Courtesy of our new friends Julie and Trevor, we had quite the grand tour of Auckland the three days we were in town, so writing about New Zealand will have to be ex post facto (and will have to wait until some sleep, as we literally just got home a few minutes ago!
Our kitties are happily snuggled up with us and we're all off to get some much needed sleep. THANKS (BIG THANKS) to our neighbors the Matulewskis for taking care of the cats while we're gone!
Tomorrow (Saturday) Jim will be off (assuming all is OK with the Gintners) to pick up the dogs, and then at long last the household will be complete again.
What an amazing trip this has been! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Friday, November 12, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Backtrack: more on cruise and getting to NZ
Dick here. The second formal night (our last dinner on ship) was very pleasant. Everyone seemed in a looser mood and seemed to realize that it was in many ways the last night together. Lots of e-mail addresses were exchanged with promises to send pictures. I think we could go into the NYC tour business in the future.
Even thought we spent a long weekend on Moorea at the beginning of the trip it was fun to revisit in a totally different situation. [JIM: The Belvidere overlook was spectacular!]
We had a major confusion and hassle getting back to the ship. We had told the ship that we were disembarking when we got to Tahiti that evening. When we got back on board from our Moorea tour the identification machine rejected us and security would not let us board the ship! Apparently they had crossed us off the passenger roster in the morning rather than the evening! We had to go through a whole rigamarole before we became legitimate again.
[JIM: We were able to get a group shot of the trivia regulars who showed up pretty faithfully all the 10 days of our cruise. It was a very nice - and smart - group of people. Trivia seems to be somewhat popular here in NZ as I write this. The flights between Auckland and Wellington on Air NZ had trivia questions running on the TV the entire time (except when the travel safety video - a major digression worth another posting - was playing).
After dinner we got off the ship in Tahiti to catch a 2:00 AM flight to Auckland, New Zealand. [JIM: Ugh!] We had to wait almost an hour for our transfer limo but finally got to the airport and then on the plane to New Zealand. Got to Auckland (after losing a day by crossing the International Date Line) JUST in time to get our plane to Wellington. Being in a wheel chair helped here. They gave us a lot of extra consideration.
Getting to Wellington was a real shock. It was cold, rainy and windy, and after the tropical weather we had been enjoying, I was convinced I was not going to like it. Our friends Barb and Art and their daughter Lucy met us at the airport, which I didn't expect. Pleasant surprise! They have a really efficient bus system and we caught one from the airport almost to their apartment. Wellington has a lovely harbor and it being the day after Guy Fawkes Day there were still lots of fireworks going off around the harbor. We had dinner at a fish restaurant right on the harbor.
The next day the weather improved considerably as did my impressions of Wellington. We went touring around on city buses. Wellington has a really vital downtown. It is the national capital as well as having a few universities which adds to the city's vitality.
I have been really out of shape with the after effects from my surgery. Walking has been a problem but is exactly what I need to do. So when we were not riding a bus we were walking but stopping every few blocks to let me sit and rest my back and right leg. I was being pushed a little by my 'buddies' but again, it was the thing to do and as the time has progressed so has my back and leg.
After a year-long search and many failed deals, Barb and Art have a house under contract. We went by to see it on Sunday after church services and were quite impressed with its neighborhood and views. I noted that they would have a dedicated guest
room!
The next day we later had a ride on the city cable car and then a walk (downhill) through the botanical gardens where we had lunch. [JIM: Dick's photos added for your viewing pleasure]
Downtown Wellington (can't believe how clean everything is! no litterbugs in Wellington)
The cable car that runs from the Lambton Quay to the top of the Botanical Gardens. A popular mode of transportation as well as tourist attraction.
In the botanical garden:
This photo does not do justice to the size of the ferns:
At the Te Papa Tongarewa museum in Wellington, a Maori marae (temple/meeting house):
On our way to the airport Tuesday morning, a quick shot in front of the Cuban embassy (much more open/approachable than the US embassy, alas):
Even thought we spent a long weekend on Moorea at the beginning of the trip it was fun to revisit in a totally different situation. [JIM: The Belvidere overlook was spectacular!]
