Portland to Papeete
We did a long drive to Cannon Beach to grab the wet suits. We got them because there was none to rent in Tahiti and we did not want to buy more there. We then went back to Portland had a super yummy sushi dinner at a place called Kai Zen.
Edible Flowers
That night we slept at or aunts house while she was in Hawaii.
The day we left
The next day we had a short flight from Portland to San Francisco. The airport had a really cool United Polaris Club. It also had kind of hidden hot chocolate bar with marshmallows, sprinkles, sprinkle-covered chocolate balls and some dried mangoes.
San Francisco to Papeete
We left from San Francisco to Papeete. The flight to Papeete was 6 hours long, and we got first-class seats. They were the kind that laid down all the way. During the flight, I slept and watched a movie.
Papeete – Hilton
We relaxed for most of the early afternoon, and then we went to the pool. There was a really cool swim-up bar, and later in the afternoon, I got a Piña Colada. I and KB moved to a different spot that had a table.
Later that night we went to a restaurant that was part of the hotel, but it was built on lilts over the water. They had really good food, and I got steak.
The vacation has begun!
Papeete to Raiatea
It was a super short flight from Papeete to Raia Teh, and they handed out some really yummy orange juice. We meet the whole gang at a little bakery in the small town. It was a really cute little town, but SO HOT. Mom and Dad let us kids get some Cheetos, (a very rare treat) which we thoroughly enjoyed. We walked over to the meeting point and then boarded the boat.
Exploring the Boat
It was 62 feet long, which is pretty big. It was three levels, with six rooms, eight including the crew’s quarters. Another thing is, the water was 84 degrees! There were two fun net thigys on the front, and they were even more fun to use while the boat was moving. The rooms were super nice too. They each had a queen bed, and a closet and drawer the beds. The toilet you had to flush a lot, and you COULD NOT do it while people were in the water otherwise they would be swimming in not good stuff. It was very stinky. My Favorite spot is a little nook that is above the dining area and is totally covered so you can lie down there without getting sunburns. There was Capitan Wen, and his wife Chef Vaia. Capitan Wen was very nice, and Vaia made great food.
Day 1: On The Boat –
We sailed to Taha’a, and there was a little ghat by us. KB saw sharks in the water, but Capitan Wen said that they would just swim away when we got in. I and KB got the kayaks out and paddled over to the small island. There were giant clams on the coral reefs, but they were almost impossible to get out with your bare hands. We stayed out there for a while, but then my dad got stung by a jellyfish. I kayaked back to the boat while he swam next to me. You are actually not supposed to pee on a jellyfish sting, but use vinegar. Up on the third deck, there were a lot of wasps, and Kenny got stung. That night for dinner we had tuna, ceviche, and rice. Yum.
Day 2: Sail to Bora Bora –
We did a long sail of about 4 hours to Bora Bora, and this morning we had more Nutella pancakes. I listened to an audiobook. Gathering Blue, by Louise Lowery – the second book after The Giver.
Review of Gathering Blue –
It is really sad at the start, but then it gets better. It is a story about Kira, and how after the fall of modern civilization, they basically lived in tribes without electricity or any modern things we enjoy today.
Anyway, back to swimming. Goggles + Snorkel + Diving Down = Find Pretty Shells. This is my favorite thing. My dad had a GoPro, and I would take pictures of the cool fish.
Bora Bora: Day 3 –
This morning we woke up at 7 am so that we could go diving. The first dive site was Anau. This first dive was for Manta Rays, which can grow up to 23 feet.
Dive 1 – Anau, Bay Dive
We got down into the water, but the visibility was very low. There was coral right at the surface, and lots of little fishes. We swam around for a little bit, and then we saw two Manta Rays swim by.
What Manta Rays Are –
Manat Rays, also known as Eagle Rays, belong to the genus Mobula. They are completely harmless, but you should not touch them. Manta Rays are also extremely intelligent and live for at least 40 years. Manta is the Spanish word for blanket, and the large triangular fins kind of represent a large blanket. Manta Rays also have the largest brain-to-body weight ratio of any living fish. Manta rays birth little Manta-Ray babies about every two years, which makes them vulnerable to overfishing. Mata Rays leap out of the water sometimes, but scientists are still baffled on why they do this, though some think it might have to do with mating ritually or removing parasites.
