We were right. Nothing to see in Nuku Hiva, save for the locals blowing us a welcome on conch shells. One thing hasn't changed since our last visit to the Marquesas. It's hotter than hell.
Next stop was Rangiroa (pronounced with a hard "g"), French Polynesia. Rangiroa is an atoll that is so wide that one can't see the other side of the circle. The inhabited areas, however, are very narrow and it's easy to walk from one side of the island to the other in about five or ten minutes. We took a tour on the Bateau Fond de Verre. Non parle pas Francais? Look it up. Anyway, this was more like the Leaky Tiki. They needed that silicone sealant as seen on TV. But what fun! We saw coral, tropical fish of all sorts, Moray Eels, sharks, and our brave guide under the boat feeding them all. Not only that, but the guides were talented singers and palm frond weavers. Pati has a new handmade hat.
We'd been to Papeete before so we didn't tour, just took a walk along the waterfront and made a visit to the shopping areas. The waterfront is a pleasant walk lined with beautiful plants and flowers. We knew we were in a French holding when we spotted the Carrefour.
Last time, everyone was buying the Polynesian specialty, black pearls. This time, we got on board and Pati bought a black pearl necklace that was attractively priced.
So, if you're thinking about going to French Polynesia, think about Bora Bora. This is the place with the hotel rooms on pilings out over the water. There's nothing to do but snorkel, fish, or sit on the beach but it's beautiful. Another glass-bottomed boat trip, this one much more professional, took us to see fish, fish, fish, coral, eels, and sting rays. On the trip from Papeete to Bora Bora, we realized that black pearl earrings were needed. So we made a visit to the Bora Bora black pearl company for earrings that were not as attractively priced. Once again, we knew we were in France when we spotted the Super U.
Two days at sea will take us from Bora Bora to Pago Pago, thank you thank you.