We had a major confusion and hassle getting back to the ship. We had told the ship that we were disembarking when we got to Tahiti that evening. When we got back on board from our Moorea tour the identification machine rejected us and security would not let us board the ship! Apparently they had crossed us off the passenger roster in the morning rather than the evening! We had to go through a whole rigamarole before we became legitimate again.
[JIM: We were able to get a group shot of the trivia regulars who showed up pretty faithfully all the 10 days of our cruise. It was a very nice - and smart - group of people. Trivia seems to be somewhat popular here in NZ as I write this. The flights between Auckland and Wellington on Air NZ had trivia questions running on the TV the entire time (except when the travel safety video - a major digression worth another posting - was playing).
After dinner we got off the ship in Tahiti to catch a 2:00 AM flight to Auckland, New Zealand. [JIM: Ugh!] We had to wait almost an hour for our transfer limo but finally got to the airport and then on the plane to New Zealand. Got to Auckland (after losing a day by crossing the International Date Line) JUST in time to get our plane to Wellington. Being in a wheel chair helped here. They gave us a lot of extra consideration.
Getting to Wellington was a real shock. It was cold, rainy and windy, and after the tropical weather we had been enjoying, I was convinced I was not going to like it. Our friends Barb and Art and their daughter Lucy met us at the airport, which I didn't expect. Pleasant surprise! They have a really efficient bus system and we caught one from the airport almost to their apartment. Wellington has a lovely harbor and it being the day after Guy Fawkes Day there were still lots of fireworks going off around the harbor. We had dinner at a fish restaurant right on the harbor.
The next day the weather improved considerably as did my impressions of Wellington. We went touring around on city buses. Wellington has a really vital downtown. It is the national capital as well as having a few universities which adds to the city's vitality.
I have been really out of shape with the after effects from my surgery. Walking has been a problem but is exactly what I need to do. So when we were not riding a bus we were walking but stopping every few blocks to let me sit and rest my back and right leg. I was being pushed a little by my 'buddies' but again, it was the thing to do and as the time has progressed so has my back and leg.
After a year-long search and many failed deals, Barb and Art have a house under contract. We went by to see it on Sunday after church services and were quite impressed with its neighborhood and views. I noted that they would have a dedicated guest
room!
The next day we later had a ride on the city cable car and then a walk (downhill) through the botanical gardens where we had lunch. [JIM: Dick's photos added for your viewing pleasure]
Downtown Wellington (can't believe how clean everything is! no litterbugs in Wellington)
The cable car that runs from the Lambton Quay to the top of the Botanical Gardens. A popular mode of transportation as well as tourist attraction.
In the botanical garden:
This photo does not do justice to the size of the ferns:
At the Te Papa Tongarewa museum in Wellington, a Maori marae (temple/meeting house):
On our way to the airport Tuesday morning, a quick shot in front of the Cuban embassy (much more open/approachable than the US embassy, alas):
Saturday, November 6, 2010
chez Lucy, Barb and Art in Wellington
We arrived yesterday (a bit sleepy) in Wellington and are now staying with our friends Lucy, Barb and Art. It is a strange feeling to leave one place late Thursday evening and arrive on Saturday morning. (Actually, we had 2 hours of Friday as our flight didn't officially leave until 01:50 am Friday morning).
We had a bit of a cold blast waiting for us, a shock to our spoiled systems, but had a very nice afternoon and dinner celebrating several bits of good news for the family Howe/Protin. And we slept (deliciously). I (Jim) have a cold coming on that I am grateful was staved off for the cruise (no dives for me otherwise), but hopefully a couple days taking it easy will do the trick.
Wellington is a very nice city, reminds us somewhat of Vancouver and SF. It was ranked as the coolest small capital in the world by the 2010 Lonely Planet guide (a fact the city is quite "chuffed" about). Barb, Art and Lucy live in the diplomatic area, so we walk by the US and Cuban embassies on our way to/from the bus stop. Public transportation is very good here.
