Sea Day - January 31

I received an email from my son, Brendon, who in part, said…”Dad, you have been married long enough to know you have to let them win sometimes” - referring of course to the ongoing card games Cheryl and I have.

Advice taken, Brendon – score is now tied at 13, and I’m now off the awkward, lumpy couch and back in a warm, comfortable bed! Thank you, son!

Weather is miserable – strong southeasterly tail wind, so much smoother sailing as we head west but heavy rains continue. We have approximately 56 hours to go before reaching New Zealand. We crossed the International Date Line last night – so it’s Super Bowl Sunday on the ship, but still Saturday in New Orleans! The ‘date line’ follows the meridian of 180 degree longitude roughly down the middle of the Pacific Ocean, although deviates to pass around the far east of Russia and various island groups in the Pacific. It mostly corresponds to the time zone boundary separating +/- 12 hours Greenwich Mean Time.

As this will be our first visit to New Zealand, we have attended several lectures on the 5 scheduled ports. I’ll be sharing a lot of that information with you as we go. We are very fortunate to have a travel expert onboard who lectures frequently – those of you who sailed last year will recognize her as Barbara – she’s been around the world 14 times and is intimately familiar with every port, every country, every city & even small villages. She can speak fluently about local currency, local laws, local transportation, and can even tell you where the nearest post office is – amazing lady! I’ve yet to ask a question she’s unable to answer. At one point last year, I asked her where I could buy a pair of dress shoes at a reasonable price in Hong Kong and sure enough, she had the answer for me! Her lectures are typically held mid-mornings in the main theater a few days before we arrive in each port – attendance at times is standing room only, then replayed on the ships TV several times before arrival. If I miss a few notes during her lectures I can always watch a replay and catch up. We’re very excited about New Zealand, and even greater, with our cancellation of Rarotonga, we will arrive in Auckland 12 hours early (5pm on Tuesday) and will now spend 45 hours there vs. 33 – more than enough time to tour what is said to be one of the greatest cities in the world. If it’s any indication, the passengers onboard from Auckland are truly some of the most wonderful people we’ve met. The sail in is advertised as being one of the most beautiful, so we’ll capture & post as many photos as we can for you.

Rarotonga, Cook Islands

As mentioned in my last update, the Captain warned us that we may not be able to stop (on Thursday) in Rarotonga because of a weather disturbance left behind by the recent typhoon (Gaary), and as you can see from the photos below, he was right. We had a miserable night of sailing the evening before, and as we arrived at the mouth of the harbor, yet another storm was brewing and within a few minutes, swallowed the entire island. The Captain said we would wait 1 hour and give the situation a chance to improve, but the winds intensified to 40mph and the swells were coming at us from every direction. He reluctantly informed us it was entirely too dangerous to attempt ‘tendering’ to shore, and we immediately set sail for New Zealand. The weather for the balance of the day and into the evening continued wet and quite turbulent, with seas between 12 & 16’.

   

Going...Going...GONE!

Bora Bora, Polynesia

Back in the mid-90’s, we spent a week here at Club Med and were very much looking forward to revisiting the property and reliving some very fond memories – what a huge disappointment…more on that momentarily. I'll keep photos to a minimum here because the landscape is almost exactly like Moorea, our port yesterday. Bora Bora’s lagoon is three times as large as the land portion of the island. A thick coral bed, known locally as the Coral Garden, is a protected submarine area southwest of the island. The diversity of the South Pacific marine life can be observed in natural habitat without donning scuba gear. There are more than 700 tropical fish species living in the reef. The manta rays, moray eels, dolphins, and sharks live in the shallow water at least part of the time, and we saw several of each through the crystal clear waters.

There’s only ONE road that circles the island, approximately 18 miles – we rented bikes several years ago and had a great time exploring. This time, we rented a small car and unlike hundreds of passengers who each paid over $200 per couple for island tours on stuffy busses, our out-of-pocket was $125, including fuel, plus we had air conditioning! Bora Bora has three administrative districts. Nunue, the western side of the island, was once home to the island’s Royal Family and is currently the most populous at 2,400. Vaitape is the administrative center and main port. All public services are based in the small village. Just off the pier (behind Banque de Tahiti) is the grave of navigator Alain Gerbault – he was the first French sailor to circumnavigate the globe on his own. He lived in Bora Bora during the 1930’s. Most of the island’s luxury hotels are in the district, clustered around the southwestern Bay of Pova’I near Matira Point. The area is filled with small restaurants & shops, and about a mile down the road is the world famous Bloody Mary’s (see photo). The luxury huts you see on stilts can be booked for a mere $15,000 per week…that’s per WEEK. The prices are ridiculous, and one of reasons why the majority of hotel properties are now closed. Economic pressures around the world combined with the expense of getting here limit the hotel guests to only the most affluent today. We would never be able to afford such a trip. Granted, the closer your ‘hut’ is positioned to shore, the less expensive but we were told even the cheapest accommodations are over $1K per night. Our visit here back in the 90’s was paid for by my company as a result of an incentive contest. Club Med was a beautiful property then, and as I mentioned, we were looking forward to reliving some of those memories. As we approached the main gate in our little rental car, we were surprised to see it closed & obviously in disrepair. The adjacent gate was unguarded, and thought we’d just drive in on our own and look at the little condo we once stayed in. What a shock – as we rounded the corner the once lush, trimmed gardens with hammocks swaying between trees were now an accumulation of debris - the once tournament tennis courts were barely visible, obscured with weeds and other overgrowth – the condos were boarded and smeared with graffiti and green mold. The pristine beach we spent countless hours strolling was now littered with bottles, cans, & fish skeletons. It was like a bad dream – a nightmare.

Bloody Mary’s, a small restaurant & bar opened in 1979 & world renowned setting (with white sand floors) for unique specialty drinks, was by far the nicest facility on the island. Widespread deterioration prevails throughout – the pictures you see are very deceptive. While nothing can dispute the natural beauty of the lagoons and topography, the residents who remain today have grossly neglected their surroundings. For those contemplating a trip to Tahiti, our last island (Moorea) is highly recommended – comparatively easy to get to (via Papeete & ferry boat) and reasonably priced.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

          

      

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

Our next stop is Rarotonga, located in the Cook Islands and approximately 500 miles west of our current position. The Captain has warned us that we may not be able to stop (on Thursday) because the recent typhoon (Gaary) has left behind some very unsettled weather. If we are unable to dock, we’ll then have 5 more days at sea before we reach Auckland. We were also told that the Super Bowl won’t be beamed to us ‘live’ – that actual game time on the ship would be 2:30am. The current plan is to tape the game and then have our Super Bowl party at 7:30am – a breakfast tailgate party! I must admit…I’ve never watched a football game while drinking my morning coffee! The plan is to switch from coffee to Bloody Mary’s and just have a good time! Regardless what time it may be, it’ll be fun I’m sure!