My sister and her family came for a visit to the Society Islands.  Kimberly, Troy, Cameron and Cole {the Konis family} arrived in Tahiti at dawn.  I greeted them with fresh floral leis and fresh baked rosemary bread.  After a quick stop at the boat, we rushed them to the fresh market to pick up fruit and veggies.  The market is located in the center of Papeete so they got a quick glimpse of downtown and a feel for the local life as a Polynesian.

We returned to the boat and began the fun process of unpacking and uncovering new goodies for the boat.  Our pack mules delivered a 50lb bag of stuff just for us, sweet! 

And the Adventure Begins

Several hours later, we decided it was time to head back into town.  We enjoyed a tasty lunch at the Bora Bora Yacht Club (which is really just a restaurant), did some shopping, and discovered pearl picking.  We walked to the market, found a cool post office box and noted the empty streets.  It was Sunday after all and covid still is in play.  Not the best introduction to the Society Islands, but it still was fun.  We did stumble upon a tiny park called Parc Bougainville with a quaint coy pond and shaded pathways and greenery.

For dinner we took them to B3 Brasserie where we enjoyed half price beer and pizza for dinner.  A few other cruisers showed up and “gave us our space” because we had guests visiting from the states.

Our first day was a big day.  We retired “early” to be ready for tomorrow.

Our goal during this trip was to visit 7 islands within the Society Island Archipelago.  Starting with Tahiti, Mo’orea, Huahine Nui, Huahine Iti, Raiatea, Taha’a and finally Bora Bora.

Day 2: Mo’orea

The next morning, we made a healthy breakfast to ready our new sailors for their first passage across the Pacific.  It was less than a 20nm trip from Tahiti to Mo’orea, but still a “passage.”  Our crew did wonderfully as we sailed with the jib across the pond.  We anchored in Oponohu Bay in 2.5 meters of turquoise, sandy water. 

After lunch, we headed the short distance to sting ray city by dinghy.  It is a fun dinghy ride between coral heads and a reef and past the Mo’orea Intercontinental Hotel (which was closed).  We grabbed a mooring and jumped in.  Dozens of black tip sharks and sting rays hang out here and they greeted the Konis family nobly.  These majestic creatures are just as curious of us as we are of them.  They swim close enough to look them in the eye and touch their wings.

Then you have the dozens of black tip sharks that are looking for scraps of anything.  They are all pretty fat and healthy looking so you know they are not going hungry.  They don’t swim too close, which is all right with me.

A fun tour guide telling us that the sharks only like to eat men (not women or children).

Day 3: Mo’orea

A quick zip to shore to explore the town of Vaihere.  We were in search of an eatery to have lunch.  Unfortunately, the Oponohu Bay does not have much activity, hikes, or places to see.  We found several places for good photo ops though.

However, we did find a super cute pension (small, local hotel) willing to serve us lunch at Fare Maheata.  It was situated right on the beach overlooking the beautiful bay and served a tasty lunch.

We headed back to the boat, after everyone was well fed and had a little exercise.  Preparations were made for the Konis’s first night passage.  Our next island is 85nm away.

Night Passage: Mo’orea to Huahine

The longest passage between the Society Islands is from Mo’orea to Huahine (if you are going from island to island in sequential order).

We left late afternoon so the Konis clan could start the trip in the day light.  It would be a downwind sail with light winds and fairly calm seas.  However, that doesn’t mean “smooth” sailing for newbies.  The motion of the boat was odd because the waves were coming from the quarter panel.  Slightly pushing us forward, but also rocking us side to side.  Everyone slept outside or in the salon as sleeping is more challenging down below in the cabins.  Lucky for us, everyone slept through the night – despite claims of wanting to pull a night shift 😉 

We arrived in Huahine at dawn and found a lovely mooring in the flats between the two passes.  Each of the Society Islands offer different experiences from landscape, to activities.

Day 4: Huahine 

Everyone was tired upon arrival.  Even though they slept through the night it was a restless sleep being under passage.  So, we took it easy in the morning and did not head into town until lunch.  We walked around town, checked out a few shops and artisan markets and headed to our favorite eatery in French Polynesia called Izzy’s Burgers.  For dessert we stopped by the Distillerie Huahine Passion for rum tasting. Chocolate rhum – yum!