We had a bit of a cold blast waiting for us, a shock to our spoiled systems, but had a very nice afternoon and dinner celebrating several bits of good news for the family Howe/Protin. And we slept (deliciously). I (Jim) have a cold coming on that I am grateful was staved off for the cruise (no dives for me otherwise), but hopefully a couple days taking it easy will do the trick.
Wellington is a very nice city, reminds us somewhat of Vancouver and SF. It was ranked as the coolest small capital in the world by the 2010 Lonely Planet guide (a fact the city is quite "chuffed" about). Barb, Art and Lucy live in the diplomatic area, so we walk by the US and Cuban embassies on our way to/from the bus stop. Public transportation is very good here.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Even More Photos
Final set of pics before we disembark (wahhhhh!!!!! can't we put this trip into reverse?????)
More photos
Jim with our Bora Bora 4x4 tour guide
Does Dick look happy or what? 4x4 Tour Bora Bora.
Belvidere Lookout, Moorea. The bay on the left is Opunohu Bay, the bay on the right is Cook Bay (named after Captain Cook). We were moored in Opunohu Bay.
Nice photo of Opunohu Bay!
Bora Bora and Moorea pics
Some photos for your viewing pleasure -- burning up the internet minutes!
Approach to Bora Bora ...
A good omen!
4x4 tour - yes the water is this blue (and this many shades of blue!)
Bora Bora no bore
This morning we arrived at Bora Bora. It really is beautiful. I am spending a morning on ship while Jim goes for a dive. I am pleased he is getting to do all of these dives. I wish I had persisted and gotten certified. It would be nice to share the experience. In the afternoon we both went ashore and did a little shopping for gifts and then had a beer. There is a lot of traffic here but then there is basically only one road. The weather is a lot more humid and a little uncomfortable. [ JIM: It is probably less humid in the austral winter months. I did two dives in the morning. The first was in an area that had sharks, mostly smaller ones though there were a couple lemon sharks (#10 on the most dangerous list!). It was pretty exciting from start to finish -- I saw a shark below me as soon as I hit the water. They got as close as 5 yards from us, but we weren't trying to swim toward them and they were not really interested in us. (Fortunately.) ]
I've been taking pictures of the wild dogs that are everywhere. They are very sad to look at and appear kind of mangy. The females obviously have had a zillion litters. We have seen them running off with a land crab, a mango and a bit of bagette. I always have a feeling that dogs, no matter what their situation, have a particular and strong affinity for humans. I realize they are hoping for a bit of food but if you look at them at all they will come over to you. I have yet to see anyone give them anything to eat.
Next day:
We took a tour in a four wheel drive vehicle into the hills. It was hairy (downright thrilling!) in spots (i.e. just like real off-road driving) but the views from higher up were beautiful, and we got to see guns put in place by the US during WW-II to protect the Bora Bora harbor and plan runway strip. Our guide, a local Polynesian woman, was fun with a great sense of humor.
Tonight is the second and last formal night. I have mixed feeling about formal nights. It is a nice tradition but adds complications to packing. It was one thing in days gone by when you shipped a steamer trunk on ahead directly to the ship. But having to fly several legs on airplanes with the bloody luggage with all the extra stuff needed, well........ We also, as second time passengers on Princess, have the Captain's cocktail party tonight. We will go only because several people we have become friendly with will be there. It will be nice to spend more time with them. [Jim: And became yet another marketing opportunity. They recognized the passengers on board with the most "Princess" days, and the winning couple had over 600 days ... Not between them, but 600 days each! Wow, even spread out over 25 years, that's almost a month at sea per year. There is a woman who seems to live on the ship (and has a picture hung in the lobby identifying her as the "Godmother" of the ship), and she has taken herself out of the running, as she has over 11 years worth of days. Beggars the imagination! ]
We are now sailing to Moorea. The seas are a little heavier than any time in the past but it isn't uncomfortable.
