The stingray literally wraps itself around me. The fleshy, leathery wings feel smoother than anticipated and it quite insistently searched me for food. It’s mouth is a thin slit, but a powerful vacuum that hoovers my skin trying to locate the chunks of tuna I have enclosed in my hand. It hones in on my fists and I flatten my palm; it is the weirdest feeling having it feed from my hand…little teeth move fast while the suction forces the tuna into the opening. All around me 6-8 more sting rays and about 30 black tipped reef sharks circle us waiting patiently for leftovers….
We are in Moorea, right next door to Tahiti in the Society Islands. We popped over from Tahiti for a couple of days to catch up with an old university buddy of Russel’s. The stingrays are regularly fed by a resort and have been trained to feed from the hands of go-pro wielding, squeamish and delighted tourists. The water is sparkling clear and it’s a cool encounter despite the sense of a tourist construct.
We arrived in the big smoke of Papeete on the island of Tahiti after an overnight passage from the Tuamotus. As we left the restaurant at Taou, our last stop in the Tuamotus, Roger (aka; Russell) from S.V Ta-b could be heard saying “last one to Tahiti is a rotten egg!” Well….we gave them a head start leaving a good 4 hours after their ‘sparrow’s fart’ dawn departure, but in the early hours of the morning on our second day, we slipped passed Ta-b close enough to wave at Jane in her cockpit…”see you in Papeete!”
Above; Approaching Papeete; as we scooted around the perimeter reef that surrounds the Tahiti Yacht Club anchorage we had to dodge countless outrigger canoeists. After checking into the Society islands our next stop was the large Carrefour supermarket. It is almost embarrassing to admit how exciting it was to see a big, well stocked supermarket. This was a first since Panama; and it boasted western foods from New Zealand and Europe that had not been sighted since we left Australia!
Above left; staring in wonder and anticipation at the massive supermarket in Papeete…
Above right; A facebook post alerted Russ to the fact that an old friend was staying in Moorea- just a 2 hr. sail from Tahiti. Bart and his partner Laura and daughter Jemima were due to catch the ferry to Papeete for their flight back to Chicago so, just for fun, we sailed over and picked them up. Jemima was only 3 the last time we saw her!
Above left; the cheeses in the French Islands are generous, abundant and delectable!
Above middle; Bart and Russ- Melbourne uni buddies.
Above right; the anchorage at the Tahiti Yacht Club.
Papeete was a hub for yachts crossing the Pacific and a place to catch up with good friends and meet people who, until now, had only been a boat name and a voice on the radio. Our first stop in the Societies was, well sociable! We moved into the Papeete marina for a few nights- we wanted to scrub our decks and attack our list of boat jobs but we really got very little done because we knew everyone on the dock and the days disappeared amid chats and drinks.
Above left; The Papeete Marina; smack bang in the centre of town.
Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia is a big, busy, industrial port (pictured above right,) and government administration centre. It is not a tropical paradise and down town itself is a little dusty. Grungy even. White, ornate, streetlamps dotted along the tree-lined, waterfront esplanade give way to narrow, grimy streets, city traffic, Chinese traders, tattoo parlours, tacky souvenir stores, a massive, two story market shed, cheap, black pearl sellers and expensive, street front cafes and bars full of tourists awaiting flights or luxury boats to the more exotic locations of Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine and Taha’a….
Papeete does have it’s charms; the people watching is mesmerising. It is an energetic melting pot of cultures from all of the archipelagos mixed with French expatriates and an infusion of Chinese. The 150 year old history of Chinese in Tahiti began with migrant workers in cotton, coffee and sugar plantations and today, most of the fascia signs above the retail properties boast of Chinese ownership.
The ‘roulettes’ food caravan markets is the best place to eat in Papeete and you get a choice of Chinese, French and traditional Tahitian cuisine enjoyed al fresco on plastic chairs underneath the moody, tropical sky.
The most prestigious Tahitian festival- Heiva i Tahiti- is an explosion of cultural celebrations starting with a feast of Polynesian culture that runs from June 29th right through to a spectacular accumulation of festivities on July 14th; France’s national day. Papeete’s waterfront plaza; To’ata Square hosts many of the sporting events that include barefooted, stone-weight lifting, palm climbing, javelin throwing and running barefoot (and bare pretty much everything else) whilst carrying bamboo poles of swinging coconuts and other fruit across ones back. The traditional dancing and singing performances at the Heiva stadium form an iconic event. Each dance, we were told, is a unique creation with it’s own choreography and costumes based on a historical or legendary theme. Most are rehearsed for at least 6 months before Heiva, some performances had up to 50 musicians on stage and every act oozed of pride for the Polynesian culture and heritage. It was hypnotic to watch the women’s hips, emphasised with full, grass skirts, move to the beat of the powerful slit drums. And the war dances, reminiscent of the Maori haka were full of raw energy and told stories of great warriors and battles.
Above; A dynamic dance performance at the cultural centre.
One of my favourite memories of Papeete was the smell and visual delight of the flower stalls at the city market. Rows and rows of trestle tables laden with fresh, vibrant garlands or hei necklaces and gorgeous hibiscus and tiare flower wreaths. The perfume wafted through-out the markets… Out on the street, 80% of the population (male and female wore) flower wreaths during Heiva- they went hand in hand with the big, relaxed personalities and proud presence of the Polynesians. The image of open hearted Tahitians, with joyous smiles, intricate tattoos and elaborate flower crowns is forever etched in my mind from these islands.
We hired a car with some friends (the lovely peeps from S.V Ta-b and S.V Lufi)and and did a tour around the island. Teahupoo wasn’t pumping on the day we visited but it was nice to eyeball the world famous surf break and the small, curling wave did give us a hint of what it must be like in big conditions. The heavy, glassy, offshore left hander that breaks over coral reef is known as one of the most dangerous waves in the world.
Tahiti’s interior rises to sharp, basalt peaks, lush, fern-lined valleys and sky high waterfalls that snuggle in the rainforest. We splashed around at the Fautaua falls and got back massages standing n the rocks below the pounding cascade. There is nothing quite like being submerged in fresh, mountain water!
Above right and below; Tika at the Tahiti Yacht Club anchorage…
We took off to spend some more time at Moorea; the water is clearer there and we needed to start slowly cruising west towards the end of our 3 month visa for French Polynesia…
We hung out at the Baie de Vaiara on the east side of Moorea before checking out the crowded anchorages af Baie de Opunohu and Baie de Cook.
The three distinct island groups of French Polynesia have their own unique personalities and kept us in awe for most of our visit. The Marquesas blew us away with it’s stunning, soaring topography and the Tuamotus got under our skin with it’s low lying, white sand atolls and jewel-like lagoons. The Societies are a blend of the two; with the additional smattering of cool, wealthy, super yacht, honeymooners and jetsetters. Picture unbuttoned, white linen shirts, bling sunglasses, heels and sleekly styled hairstyles emerging out of gorgeous, 5 star, luxury resorts perched on pristine lagoons. The Societies have the mountains of the Marquesas and the lagoons of the Tuamotus. Gin-clear water, a strong culture, the conveniences of busy tourist towns and hideously expensive internet combine with secluded anchorages, dreamy beaches and tropical hikes into dense vegetation…
Next post; ‘Rolling Waves'; a poem about the sea by Jaiya, followed by ‘heading west- Huahine, Raiatea and Taha’a…’
This entry was posted in The Sail.
