March 25, 2019

The voyage took about eight hours, but the distance between Bora Bora and Raiatea can be covered in less than 45 minutes in a speed boat. On a clear day Raiatea can be seen from Bora Bora.

The satellite internet is very slow, but we did manage to upload text for the past few days since Tabuaeran.

Another early morning temperature at 29°C, the wind was 30 kph, good for keeping cool and there were the usual fluffy white clouds and sunshine. At breakfast we watched as the ship approached the administrative center of Raiatea, Society Islands, Uturoa and docked at the long pier in the center of town. We watched the crew, prepare to throw the preliminary ropes to the longshoremen so that they could haul over the heavy ship’s ropes to secure the ship.

Raiatea is the second largest Tahitian island. The scenery was lush looking out from the ship’s deck. Above Uturoa’s visitor center, Mount Temahani towers behind it. Raiatea is a sacred island in the Polynesian culture.

We met the excursion guide as passengers teemed off the ship, using one of the ship’s short gangways via Deck A again. On the grassy pier, there was a local Polynesian band playing ukuleles and singing and people trying to find the place where their excursion was meeting. We spotted our guide, Taihoti, when he trumpeted his Polynesian Conch shell horn. He was wearing a traditional sarong skirt and was covered in tattoos, which told the history of his family and tribe.

The scenic drive around the island was taken in another truck bus, this time with padded bench seats facing the inside of the vehicle. We and another couple gave up our seats, to older passengers, to straddle a long wooden bench about 20 centimeters wide. But, we got to face forward on the truck bus, for the 3.25 hour Raiatea Highlights tour.

Our route was on the main road travelling counter clockwise along the coastal two lane road, stopping at the Vairua Perels pearl farm. The owner explained to the two truck bus loads of passengers the process of creating the black and coloured pearls. It takes 18 months for a pearl of the desired size to form. A piece of coloured Pinctada Margarinifera oyster shell is grafted into the pouch of an oyster, either male or female is used. At the same time, a nucleus is added, then it is placed in six meters of sea water, for 18 months before being harvested. If the pearl is good the process is repeated taking only a year and sometimes a third grafting is done, but after that the colour of the pearl varies too much. Up to 500 pearls can be harvested in one day.

The islanders grows fruit and vegetables, there are farms with horses and cattle and many families still earn a living fishing. The fruit ranges from bread fruit, mangoes, sweet grapefruit, to bananas, papayas and coconut. We climbed into the highlands which is the home of the Tiare Apetahi flower. This rare fragrant white flower is a symbol of Raiatea.

We turned onto the inland road, driving through a giant bamboo forest, then stopped in the district of Vaiau for a break, where we were served coconut water, fresh shredded coconut, and pieces of sweet grapefruit, coconut, mango, ripe starfruit and papaya. In the yard a cone like fruit was growing on a large tree. When it is ripe it is tapped for its juice. It’s name sounded like Noh-nee fruit.

The final stop was the location of Morae Taputapuatea, the ancient marae (temple) that gives this island such an important religious and cultural significance to all Polynesians. It was from this place that the ancient Polynesians left to discover the many islands that form the Polynesian Triangle, bounded by Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island. Raiatea, meaning “faraway heaven” and “sky with soft light,” was first named Havai’i. It is considered the homeland of the ancient Polynesians. After offering blessings through sacred ceremonies and celebrations, taking a rock from the morae, outriggers with original settlers ventured north, east and west.Our guide, Taihohi, acted as Master of Ceremonies and presented a ritual prayer to the ancient gods and presented a leaf bouquet sacrifice. He spoke in Tahitian and later translated the meaning of the ritual and gave a brief history of Polynesia. Then it was a 20 minute drive back to Uturoa.

We had 40 minutes before our afternoon tour. The sun was shining, the temperature was 29° and there was still a strong breeze.

The afternoon excursion was by a fast boat taking us to two islands. We crossed the lagoon and stopped on one of Taha’a island’s islets for beach time on the white sands where people ventured into the clear warm water to swim, snorkel or wade. Our boat had soft padded seats for 16 people, the spray mist and wind kept us cool for the ride. There was Polynesian music played by a ukulele musician and a lunch provided of hot sticky rice, barbecued chicken, a whole baked Maui Maui (fish), shark coleslaw, spaghetti, taro, coconut bread wrapped in a large leaf and some local fruit - sweet grapefruit, coconut and mango. After a quick shower the sun came out, although in the distance dark clouds were visible. There were tiny crabs moving around. You noticed a small shell moving and then realized there was a tiny crab inside of it.

We enjoyed the beach for two hours and then the boat took us to Taha’a Island for a visit to a vanilla planation. The walk from the wooden dock to the outbuilding was about 500 meters. Here the process of growing vanilla was explained. It takes two years from the time a vine-like vanilla cutting is planted until it flowers. The vines are grown in shade provided here by the sweet green grapefruit trees. The flower is hand pollinated on the day that it blooms. Each flower only produces one long vanilla bean. In eight months when it is about 12 cm long and still green, it is hand-picked and then the three-week air-drying process begins. Once dried the now dark ripe vanilla bean, softer than its Mexican cousin, can be left whole, powdered or processed into vanilla paste or vanilla extract. All parts of the Taha’a vanilla beans can be used for cooking. One bean, skin and seeds, can be cut in four and used in four different ways. Vanilla is grown in Mexico but most of the world’s vanilla is supplied by Madagascar – 85%. There was a gift shop selling vanilla products, sarongs and Tamanu oil which has healing properties.

We were back to the ship before 4:30, enough time to shower before dinner with our regular tablemates. They enjoyed another day of snorkeling doing a drifting with the sea’s current while snorkelling in a place closer to Bora Bora than Raiatea.

After dinner people decided to forego trivia and cards. The entertainer was a second show of singer Melissa McLaughlin. We decided to try to write and post the blog before the slow internet time expired. Steps 12,894

The itinerary has visiting Mo’orea tomorrow and the next day we spend in Tahiti.