Fi and Clive come to visit us on Itchy Foot and we went to explore Mo’orea

Mo’orea is a glorious and delightful destination and we were so lucky that we got to explore it together with Fi and Clive. Wait a minute and back up. We are lucky full stop that we have friends  with so much gumption and eagerness to come and visit us in such a far flung place. And not only that, they came to visit us in a far flung place and were happy to do a bunch of muling. Clive’s journey was the stuff of nightmares with the door to door well over the 30 hour mark. Our patient, understanding friends shopped and schlepped and kept on bringing out surprises and treats throughout their visit. Tons of chocolate and tea and treats for Teo. We added Snakey and Slothy to our family and Fi brought nail polish and earrings for trading further down the line. Fi went to Decathalon for us because it has all the stuff you need on a boat and more. And she brought lots of jewellery making gear so we can be creative in the rainy season. But of course it is not about the stuff, it is about the time and we had a wonderful long week in Mo’orea during which they spoiled us rotten and we are so thankful for that time.

As we arrived in Tahiti and anchored near the Intercontinental hotel we were dazzled by visions of Mo’orea. We even mused that it would make a lovely photo book if someone were to take a series of sunset photos of this beautiful island. We were hoping to have all of our boat jobs finished by the time they arrived but we barely even got started. Mostly, we were excited to welcome guests onboard Itchy Foot and were already envisioning our time exploring with Fi and Clive once they were safely onboard.

Well, the weather forecast forced us to leave a little more abruptly than we had planned. We picked up Fi and made a trip to Carrefour for provisions and we sailed for Mo’orea. We spotted whales shortly before sunset on our way to anchor at the top of Cook’s Bay. Spotting sea mammals is always a treat and this was no exception, the beauty of nature at its best. Once we found a sot that would protect us from the forecasted winds we enjoyed a very calm swim in the evening before happy hour and dinner aboard.

The next day was everything but calm, it was grey and windy and rainy. But we didn’t let it stop us and we went ashore for a long walk to the village of Maharepa. We explored the resorts on the shore and stopped into shops to avoid rain. There are gorgeous stands with fresh fruit (we even got to try a new fruit called star apples) and handmade crafts along the way. It was dark and we were muddy when we returned home, but we were smiling because our bellies were full of the yummy pizza that was a treat from Fi.

Clive had to tack an extra flight onto his epic journey and we hated to do it to him but we had to make quick decisions as the weather threatened to trap us in Tahiti, without a beach or good swimming water. Clive took it in stride and arrived bright and bushy tailed and ready to hike up to the view point at Belvedere. We checked out some pineapple plantations and a few ancient sites with tikis before we reached the top. It was a funny moment to emerge from the jungle to see a carpark full of tourists on ATVs enjoying the view that we might have worked a little harder for. We hitched a ride down the hill and enjoyed our evening nestled safely Cook’s Bay. Clive brought a remote control lego jeep for Teo that they built together and he also shared some Ladybird books with him from his own boyhood collection and they became quick favourites.

We had lots of lovely swims in the sea and visits to the beach and collected lovely memories. We walked to a prawn farm where Fi bought fresh prawns for an excellent evening meal one evening and we celebrated both our birthdays. We explored the little village Tiahura and found cute little roadside burger place with good burgers and delightful Belgian waffles.  We snorkelled with humpback whales and Teo and Jon caught glimpses of the baby and her mamma and we spent some time at Sting Ray City with the rays and the sharks.

As the old adage goes, time flew and we were all teary as we kissed and hugged them goodbye. The next few days were empty and we felt as if Itchy Foot were way too big.  This lifestyle is full of new friends and still the most special moments are when we have time together with people who know us well and we love the fact that Teo connects so well with our close friends. We miss them madly.