Tag Archives: papeete

Twinkly Tahiti

I had to show you a fabulous side of Tahiti after our last blog on derelict boats.  We enjoy a live concert called “Rock the Dock” with our friends on Liward and we visit another fabulous lunch surfside.  If you look, not even really hard, you find the twinkly side of Tahiti.

Rock the Dock

Steve on Liward hosted another live concert, but this time in Tahiti. He plays with different locals depending on which island he is located at.  He has done this for years so he knows people everywhere.  In Tahiti, he plays with La Guitune (or Guy) who plays the electric violin!  I’ve never heard an electric violin before, but he played it so amazingly well.  Think of the Charlie Daniel’s Band “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” fiddle playing – truly impressive. I posted a video on my Instagram account if you want to hear him (christine.mitchell4) on 13 November 2021.

Steve and Lili set up a huge pop up tent, powered the speakers and sound system and set up chairs for the many fans.  

The stars for the night.

The fans were plenty. We ended up having well over 35 people enjoying the live music.

SNACK TAHARU’U on the Surf

Steve and Lili took us to a new place to eat called Snack Taharu’u. It is a cute little place located about 20 minutes from Marina Taina. It is situated on beautiful black sand and has a patio overlooking the surf. 

Usually many locals are showing off their surfing talents here, but on the day we went, the seas were super unhappy making it too difficult to surf.  But there were some brave body surfers (can you see them in the 3 photos on the right) and tons of people playing the river mouth.

It was a gloomy day, but we made the best of it.  As did some of the locals who made a shelter out of the drift wood.

MARAE ARAHURAHU

On the way to the snack, we stopped at a beautiful marae right off the road.  It was so easy to get to and really lovely.  There are two tikis in front of the marae (spiritual site).

The grounds were immaculately kept and well cared for with a clear path leading you to the sacred grounds.

The marae is the only marae that has been 100% restored.

We had some fun posing in front of the statue.

And some more craziness…

It was time to say goodbye to Tahiti.  We need to make our way towards Gambier and the easiest way to do that is to go through the Tuamotus.  On our last night we had a marvelous sunset over Mo’orea and I was even able to capture the moon.

       

Derelict boats of Tahiti are showcased on our last blog.   Events from this blog post occurred early November.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind our adventures.

Papeete Anchorage

Tahiti Anchorage

We are anchored in Tahiti at the anchorage called Marina Taina, on 11 June 2021.  It is extremely unusual for us to be in this particular anchorage for an extended period of time.  But, it is what it is.  We arrived a few weeks before my trip back to the States, then I was in the U.S. for 3 weeks and then we waited 2 weeks for my family to arrive.  Sure, we could have moved the boat during the last two weeks, but we were busy doing boat projects and visiting friends.

Technically, there are two anchorages in the Tahiti area. One is called the “airport anchorage” and the other is called “Marina Taina anchorage.”  The airport anchorage is right across from the airport and can be a bit calmer than the other location.  It is equidistant between downtown Papeete and Marina Taina (about 2.5-3nm miles each way).  Sugar Shack has only anchored here once, for one night and found it to be very crowded, but decent.  We typically, anchor directly across from the Intercontinental Hotel swimming pool and over the water huts on the reef side.  We drop the hook in 3 meters of crystal clear, turquoise water and face Mo’orea.  It is much prettier, a bit quieter, and closer to Marina Taina (1nm) but a lot further to downtown Papeete (4.5-5nm).

We do get lovely sunsets behind Mo’orea.

Sunset of Mo'orea from our anchorage

Sunset of Mo’orea from our anchorage

Waiting for a Change

So, here is where Sugar Shack has sat at anchor for the past 6 weeks.  She will be more than ready to make a move soon.  While Sugar Shack has been patiently waiting for us to head to our next destination, we have been busy finishing up boat projects, making repairs, cleaning, and running to town.  

View towards Mo’orea from the stern.

Mo'orea view

Mo’orea view

And a beautiful sunset behind Mo’orea

View of the dilapidated boats abandoned by their owners. Several boats were left in the marina and or in their anchorage.  The marina moved them to the shallow reef side to simply rot away.  So sad.

Dilapidated Boats left to rot

Dilapidated Boats left to rot

View of the Intercontinental Hotel over the water huts (the swimming pool is too far to see in the photo).

Intercontinental Hotel Tahiti

Intercontinental Hotel Tahiti

View in front of the boat toward the airport anchorage

Looking out toward Airport Anchorage

Looking out toward Airport Anchorage

Why We Don’t Like this Anchorage

Anchoring here is a necessary evil.  We have to come to Tahiti to provision, stock up on boat parts, and do general errands.  The outer islands do not have the resources that Tahiti has so we come here.

Even though the water is crystal clear where we are anchored, it is dirty.  The sides of our boat become filthy from the pollution in the water.  You can’t see it, but it is there.  This is on top of the trash that is actually in the water as well.  The dirt on the waterline (between the black bottom paint and the red stripe) is from a little over a week of being in the water.

Dirty waterline from the water

Dirty waterline from the water

After several hours of scrubbing and elbow grease she looks wonderful. Of course, it will be dirty in a day or two, but for now she looks gorgeous.