[JIM: Hard to believe we've finished the penultimate day. Dick and I both wish we could turn around and do the trip in reverse. Getting late now, but we have minutes to burn still, so will try to write about Bora Bora and our experiences tomorrow ]
I've been taking pictures of the wild dogs that are everywhere. They are very sad to look at and appear kind of mangy. The females obviously have had a zillion litters. We have seen them running off with a land crab, a mango and a bit of bagette. I always have a feeling that dogs, no matter what their situation, have a particular and strong affinity for humans. I realize they are hoping for a bit of food but if you look at them at all they will come over to you. I have yet to see anyone give them anything to eat.
Next day:
We took a tour in a four wheel drive vehicle into the hills. It was hairy (downright thrilling!) in spots (i.e. just like real off-road driving) but the views from higher up were beautiful, and we got to see guns put in place by the US during WW-II to protect the Bora Bora harbor and plan runway strip. Our guide, a local Polynesian woman, was fun with a great sense of humor.
Tonight is the second and last formal night. I have mixed feeling about formal nights. It is a nice tradition but adds complications to packing. It was one thing in days gone by when you shipped a steamer trunk on ahead directly to the ship. But having to fly several legs on airplanes with the bloody luggage with all the extra stuff needed, well........ We also, as second time passengers on Princess, have the Captain's cocktail party tonight. We will go only because several people we have become friendly with will be there. It will be nice to spend more time with them. [Jim: And became yet another marketing opportunity. They recognized the passengers on board with the most "Princess" days, and the winning couple had over 600 days ... Not between them, but 600 days each! Wow, even spread out over 25 years, that's almost a month at sea per year. There is a woman who seems to live on the ship (and has a picture hung in the lobby identifying her as the "Godmother" of the ship), and she has taken herself out of the running, as she has over 11 years worth of days. Beggars the imagination! ]
We are now sailing to Moorea. The seas are a little heavier than any time in the past but it isn't uncomfortable.
[JIM: Hard to believe we've finished the penultimate day. Dick and I both wish we could turn around and do the trip in reverse. Getting late now, but we have minutes to burn still, so will try to write about Bora Bora and our experiences tomorrow ]
Monday, November 1, 2010
Rockin' on Rangiroa and Raiatea
Jim here, with Dick supplying his comments and bon mots.
Today is an "at sea" day, which means that Princess sets a very full schedule of on-ship activities, so we've been on the go pretty much all day, and it's only now at 6 pm that I'm relaxing on the balcony listening to the waves go by while the sun sets in the distance, a gently cool breeze blowing. In other words, heaven! Too bad that AT&T Research can't solve its space problems by getting a set up like this - I guarantee we'd all be very happily productive and in no rush to "leave the office" :-)
Yesterday at Rangiroa was fascinating. This place is really CUT OFF from the rest of the world; felt this even more so than we did on Huahine. While Huahine was lush, this island is bare and dry, with only coconut and breadfruit as food-bearing plants, and a landscape that is all sand and coral fragments. So the sense of isolation is even more keen.
The lagoon at Rangiroa was advertized as spectacular with sea creatures and did not disappoint. Dolphins came and played with the tenders that took us off the ship, and our two excursions (we took a glass bottom boat tour in the morning, and I had a scuba dive in the afternoon) provided lots to see.
The boat tour was fun - amazing how a few tuna fish heads and baguette ends stimulated mass feeding frenzies! It was amazing what a quick job the fish did on that fish head. Neither one of us has a delicate stomach, fortunately, and Dick got some surprisingly good photos considering he was taking them thru the glass at the bottom of the boat.
I was really lucky with the afternoon dive. I had talked a fellow passenger, Noel from Kentucky, who is quite an experienced diver and a very "hail well met" fellow, into joining me. He has his own gear, including a computer to keep track of his nitrogen levels, etc. (More on that later.) Fortunately for me (and hopefully for you too), he has a dive camera and very kindly copied the photos onto a flash drive for me so that I could upload them for you!
