A big part of me dreads coming to Tahiti.  First, because it is the epicenter for the pandemic.  The majority of the cases in French Polynesia are in Tahiti and people visiting this area have brought the virus back to the outer islands.  So, we have to be extra careful here to avoid catching covid.  Second, it means we have tons of chores, errands, and tasks which are exhausting.  And third, we will be spending loads of money.  It is why I call it Tahiti Madness when we come here.  A whirl wind of organized chaos and this visit is no different.

We arrived in Papeete around 10:15 from Huahine.  We had hoped to arrive much earlier.  In retrospect, we should have left on Sunday and arrived on Monday, but you know, hind sight is 20/20.  Our goal was to find a slip at Marina Papeete so we would have easy access to the downtown stores for a few days.  Then we thought we would move out to the anchorage and finish the rest of our errands from a different location.

The wind was blowing pretty darn good causing white caps in and around the marina.  Not a good sign as it can be challenging to maneuver the boat into a slip in those conditions.  But we got lucky as our friends on Garulfo helped us into the slip (after two false starts).  

Off to the Races – Day 1

After we secured the boat, we had to run to an appointment with the U.S. Consulate.  We were scheduled to meet him at 1100, but missed that time.  He graciously said he would wait for us if we could get there before 1200.  Well, that ruled out the bus because their schedule is on island time.  So, we hopped in a cab for the 10-mile journey.  $30 later we arrived, hopped out, and ran to the photo store to get Matt’s passport photo.  Then upstairs to the U.S. Consulate. (Stay tuned for a blog post called “Passport and Visa Mess” coming soon)

It was a huge relief to get that passport renewal process started.  Once we returned downtown, we headed for the marina office.  We needed to let them know we arrived, pay for the slip, obtain a security card, and load money on another card for our electricity and water.  Super nice folks at Marina Papeete!  Now that we are legal we headed to a late lunch because we were starved.

After lunch, we swung by two sporting goods stores to see if they had a volleyball and volleyball net for our friends in Gambiers (Herve and Valerie).  Remarkably, we found both, noted the prices and headed back to the boat. We needed to confirm with them that they still wanted these items and had not bought them since the last time we were there.

Marina Work

Back at the marina, Matt took advantage of the cheap water and washed down the boat.  It was incredibly salty from our passage and needed a good rinse.

As Matt was working on the outside, I was working on paperwork for our long-stay visa renewals and Matt’s passport. 

Before we knew it, it was time for the net and I was net controller.  As I’m wrapping up the net, I hear someone tell Matt that we have to move.  We are in their private slip.  Seriously!  Ugh.  I wrap up the net quickly, enlist our friends on Garulfo again, and we move 4 slips down on the same pier.  This spot was taken earlier so we were super happy it was available now.  The winds had virtually stopped and with the help of our friends, we eased in with no issues.

To wrap up our first day of Tahiti madness, we had happy hour on Garulfo.  It was a short night as we were exhausted from the lack of sleep during our previous passage night.

Tahiti Madness – Day 2

We slept long and hard waking up refreshed and ready for our busy day.  There was lots of ground to cover so we got started early.  Left the boat at 0730 and headed for the industrial area which is 1.2 miles away.  Matt needed to purchase bearings for the water maker.  Lucky for us, the guy had exactly what we needed and within 5 minutes we were walking toward our second stop, the Champion grocery store.  This will be the first of many grocery runs.  Back to the boat to drop off the first load.

Ocean 2000, a marine store was our next stop.  They close at 12n so we had to hustle to make it there on time.  We picked up the red button for the Yamaha kill switch, teak oil for our exterior wood, fuses, some other bits.  On the way back toward the boat, we stopped in Maxi’s which is a store where you can buy food in bulk (like Costco or Sam’s).  We had to be careful here as we could only buy what we could carry.  Unfortunately, we went overboard buying in bulk (minced garlic, snacks, ziplock bags, salsa, peanut butter, etc…).  Will have to come back for round 2.

Loaded down, we started the long walk back to the marina.  On the way, we made one more stop to Olympian Sports to buy the volleyball net and ball.  It was on the way, but seriously I needed a break from carrying the bags.  We continued on to the marina and unloaded our 2^nd load.  This photo shows only the first load, we return to the market and bulk store the next day and the fresh market right before we left Papeete.

The Madness Continues

A quick lunch at the market, and off we go again.  We are in full blown Tahiti madness mode.   A mile later we arrive to Sing Tung Hung another marine store where we grab a few items.  Then we stop at Ace hardware (2 stores) for more boat supplies (cleaning agents, brushes, silicone, blue tape, etc…). A quick stop at the bank for local currency and back to the boat for the 3^rd time.

Finally, back at the boat, but we are not done yet.  The sun is still up and there is work to do.  Matt starts working on removing the main sail.  (Look for the post “Main Sail Maintenance” coming soon).  As Matt is working outside, I work on stowing our goodies.  It’s not as easy as you’d think as we remove all packaging (cardboard attracts bugs), label all lids with content and expiry date, wrap blue tape on all metal items (cans), and then stow it safely on the boat.

We walked over 8 miles today, most of it schlepping bags.  No wonder my body is protesting!

Sunset in the marina

Coming up next, more of our Tahiti madness adventures.

Events from this blog occurred on 21 October 2020.  Our blog posts run 8 weeks behind our adventures.