In addition to the water quality, there is a lot of traffic that comes by us. We are after all located near the channel.  Big boats, small boats, fast boats, jet skis, and party boats all pass by us creating huge wakes and noise.

We are surrounded by dilapidated boats (see above) which make a racket because nobody is tending to them.  The airport is extremely close so we hear every airplane, jet, helicopter that lands and takes off.  The town is close so we hear traffic.

So, not our favorite place to be.  We prefer the isolated motus in Gambier or the Tuamotus.  But, we are here and making the best and most of it.

Heading to Town via Marina Taina

We hop in Sweetie and drive the 1+nm to Marina Taina where we tie up to the dinghy Dock.  On the way, we pass by all the beautiful super yachts.

Marina Taina Super Yacht Dock

Marina Taina Super Yacht Dock

Even Mother Nature favors these beautiful beasts of the sea

Marina Taina Super Yacht Dock

Marina Taina Super Yacht Dock

Once we secure our dinghy, we walk 1/4 mile to the bus stop, then wait for the bus to take us to downtown Papeete which is about 30 minute ride.

Beautiful Artwork 

All around Papeete you will find beautiful artwork on and around the buildings.  Tikis are scattered throughout downtown as well as creative artwork on the side of buildings.  Here are just a few that I have found.

Tahiti Wall Art

Tahiti Wall Art

Tahiti Wall Art

Tahiti Wall Art

Check out our previous posts in Tahiti.

Events from this blog took place around the last two weeks of July.  The blog posts 6-8 weeks behind our actual adventures.

Lemberger's Visit Sugar Shack

Texas is in the House: Lembergers

John, Missy, and Carl joined us on board Sugar Shack in Tahiti.  We’ve known this cast of characters from Texas for over 2 decades.  They visited us in Costa Rica when Sugar Shack was on the hard.  And now we get to show off our home on the water. It’s so much fun to show them the beauty of our life in French Polynesia.

They arrived Papeete, Tahiti at 0600 after 24 hours of travel from Texas.  We shuttled them to the boat where we unpacked and got settled. They brought all sorts of tasty treats from Texas.  Those included a variety of Texas beers, Diplomatico, and Rose.

Texas Liquor Distributors

Texas Liquor Distributors

We made a plan shortly after unpacking and snorkeling.  Our goal was to make it to Bora Bora during their stay. Which means lots of moving.  First, we made a quick stop to the Papeete fresh fruit and veggie market.  We stocked up on fresh goods and a few Tahitian trinkets.

Snorkeling in Tahiti

A popular snorkel and free dive site was just off our port side.  A Cessna and two barges were sunk next to each other to create a unique opportunity.  At 8-10 meters deep and are just starting to see some growth.

Cessna Snorkel Site in Tahiti

Cessna Snorkel Site in Tahiti

We all enjoyed swimming with the sea life and posing for silly underwater photos.

Snorkeling in Tahiti

Snorkeling in Tahiti

We did not linger in Tahiti.  We quickly finished up provisioning and left Papeete for Point Venus.

Point Venus, Tahiti

This is a truly beautiful anchorage.  Very few boats, small village, beautiful views, and a black sand beach.  Missy, Carl and I went exploring on shore.

We found this enormous whale made of cans.  The outside (lower right photo) shows the cans painted white. The middle photo shows the interior with the multiple colors of cans.

Point Venus Adventures

Point Venus Adventures

We got photo ops near the memorials of Captain Cook, The Bounty, and the Missionaries.

Memorials of Point Venus

Memorials of Point Venus

After a short rain shower, we were blessed with a double rainbow.

Double Rainbow over Point Venus

Double Rainbow over Point Venus

MO’OREA

The next day we hustled over to Opunohu Bay at Mo’orea. This has become another favorite spot for us.  We anchored in 2 meters of clear, turquoise water.  The best part of this anchorage is the easy access to Sting Ray City.  It was hard to contain our excitement.  These majestic creatures did not disappoint. They let you get up close and personal.

Sting Rays at Sting Ray City

Sting Rays at Sting Ray City

It did not take long for our Texas friends to get comfortable with these creatures.

Touching and Playing with Sting Rays

Touching and Playing with Sting Raysity

They love to burrow and “hide” themselves in the sand.

Sting Ray Burrowing

Sting Ray Burrowing

Carl got this great shot of Sugar Shack.

Sugar Shack at Opunohu Bay, Mo'orea

Sugar Shack at Opunohu Bay, Mo’orea

John, Missy and Carl went on the Safari Mario Tour the next morning.  It seemed like they enjoyed exploring Mo’orea and the pineapple plantations.

John, Missy and Carl on Mo'orea'orea

John, Missy and Carl on Mo’orea’orea

While waiting for our friends to finish up with their tour, we visited the Hilton for some cold beverages and a little R&R.

Hilton Hotel Mo'orea

The next day we moved to Cooks Bay to show them the town of PaoPao.  And, to of course visit Allo’s Pizza.  A local teenager graced us with a beautiful gift of a flora lei.

Allo Pizza with a free lei

Allo Pizza with a free lei

Coming Up Next:

We do an overnight passage to Huahine.