We went back onto the boat to go to our next dive spot.
Dive 2 – Teavanui Pass: Open Ocean Dive
We went beyond the wave break, and into the open ocean. The water has super high visibility, up to about 10 feet. There was no big coral near the surface like the last dive, but straight down for about 20 feet. At the bottom, there were lots of pretty fishes, but still little coral.
There was the nice swishing of the big ocean waves that was really nice. We stayed under the water for 30 min at 45 feet.
That night we went out to dinner at Saint James Restaurant, with GF bread, really good Piña Colada and Lamb Chops that came out in a smoking glass cake covering. It was so cool!
That night we sailed to Maupiti in the night.
Maupiti: Day 4 –
Since we were moving in the night there was a nice swishing a rocking, and I had a superb sleep. We got up again at 7 am to go swim with the Manta Rays. They came so close!
When we got back we had tasty Nutella-covered pancakes and pineapple. At breakfast everyone was talking about how loud it was in the night, and how they slept terribly. I just laughed and wondered how I had slept so soundly through all of the commotion.
It was super hot, so I got in and went snorkeling. It was very clear water, and all of the fish would swim around you. I stayed in the water for basically the rest of the day. When I got out, some people went and did activities on the island, but I decided to stay on the boat, and listen to an audio book. I finally cooled down going into the afternoon. For dinner that night we had more tuna, and for dessert chocolate cake. Delicious!
Day 5: Back to Bora Bora –
It was really nice sailing back to Bora Bora, very pretty. We sailed most of the day, and then it got very rainy. I decided to get in anyway and had a great time. I found two of the same really cool shell, but they still had little critters in them, so I could not keep them forever.
It was a Cypraea Tigris
We stayed there and I snorkeled for a while longer. It was probably my favorite place to snorkel.
Day 6: Back to Taha’a –
The next day we sailed back to Taha’a, it was about a four-hour motor. We stopped without anchoring so that Captain Wen could drop us off at shore so we could visit the pearl farms. A lady, kind of like our tumor guide, told us all about the process of how they do it.
Explanation of how they grow pearls –
First, they get oysters from the coral reefs, then they open them just a little bit. They are not looking for natural pearls, because they are about 1 in 1500 oysters. They go to the Mississippi River in the US and take the shells from the giant clams there. Then they round them into a perfect ball, and then they have to stick them into a very specific spot. And over a time of one and a half year period, a pearl formed over the rounded shell. But they have to sacrifice an oyster to get the DNA from the lip of the oyster. There is a special guy who does this. Then they take it to a guy who carefully drills a hole through the very side of the oyster and then puts them in a net to stick them in the water. They put them in a net because some kinds of fish break into the oyster and then it dies. It was very interesting.
Next, we went back to the boat and motored to the other side of the island to see the vanilla farm. They dropped us off at the shore in the dinghy, and we went down the road to the vanilla farms.
They told us about how they grew the vanilla in a little place with a lot of seats. Here it is.
Explanation of How They Grow Vanilla –
Vanilla usually grows on vines creeping up trees. The leaves of the tree shade them from the sun, and they find moisture from the humid climate and the moisture in the ground. They put coconut husks at the base of the trees to help with the hydration too, while also composting the coconuts. Once they harvest the beans from the tree, they would take the vanilla bean and lay them out on a table with a cotton cloth over them so they can dry and the birds don’t eat them. Then they take the gooey stuff out of the middle and make it into vanilla past, powder or extract. After the presentation, we went to the shop to see if we wanted to buy any vanilla.
After that, we went back for some more snorkeling after the boat had moved to a different spot and anchored.
Day Seven: The Last Day –
I got up and had some cereal because we were out of pancakes. I decided to get back into the water because this was our last day. I and Kb took two paddle boards up under the catamaran, and then tied the ropes to the anchor. There were mini waves, and we would try to stand up on one paddleboard and see who could stay up the longest. We then motored back to the port we started from, and said our last goodbyes.