I was hoping the dive would be a "ride the rip current" dive thru the main channel connecting the lagoon to the ocean (and to which the Frommers guidebook gave a high recommendation: "but not for the weak-hearted!") As it turned out, the afternoon tides didn't make that dive feasible, so we did a 25m dive off the outer coast where dolphins, turtles and sharks were known to be. I had much better luck equalizing pressure in my ears this time around, and so was feeling a lot more confident.
The thrilling moment came pretty quickly and had us dive a bit deeper than originally planned: two dolphins adopted us and not only let us make hand contact, but literally "danced" with us for over 10 minutes, standing on their tails so noses pointed straight up, bobbing up and down or swimming around us, but staying very still while we petted/stroked their skin. They seemed to like it and were certainly in no hurry to leave. Magical experience.
Unfortunately the excitement and added depth had me zip thru the air in my tank.
Not long after we left the dolphins, we came to a large sea turtle and I got to swim up close and take a look. But soon I was at beginning of the red zone and signaled our leader that I'd reached that point. (Not to alarm anyone - that only means that in a normal dive it would be time for me to start up - I was in no danger.) Anyway, she handed me her alternate air regulator and I borrowed some of her air while we saved what was left of mine for the ascent later. Connected, we drifted along a few minutes and took in some amazing, densely packed schools of fish, and then time to gradually come up. While I and two other divers in our group were surfaced, the leader and Noel stayed down for what seemed like a long time, and I was amazed (and a bit self-conscious) that there was such a difference between their air usage and mine! Oh well, guess experience teaches you all the ways to not consume air so quickly, I consoled myself in my thoughts. It turns out, however, that Noel had a bit of a problem. He had dived in the morning and while the original dive plan for the afternoon would have been OK re: his nitrogen limit, we'd spent too much time at deeper depth with the dolphins and his dive computer was telling him he needed to spend 25 minutes a few meters below the surface before he could come up. The problem? He didn't have 25 minutes of air (nor could our leader spare him enough). They stayed down as long as they could and then made the decision that the dive computer would leave a healthy enough margin for error that he'd be ok coming up earlier than the computer advised.
After the dive shop shuttled us back to the Princess tender pick-up point, we grabbed a beer from a little roadside stand and celebrated a wonderful dive (and I could keep an eye on him for symptoms of decompression sickness!). It turns out that his assessment of the computer's margin of error was indeed the case and he had no problems when I saw him later in the evening at dinner (and he graciously offered to put his photos on my flash).
We have a two-tank dive planned at Bora Bora, and I'm really excited that this trip is giving me so many opportunities to get back into scuba diving!
Dick here: I had a quieter day of course, but I continue to get more active and energetic with each day. Rangiroa is really out in the middle of nowhere in a really beautiful way. It has an incredible sense of peaceful isolation. I found myself wondering if I could live here. It is an atoll only. There is no mountain or hill. It is also enormous. The entire island of Tahiti could fit into the lagoon and you can't see the far side of the atoll since it is so far away.
The glass bottom boat was fun. The guides drove the local fish population crazy with the head of a fresh killed tuna. The most interesting sight was the eels who hide under rocks and dart out for a quick bite.
While Jim was having his wonderful experience dancing with dolphins I went to the lecture series on Polynesia that we have been attending. This guy is the greatest lecturer. His enthusiasm is enormous. He is totally disorganized and his lecture has a strong free association aspect. Everything reminds him of something else and he bounces around but always totally holds your attention. I wish he were leading tours on the islands.
We are eating too much! While the food is generally good the availability is very bad. I have stopped eating dessert after dinner though the waiter pushed a cherries jubilee on me last night. I fought valiantly but lost. Of course I need to put weight back on but would rather do it with a less rich diet.
We didn't win the trivia contest last night for the first time. Boo! [Jim: It was my fault - I was sure "The Sound of Music" was a 1967 movie, and so thought the 1965 Oscar-winning movie starring Julie Andrews was Mary Poppins! However, I did restore some honor by getting the answer to this question: What do a florist, a composer and a business planner have in common? Answer below]
We have met so many really nice people from all over the world. Especially New Zealanders.
