Just like Tiffany has her own gorgeous blue, so does Bora Bora, well it is more of a color range. Amongst the cruising community, big tourist destinations tend to be a big disappointment. They are usually full of cruise ships, hordes of tourists in socks and sandals, expensive restaurants and shops crammed with stuff that you think you need when you are on holiday. Bora Bora is no different with her 1000’s of hotel rooms, most being suspended over the sea, and her hundreds of honeymooning couples. We were prepared to be quietly disdainful. And then we got here and she is very very VERY pretty. It has water of a color to rival Bonaire and we were blown away on our approach to the mooring field. As soon as we were secured, we were all in the water.  The towering mountains seem very proud looking over her island. It is easy to understand where the legend of Moana’s Tafitii comes from. 

We went to the police station to check out of the country and it was the friendliest exchange we have had with officials. Everyone seems to be very happy to be here. On our way back, we were buzzing around the motu and we zoomed past (we zoom these days) the Hilton resort. The place was so beautiful it made us giggle. The water around it is all shades of incredible. Teo was yelling, “The rooms all have their own jacuzzi’s, that man is sitting in a jacuzzi!” A quick check on the internet tells us that those King Suites with a pool cost $1500 a night. We were joking that we should see if anyone is checking out early so we could go for just an hour… all of us were daydreaming about the plunge from the private swim platform, the dip in the jacuzzi and the showers (or would there be a bath tub with a view?!?) with those little mini Hilton bath products…As we turned the corner we saw the multi/storey Presidential Suite with its 300 square meters which goes for $squillions a night. It’s like in the fashion magazines, “price available on request.” 

Also this place feels like a bit of a family holiday as we are here on our own having left everyone else in Huahine. The three of us have been going everywhere together and spending lots of time in the water. There has been a boat school break as we only have a few days here and are trying to cram a lot into them.

The wildlife like it here, too. We saw a turtle as we arrived and a family of sting rays swimming by the Hilton. There is a cleaning station for manta rays on the other side of the island. Other types of fish munch on unwanted stowaways and the manta might also be spoiled by treats from the tourists. They are probably loving the Bora Bora spa with snacks. 

We attempted to climb one of the double peaks to get the majestic view, but we turned back without much of a view. It is a hard hike and it was quite wet underfoot. There are some parts that require ropes and the third set were too daunting. The climb down was just as hard as the way up and we still feel we earned our ice cream. I think the boys could have made it to the top. Jon has had lots of practice with his brother and Teo has a great disposition for this type of thing. Once he gets over the mind trick at the start he just plods along.

We took the dinghy out for the day and went all the way around the island. It was a stunning trip and we had a wonderful time. We were unfortunately not early enough to see the manta rays but  we swam with eagle rays. The eagle rays are so graceful especially when they turn. It was gorgeous. A little while later we jumped back into the water to snorkel with the little fish. These fish were expecting food and were very friendly if not a bit disappointed in us. The coral is in bad shape but the fish seem to be getting big on baguettes from tourists. It was lovely to see the fish so close up because it became clear how much more detailed their features are. We have seen lots of these types of fish before in different locations but never this close. Teo said he felt like he was “swimming in a sea of fish!” Our last stop was the main beach of Matira and since it is Saturday it was full of locals. We used the last of our francs on lunch and got back to Itchy Foot to had a lovely swim before watching the glorious sunset.

The sunsets have been incredible and we hear ukeulele music from the shore every evening. It isn’t coming from the Hilton, I can picture an older, smiley man in his Hawaiian shirt enjoying the cool evening air on the porch of his beach hut. Thanks Bora Bora for this unexpected parting gift. This is magic, indeed.

Itchy Foot and her crew love Mo’orea and we snuck in a short visit before heading to Huahine. Mo’orea is like Tahiti’s younger, friendlier and much more beautiful sister. My parents visited  many moons ago and said it was magic then and it is still magic now. We couldn’t help but visit a few of our favorite places, including the Allo Pizza truck. We had a wonderful day of adventuring when we took the dinghy to Sting Ray City outside the Intercontinental Hotel. It is wonderful to swim with these gentle and graceful creatures. And our visitors Clive and Fi will be amazed to read that we got there in ten minutes (it took us 45 minutes last September). We had to replace our outboard and now we can plane around which has made a huge difference. So, sometimes when stuff breaks it does you a little favor. On our way over to swim with the stingrays, we were delayed by the dolphins who really liked our improved bow wake. I think they might even have clapped. But seriously, watching them from the dinghy was amazing! Seeing dolphins always makes me squeal like a little girl and it was extra special to see them so close. The sting rays would not be outdone and we seemed to get lots of cuddles. It might have been the sardines but I can’t be sure. We revisited the cute village of Tiahura for lunch and treats, there is a divine dress shop I spent my birthday money from Jon’s parents there. The last day we were there we finally managed to track down the blacksmith and got to visit his workshop. They were very friendly and loved chatting with Teo. Airborne spoiled us rotten and fed us yummy lasagne and salad. When we got back to Itchy Foot we were set to set sail for Huahine. 

The passage was smooth and we were happy to arrive at lunch time the following day. Our friends on Larki came and picked up Teo so he can play while we got a very indulgent nap. Those one-to-three night passages are always hardest as the body clock seems to finally learn what it should do around day four. And there always seems to be quite a lot of tidying to do once we get settled in a destination. 

Huahine is a beautiful island and very laid back. It reminds me of a California surf town. There are lots of breaks on the reef and lots of surfing to be done. The surfers always bring with them a quiet enthusiasm for the nature of a place. It has lots of unassuming establishments whether they are the pharmacy, post office or tourist shop. We enjoyed the happy hour ashore, the decent free internet outside the police station and the well stocked hardware store and food shop. On Fridays there is live music at the yacht club and we danced our socks off, well we danced our flip flops off.

We did go and visit the shell museum with the very lovely collector and curator, Frank. He took the time to share his collection with us and tell us about the gems in his collection and he also gave us some safety tips as there are a handful of cone shells that can kill you if you mistreat them. We were there for a couple of hours and very much enjoyed ourselves. Some of the kids even traded with him and others gifted him shells he didn’t have yet.

There were lots of kids boats anchored in the bay and the VHF radio was busy most mornings. A blog post about how different kids use the radio and organize afternoons is forthcoming. I might even be sneaky about getting some audio clips. As the group gets larger, the group splinters a bit and the social exercise of finding the way begins. Transmitting on the VHF should  follow certain, strict rules and focusing on that often leads to some very funny exchanges. With the lack of body language, it is much like be misunderstood in a text message.

We unfortunately did not do a lot more sight seeing. We had lots of projects on the go and after boat school each day there was a flurry of excitement. The sewing machine was out and getting lots of attention. We have new fender covers and Itchy Foot has had a cockpit upgrade, too! Plus lots of small mending jobs are completed. Jon finished a project for an upcoming 50th birthday and we even got to the post office. There were lots of trips to the beach. The dads and boys even had a barbecue there while there was a ladies night happening onboard Calle II. I love those evenings! Teo was thrilled to hang out with the kids from Panacea and Alice from Moody Fin. It was hard to tear ourselves away but Bora Bora awaits, we simply couldn’t just skip it.