Beautiful Bora Bora
Arriving in Bora Bora, we were greeted by Mount Otemanu, dominating the landscape at 2379 feet. Bora Bora is the first of three French Polynesian Islands we’ll be visiting in the coming days. After five days at sea, land is a welcome sight. I had no idea how vast is the Pacific Ocean. I was aware that the Atlantic and Pacific were the two largest oceans, but I did not appreciate how much larger the Pacific is. The Pacific is 63 milliton square miles, the Atlantic just over 40. By volume it is even more impressive…Well over half of all the water on earth is in the Pacific alone. We are 10 full sea days in and still have five days of sailing to New Zealand. Hard to imagine the ancient Polynesians traversing this vast ocean, able to locate tiny dots like Hawaii.
A pristine view of the verdant landscape of Bora Bora.
Beautiful four masted Windstar is the only other cruise ship in port as we arrive.
Unlike the relaxed (but busy) sea days, our day begins after a leisurely breakfast boarding one of four tenders that shuttle passengers to shore.
Small when compared to The Neptune, the tenders are very efficient and with a fleet of four there is no wait to go ashore.
Today we are taking a cruise around the Island in a small boat. Cheryl is greeted by our tour guide, Robert.
As is evident, Robert is a character. Funny, happy, a very good ukuelel player, he exudes Island charm. Here he shows his true colors by photo bombing my snapshot.
The French Polynesian Islands are known for their pristine blue waters. Water temperature is cooshey 84 degrees.
Known for their over the water bungalows, Bora Bora houses guests in these beautiful “shacks” that rent for over $1200 a day….in the off season. This is a Hilton property.
Robert reported that this waters edge suite rents for $10,000 and up during the ‘season’. Their high tourist season is their winter, our summer. We are visiting during summer. Less people traffic with very similar temperatures. March and April are cyclone seasons. I didn’t know that a hurricane and cyclone are the same weather event. The difference is that hurricanes happen north of the equator while cyclones are in the South.
I was thrilled to see our first Frigate Bird. These were my favorite seabirds when we lived in Hawaii. The Hawaiians call them Manu Eva, King of the Sky. They have six foot wing spans and are amazing aerialists. Their oddly shaped beaks make it difficult for them to fish on their own. They earn their living by hassling sea birds who have just filled their gullet. I’ve seen frigates nipping at seabirds tail feathers, causing the panicked bird to upchuck their catch. The Frigates are able grab their breakfast out of the air before it hits water.
Leaning over the side, I spotted a black tip shark. By the time I reported, “Shark”, school was in session.
As the sharks swarmed the boat, our Frigate scooped up his share.
Black Tip sharks are not the most aggressive of the species, but even so, hopping in the water and feeding them chicken bones seemed a little crazy. All in a days work for Robert.
Whenever the Sharks got too close, Robert would splash with a healthy spray of water. This works well for insects in our pool at home, but never occurred to me as a defense against sharks. Move over Jacques Cousteau.
After a short and uneventful walk through town, we returned to The Neptune, reflecting on a wonderful first day in Polynesia. Our ship already feels like home.
As we make sail to the Island of Moorea, a full moon lights our way.