Leaving Rangiroa to head for Raiatea we had a 'sea day' i.e. we were not in any port but were cruising. Sea days have a very relaxing sense to them. You don't have any shore excursions booked so you don't have any place you have to be. [Jim: But, there are so many activities, you may have just as full a day]
[Jim: answer to question: All make arrangements.]
Raiatea I opened an eye this morning and through the slight break in the drapes saw trees going by. We had slept in a little and were pulling into Raiatea.
We took a tour this morning in a 4 wheel drive Land Rover that took us into the islands central caldera which now is basically a large valley. We went to another vanilla plantation that seemed a little more authentic and heard a well done talk on the complexities of vanilla production. It really is a drawn out procedure.
We then went to what is considered the most sacred temple area in all of Polynesia: Taputapuatea. Try saying it :-). Temples here aren't enclosed but are open air platforms of stone with large flat stones placed on edge at one end. They apparently performed human sacrifices here at one point, usually young boys.
I particularly like Raiatea. If I were to live here, it is one of the islands I would consider along with Moorea. I don't want this vacation to end!!!
Today is an "at sea" day, which means that Princess sets a very full schedule of on-ship activities, so we've been on the go pretty much all day, and it's only now at 6 pm that I'm relaxing on the balcony listening to the waves go by while the sun sets in the distance, a gently cool breeze blowing. In other words, heaven! Too bad that AT&T Research can't solve its space problems by getting a set up like this - I guarantee we'd all be very happily productive and in no rush to "leave the office" :-)
Yesterday at Rangiroa was fascinating. This place is really CUT OFF from the rest of the world; felt this even more so than we did on Huahine. While Huahine was lush, this island is bare and dry, with only coconut and breadfruit as food-bearing plants, and a landscape that is all sand and coral fragments. So the sense of isolation is even more keen.
The lagoon at Rangiroa was advertized as spectacular with sea creatures and did not disappoint. Dolphins came and played with the tenders that took us off the ship, and our two excursions (we took a glass bottom boat tour in the morning, and I had a scuba dive in the afternoon) provided lots to see.
The boat tour was fun - amazing how a few tuna fish heads and baguette ends stimulated mass feeding frenzies! It was amazing what a quick job the fish did on that fish head. Neither one of us has a delicate stomach, fortunately, and Dick got some surprisingly good photos considering he was taking them thru the glass at the bottom of the boat.
I was really lucky with the afternoon dive. I had talked a fellow passenger, Noel from Kentucky, who is quite an experienced diver and a very "hail well met" fellow, into joining me. He has his own gear, including a computer to keep track of his nitrogen levels, etc. (More on that later.) Fortunately for me (and hopefully for you too), he has a dive camera and very kindly copied the photos onto a flash drive for me so that I could upload them for you!
I was hoping the dive would be a "ride the rip current" dive thru the main channel connecting the lagoon to the ocean (and to which the Frommers guidebook gave a high recommendation: "but not for the weak-hearted!") As it turned out, the afternoon tides didn't make that dive feasible, so we did a 25m dive off the outer coast where dolphins, turtles and sharks were known to be. I had much better luck equalizing pressure in my ears this time around, and so was feeling a lot more confident.
The thrilling moment came pretty quickly and had us dive a bit deeper than originally planned: two dolphins adopted us and not only let us make hand contact, but literally "danced" with us for over 10 minutes, standing on their tails so noses pointed straight up, bobbing up and down or swimming around us, but staying very still while we petted/stroked their skin. They seemed to like it and were certainly in no hurry to leave. Magical experience.
Unfortunately the excitement and added depth had me zip thru the air in my tank.
