island. He has a great personality. He is the best for Bora Bora, as many others will agree!

 

Moorea: We rented a car and drove around the island.

 

Tahiti: We did a 4X4 tour for the day, and were not that pleased.

 

I did get the Jan Prince's latest edition of her book, and it was very helpful. It is hard to decide just what you want to do on each of the islands when you are not farmiliar with them. Now, we know just what we would do the next time we visit the islands.

 

If you have any specific questions, I will try to answer them.

 

You will have a great cruise! I can't wait to go back to the French Polynesian Islands. It truly is PARADISE!

[cwc]

Ok...

1st must is to go over to the RSSC message board & read up anything about PG. It is not like any other cruise you been on before.

2nd make sure you don't schedule anything for Taha'a. PG has a private beach party (food, drink, chair, entertainment...) whole day. Get on the first tender to "hog" the best beach chair by the water & underneath palm tree and plan to spend the rest of the day there.

PG has its own resident archaeologist Mark Eddowes, he leads a hiking excursion in Moorea, I highly recommended if you are fit. He also does talks throughout the cruise so you can soak up the history and culture.

If you can, maybe learn diving :) you won't regard it :D

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I agree about Taha'a--it's the whole day and it's very relaxing and fun, and free.

 

If you love beaches and the water, you can take the tender over to a private motu beach one afternoon on Bora Bora. Again, very relaxing, lovely beach, great water, and nice view of the island.

 

On our most recent trip, we did a catamaran/snorkel trip in the Moorea lagoon, and our friend did the waverunners. Both great. Renting a car and driving around is also a good idea--you can rent for 4 hours which is probably long enough. Make sure to get up to the Belvedere (lookout), the view is unbelievable.

[nizurc]

Hello to Past PG Cruisers:

 

We are booked on the Paul Gauguin in late September - our first cruise to FP. Where on Moorea do we reserve a catamaran/snorkel tour and rent a waverunner? Thanks.