Raiatea – March 4

The Statendam left Bora Bora at 11:30pm for the very short trip to the island of Raiatea.  We got off the ship early and were met quickly by the representative of Avis who drove us to their office near the airport.  Today we had another Fiat Panda but newer and nicer than the one on Bora Bora – this one we named Guido! 

The agent at Avis made a good suggestion for our itinerary.  We traveled down the east coast of the island until we came to a pass over the mountains. Once on the south coast we reversed and headed in the opposite direction eventually completing our loop and going back over the same pass so we could continue our along the west coast of the island.

Travel is slow…because around every bend there are beautiful views of the water, palm trees, flowers, beaches, rock outcroppings, mountains covered in every shade of green, etc. – in other words, a camera stop around every bend in the road.  We stopped on a ridge to admire stunning views of the coastline.  Elisabeth called my attention to a bright red exotic flower growing in the thick, green underbrush along the side of the road.  Something did not add up. The flower moved differently than the other plants in the wind. Suddenly the flower jumped out of the brush screeching – the rooster was not pleased at being disturbed - he flew off down the hill with his cackling paramour not far behind! 

We stopped at Marae Taputapuatea considered the most important marae (temple) in French Polynesia.  The site is a large paved platform with an altar stretching down one side.  There are three smaller marae on the site.  At the parking lot we found a local farm family that had set up a stand with samples of all kinds of exotic fruit.  These were the “lost leaders” for their sale of vanilla products – beans, powder, extract – as well as breadfruit chips.  We succumbed to everything. Marie-Elisabeth had a good time talking to them.  This reminds me that she finds the French of the Polynesians easier to understand than Canadian French – Quebequois French has a very different sound that even I can detect. 

We continued along the coastal road with more beautiful land and seascapes.  Lunch was at a small restaurant in the Apooiti Marina where many luxurious yachts and catamarans were docked.  The restaurant has stunning views of both Bora Bora and Raiatea’s twin island Taha’a.  The French owner and his wife – the chef – are from the Haute Savoie (Alps) – now that’s a change of climate!  The set menu included a great mixed salad, baguette, and grilled Mahi Mahi.  We had three sauces to pick from and we were encouraged to try the vanilla sauce – after all Tahiti and especially Raiatea and Taha’a are known for vanilla.  Before you choke in disgust, I have to say that this was the most delicious sauce for fish we think we have ever tasted.  It was not sweet – of course, after thinking about it, we realized that sugar is usually added to vanilla for sweet things like baked goods and ice cream.  BUT – why not use vanilla in savory?  This really worked. 

After returning to the ship, the Captain announced that our scenic cruising of Taha’a was being extended thanks to the port pilot.  We were able to cruise entirely around the island within the reef – this brought us very close to the shore.  More incredible than the scenic cruising was the sunset over Bora Bora as well as a small twister that dropped from rain clouds toward the ocean!

Another fabulous day in French Polynesia came to an end – next - the island of Tahiti Nui/Tahiti Iti for March 5!