Not long after we left the dolphins, we came to a large sea turtle and I got to swim up close and take a look. But soon I was at beginning of the red zone and signaled our leader that I'd reached that point. (Not to alarm anyone - that only means that in a normal dive it would be time for me to start up - I was in no danger.) Anyway, she handed me her alternate air regulator and I borrowed some of her air while we saved what was left of mine for the ascent later. Connected, we drifted along a few minutes and took in some amazing, densely packed schools of fish, and then time to gradually come up. While I and two other divers in our group were surfaced, the leader and Noel stayed down for what seemed like a long time, and I was amazed (and a bit self-conscious) that there was such a difference between their air usage and mine! Oh well, guess experience teaches you all the ways to not consume air so quickly, I consoled myself in my thoughts. It turns out, however, that Noel had a bit of a problem. He had dived in the morning and while the original dive plan for the afternoon would have been OK re: his nitrogen limit, we'd spent too much time at deeper depth with the dolphins and his dive computer was telling him he needed to spend 25 minutes a few meters below the surface before he could come up. The problem? He didn't have 25 minutes of air (nor could our leader spare him enough). They stayed down as long as they could and then made the decision that the dive computer would leave a healthy enough margin for error that he'd be ok coming up earlier than the computer advised.
After the dive shop shuttled us back to the Princess tender pick-up point, we grabbed a beer from a little roadside stand and celebrated a wonderful dive (and I could keep an eye on him for symptoms of decompression sickness!). It turns out that his assessment of the computer's margin of error was indeed the case and he had no problems when I saw him later in the evening at dinner (and he graciously offered to put his photos on my flash).
We have a two-tank dive planned at Bora Bora, and I'm really excited that this trip is giving me so many opportunities to get back into scuba diving!
Dick here: I had a quieter day of course, but I continue to get more active and energetic with each day. Rangiroa is really out in the middle of nowhere in a really beautiful way. It has an incredible sense of peaceful isolation. I found myself wondering if I could live here. It is an atoll only. There is no mountain or hill. It is also enormous. The entire island of Tahiti could fit into the lagoon and you can't see the far side of the atoll since it is so far away.
The glass bottom boat was fun. The guides drove the local fish population crazy with the head of a fresh killed tuna. The most interesting sight was the eels who hide under rocks and dart out for a quick bite.
While Jim was having his wonderful experience dancing with dolphins I went to the lecture series on Polynesia that we have been attending. This guy is the greatest lecturer. His enthusiasm is enormous. He is totally disorganized and his lecture has a strong free association aspect. Everything reminds him of something else and he bounces around but always totally holds your attention. I wish he were leading tours on the islands.
We are eating too much! While the food is generally good the availability is very bad. I have stopped eating dessert after dinner though the waiter pushed a cherries jubilee on me last night. I fought valiantly but lost. Of course I need to put weight back on but would rather do it with a less rich diet.
We didn't win the trivia contest last night for the first time. Boo! [Jim: It was my fault - I was sure "The Sound of Music" was a 1967 movie, and so thought the 1965 Oscar-winning movie starring Julie Andrews was Mary Poppins! However, I did restore some honor by getting the answer to this question: What do a florist, a composer and a business planner have in common? Answer below]
We have met so many really nice people from all over the world. Especially New Zealanders.
Leaving Rangiroa to head for Raiatea we had a 'sea day' i.e. we were not in any port but were cruising. Sea days have a very relaxing sense to them. You don't have any shore excursions booked so you don't have any place you have to be. [Jim: But, there are so many activities, you may have just as full a day]
[Jim: answer to question: All make arrangements.]
Raiatea I opened an eye this morning and through the slight break in the drapes saw trees going by. We had slept in a little and were pulling into Raiatea.
We took a tour this morning in a 4 wheel drive Land Rover that took us into the islands central caldera which now is basically a large valley. We went to another vanilla plantation that seemed a little more authentic and heard a well done talk on the complexities of vanilla production. It really is a drawn out procedure.
We then went to what is considered the most sacred temple area in all of Polynesia: Taputapuatea. Try saying it :-). Temples here aren't enclosed but are open air platforms of stone with large flat stones placed on edge at one end. They apparently performed human sacrifices here at one point, usually young boys.
I particularly like Raiatea. If I were to live here, it is one of the islands I would consider along with Moorea. I don't want this vacation to end!!!
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