Papeete

A Perfect Polynesian Day

We awoke as we were sailing into the harbor in Papeete. The lighting on the mountain was perfect, and it was a magnificent sight. Our neighbors were also out on the balcony; sounding like another party was in progress.

We disembarked as soon as possible as we wanted to do some shopping before heading to the beach. Christopher Rynd was at the gangway chatting with the passengers heading ashore. He said that when Arcadia had docked here last week, the rain was so heavy that many of the tours had to be cancelled, so we were lucky that the weather was predicted to be good today.

It looked like he may not have too much time ashore as he was planning an emergency rescue boat drill. Cunard has always been very safety conscious, but I do feel sorry for the crewmembers who have to stay on board to participate in the drill, and will not get full enjoyment of the island. The Commodore reminded me that there would be a barbecue on the Lido deck tonight, and recommended that I shop for the occasion. As if I needed encouragement!

When we disembarked there were singers and dancers to greet us, and I was given a flower for my hair. There were souvenir stalls nearby, and taxis offering tours of the island. The ship docks right in the downtown area, there is no cruise terminal as such, and no free wifi. The nearest ATM is about a block away, but they take dollars everywhere we went, so we didn’t need to change money.

Unfortunately because it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed. The expensive pearl shops however were open, as were some souvenir shops, and there were street vendors on one of the side streets. We found a great souvenir shop up a side street, and I bought a lovely dress for the barbecue. It is not a brightly colored Polynesian one, as the dresses they had there were pretty shapeless and unattractive. However it does have appliqué geckos on it, and I really like it. I also got a fake flower for my hair.

We picked up a few souvenirs, and headed back to the ship to get ready for the beach. We met up with Deidre and Kim, and we took a $35 taxi ride to the La Meridien Hotel. The taxi driver seemed to be quite psychotic (how do we always find them?), but did get us there in one piece. The hotel is right on the water, with a sandy beach, swaying palm trees, over water bungalows (I so want to stay in one of those one day), and a salt-water swimming pool. The pool area of the hotel was very crowded, it looked like some kind of corporate outing was going on, but we were able to find 4 loungers, and a spot near the beach so we could look at the over water bungalows, and stunning Moorea in the distance. Kim and Brian then took the very complex task of paying for our day pass, and a round of drinks. I don’t think we ever worked out what things cost, they just seemed to cost a lot.

We spent the most perfect day lying in the sun, and then walking down to the beach to soak in the clear blue seawater. There were snake like creatures in the water near to the shore which I thought to be a bit troublesome, but they left us alone, and we left them alone. Independence at its best. Local musicians serenaded us; it was all so beautiful and relaxing.

The taxi ride back to town was less of an adventure, except our driver had to drop us off quite a way from the port because the main road was closed due to some sort of a bicycle extravaganza. When we got back to the ship we decided that we should go ashore again and go in search of wifi. The ship’s Internet continues to be totally awful, and it is very hard to get anything done. We checked out the waiting areas of the nearby ferry terminal, but there was no sign of wifi. We ended up going to a bar we had been to on a previous trip to Papeete, the 3 Brasseurs, where the beer and wine are cold, and the wifi is free. The people watching wasn’t bad either.

We bumped into Roscoe as we headed back to the ship, and went with him to see the multitude of food trucks parked near the pier. The food looked and smelled wonderful, but we would miss the boat should we linger there, besides there was the barbecue planned by the Lido pool tonight, and I had my new dress and fake flower for my hair.

When we arrived at the barbecue, the party was already in full swing. Synergy was playing, and burgers were on the grill. We couldn’t find a seat out on deck, which wasn’t surprising – 1810 passengers must have got there before us, so we were left to find a seat elsewhere. We convinced ourselves that it was much better being indoors in the air conditioning, away from the music and crowds. But a little part of me really wanted to be out on deck dining under the stars and dancing the night away. However it was not to be.