The Tuamotu Islands

We had good flights from Sydney to Tahiti despite having to run through the airport to catch our connection in Auckland.  It was almost midnight when we arrived at our hotel in Papeete, Tahiti.

The next morning we had time for a walk around the town before boarding our ship.  It was Mothers’ Day in Tahiti and everything was closed except for the flower market which was doing a roaring trade.

We settled into shipboard life with a Tahitian sunset as a backdrop to our sailaway and managed to arrange a cabin upgrade on the ship.

Our first full day was at sea sailing across to the Tuamotus, more than 250 nautical miles.

                                  This is a very quiet part of French Polynesia

                                   The water is very warm and marine growth so rapid that they raise the boats out of the water when not in use.

                        One of the early European navigators was Bougainville. I remember him every time I prune that thorny weed

Today we are in Fakarava and we took the tender ashore to this tiny settlement.  The entire atoll only has a few hundred residents and the highest point is about a metre above sea level.

                                                          It is a very beautiful place!

We walked along the beachfront with just a few shops for black pearls and pareos and swam among the coral and tropical fish.  It feels like we have been away for weeks.  We are having a very relaxing time with some nice people we have met on board, mainly from Australia and the U.

Tomorrow we visit the 2^nd atoll in the Tuamotu group, Rangiroa.