The distillery serves dozens of flavors ranging from 80 proof to liqueurs to basic rums.  We started out with 3 shots splitting 2 people per shot and ended with one shot and all 6 of us tasting the one.  With 4-25cl (1/4 of liter) bottles in our bag we headed back to the boat.

Day 5: Huahine Nui

We had reserved 6 bikes for a leisure ride around the island.  However, the local kids did not return them so we had to hoof it on foot.  Our goal was to walk to the Fare Pote’e museum and archaeological sites with Marae.  It is a 4.2 mile walk one way so we were in for a long walk.  About half way to our destination we passed by a beautiful lagoon called Lac Maeva.

We arrived to the museum on a beautiful, sunny morning.  The calm waters and bright blue skies showcasing the marae and museum nicely.  Matt and I did not go inside the museum (as we’ve seen it and posted about it several times).

After the Konis family filled their brains with local history, we hiked up to the Marae Mata’ire’a Rahi which is another archaeological site marked by a large banyan tree.  It is an easy trail up the Chemin de Randonnee.  We tried to find the other marae but the trail was hidden in the dense bushes.

We returned to town clocking in at 8.2 miles.  Not a bad walk.  Lucky for us, we were able to secure 6 bikes for the next day.  We enjoyed some cocktails at the Huahine Yacht Club and returned to the boat for a tasty pad thai dinner.

Day 6: Huahine Nui

Attempt #2 to ride bikes around Huahine.  We were not technically planning on riding the bikes all the way around the island because there is a rather large hill on the opposite side.  It would make it challenging to go up it and treacherous to go down it after the rain.  So, our plan was just to bike to the Sacred Blue-Eyed Eels which was about 16 miles round trip.

We should have taken a photo of our bikes, but we forgot.  The Konis family was amused in the quality of the bikes as most did not have breaks, some had faulty steering, all had crappy seats and were rusted.  But these were fabulous compared to the bikes we rented in Hao.

We pushed the bikes to their limits and rode hard to Anguilles Sacrees de Faie.  I took the boys down to the water’s edge to hand feed the eels.  The eels love sardines which are horribly smelly!

A local tour guide and his group showed up a few minutes later.  The guide showed us how to exercise the eels by placing sardines on the little ledge. Pretty wild to watch.

Quick Stop at a Pearl Farm in the Middle of the Lagoon

On the way back to town, we stopped to take a tour of a pearl farm.  They pick you up in a small panga and drive you 5 minutes to the pearl farm located in the lagoon.

They sold pottery, shells, pearls and jewelry.  It was rather pricey, especially compared to Gambier prices.  But I guess they have the market here.  Every Society Island sells pearls, but none are more beautiful or cost effective as those found in the Gambiers.

Cole and Cameron enjoying a breezy spot on the deck of the pearl farm.

Relaxing after a long bike ride

After our brief tour we headed back into town.  We returned our bikes and enjoyed some drinks at the Huahine Yacht Club.  Our friends on Flip Flops were there so we invited them over for sun downers on Sugar Shack.  Troy booked flights from Bora Bora to Tahiti at the local Air Tahiti office so they are all set.  We had a gorgeous sunset during our sun downer party.

More Fun photos on Sugar Shack with the Konis’s in the Society Islands.

Day 7: Huahine Iti

We had not intended on spending this much time in Huahine, but we had to show the Konis family Huahine Iti before they left.  We motored the 5-miles to Hana Iti beach located on the western side of Huahine Iti in the Baie Teapaa. Huahine Nui (large) and Huahine Iti (small) are both located in the same lagoon and are connected by a bridge on land.

We had a superb beach day, hanging out in the water, SUP’ing, playing volleyball and bacchi ball.

Back at the boat, Matt taught the boys how to dive between our davits into the water.  Kimberly was down below during this time – thank goodness.

Tune in to the next blog, “The Society Islands Welcome the Konis’s: Part II” as we continue our adventures with Cameron, Cole, Kimberly and Troy Konis.

This post was written in July/August 2020.  Our blog posts are usually 6 to 7 weeks behind are true adventures.