| 29/08/2007 - 29/09/2007 «« page 1/4 »»
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1. day - 29/08/2007 - , Summary of the Previous Days | | Arrival in Tahiti | | | Stilt Houses on Shore | | | Spotted Eagle Ray |
Our first stop at the Society Islands were Tahiti. Tahiti is a young atoll where we can still see the volcanic mountains in the middle of the island. For the European conquestors the island was a real Paradise where they could enjoy the Polynesian culture (dance, music and sing), however with the missionares the dances and singing were soon prohibited for long years, which changed the life of the Polynesians dramatically.
There are more entrances to the protected lagoon of the atoll. Sometimes the corals do not reach the surface so you can only see the breaking waves but there are many buyos, which drive the boats.
The Harbour Control of Papeete controls every entry to the atoll so sailing boats have to call them before reaching the island. They also give the permisson to cross the airport runaway, which goes above the lagoon therefore sailingboats might cross it.
We saw sailing boats, speedy motorboats, people who were water skiing or snorkelling and of course some racing Polynesian boats. On the shore we could see the hotels and beaches of them from which the most popular are the houses built on stilts in Tahitian style.
We anchored at Maeva beach just before the marina. The water depth was up to 20 meters around. But we could see the bottom and we saw also a spotted eagle ray next to our anchor chain. It is not easy to find a perfect place at the anchorage because every boat leaves long chain of the anchor due to the deep water around. The changing wind direction and currents can push the boats more or less together.
After our isolated sailing (Pacific crossing-Marquesas-Tuamotus) we are back in the reality where people are in a rush on the streets and there are more tourists. We feel a bit difficult to use to it.
On the first day we had to check in although we made a prechecking in Marquesas too. But it was very fast (took around 10 minutes) and we got a paper for buying customfree fuel. The limited time we have in French Polynesia is all together 3 months.
On the first night we went to visit Dingo, they were anchored at the same place and the second night we met two other sailing boats from the Post Communist Countries (Czech Republic and Bulgaria) and we had a nice party with them on board.
| | | | Polynesian Boat in Sunset (Background Moorea) | Meeting with the East European Sailors | Meeting with the East European Sailors | | | | | | |
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2. day - 30/08/2007 - , PapeeteOur first trip was to Papeete (capital). It easy to get there with bus or hitchhiking. Although the trafic jam is usual in the morning or in the afternoon in the rush our. We did not found the city very spectacular but it was very colourful, busy, full with shops and street sellers and with a harbour. We visited the catolic church in the town called Notre Dame and it was interesting to see all the pictures represented Polynesian faces. We also visited the city hall and the Perl Museum about perl diving and farming. The museum was with the exhibition of Robert Wan who is one of the pioneer of perl farming. It is possible to buy some of the exhibited perls and jewlery. There is also a shop in the town where everyone can order their own jewel on their own style from the desired perls.
The flowers are beautiful on the island and Polynesians often sport a flower on their ear. A closed tiare bud for men and an open one for women. If a women wear it on the right side it means the heart is free, on the left side it means that the heart is taken.
When we arrived back to the anchoring place we were very close to Yagoona SV so we reanchored by a few meters as they were not on board.
| | | | Buses | On the Bus | Tahitien Beach | | | | | Robert Wan Exhibition | Notre Dame in Tahiti | Notre Dame in Tahiti | | | | | Port | Tiare | Shops | | | | | Perls-and more perls | Shops | Yagoona and Rotor | | | | | | |
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3. day - 31/08/2007 - , Our Inland Trip in Tahiti I.We decided to make a unique excursion inside the island. It is unique because the Tahitien people live on the shores and the inland is nearly uninhabited. The houses are very rare here. But because the people settled to the shore there are not too many beaches around here and most of them are black with vulcanic stones. Also the motor road goes only around the island. All these things somehow are understandable as the inland of Tahiti is very wet with lots of rain every day in the mountains. Yagoona joined us for the excursion and we did not have to walk far to find a relaxed place without any trafic or crowded places.
The Tahitian people look very friendly so it was easy to hitch-hike and get to the north part of the island where our two days excursion strated. The place where we started was called Papenoo and we planned to cross the island on a route in the mountains. On the first day we walked around 5 hours in heavy rain by crossing roads covered with water in the mountains. But the view was spectacular with all the beatifull high mountains and many bubbling waterfalls in it with the thick forests and nature around us. The route went up on a hill then down to a valley then it was repeated several times. At lunch time we found some cover against the wind at a dam where we had our gas heated lunch from cans. In the night we arrived at a hotel in the mountains where there were not really guests but we really enjoyed the hot water here.
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4. day - 01/09/2007 - On the second day we left from the hotel and it seemed that the clouds had gone away. First we had a trip to an archeological site which was inhabited during the 16th century, but now we could only see rocks around. It is interesting to think about that the earlier Tahitien lived in the mountains not on the shores. Of course, the Tahitien were good at the agricultural activity rather than fishing and in the mountains they had enough fresh water from the rains.
Reaching the archeological site we had to cross three times the same river and we found here some huts for two dollars per night. We beleive we were happier with the hot water in the hotel last evening.
We had a rough part after it and we had to climb up to the mountains with the heavy backpacks and in hot sun above us. We became at least as wet as the day before in the rain although this day we had not any rain. We still enjoyed to see the mountains, the valleys, the rivers and lakes.
Before sunset we arrived to the main road on the south part of the island but we could not see any bus. Later we got know that there were not buses on weekends.
A nice local guy picked us on his pick-up car and he took us all the way to the marina although he had not got anything to do around there. After we had get off from the pick-up we felt our souring legs and feet with the bruises the shoes had made during the trip.
As a summary we enjoyed this trip and the island crossing and we beleive that everybody should see the island not only Papeete.
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5. day - 02/09/2007 - If it is Sunday it is market day in Papeete. It opens at 3 am in the morning and we had to be quick to find nice goods. The market was very colourful and we could get everything. You can buy even souvenires or fresh bred here. We also stocked up the storages of Rotor with fresh fruits and vegetables. We had also good fun with founding the cheapest seller for a given quality.
In the afternoon we also tried the laundry of the marina. It costed only 7 times 100 francs and it was difficult to make the machine to accept the coins. It was good that we could organise the washing on shore.
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6. day - 03/09/2007 - , Clearing out I | | Coconut Crabs | | | Carrefour | | | Carrefour | | | Carrefour |
In the morning Geza went with Marc to the propein filling station to fill up the camping gas bottles we cook with them on the board, and we went to do our website with Svenja (Yagoona SV).
The guys came back quickly and it was clear that we have to go back in the afternoon to get the gas bottles back.
So we decided to do the clearing out from French Polynesia. It is really interesting that we have to clear out here and we can still visit the other islands such as Moorea and Bora Bora too. But the Port Captain did not open all day and the immigration officer did not anything about him. He said it was a different office, although it was at the same place.
In the afternoon we went back to the propein filling station where a man told us that they would not fill up our bottles because they were too rusty and we could not even buy there any. We asked them to check it more carefuly, because they are not very old ones but the salty sea makes them rusty. For this query they were willing to fill up one from the four but only for the next day. In Latin America it was not a problem at all.
Of course we were not happy with it and one bottle is hardly enough for the rest of the journey and there was also a risk we could not fill them up anywhere. We tried also the MOBIL gas stations where we could see some propein bottles but non of them were fitted to the boat unfortunately. So we were walking on the streets when we saw a BRICO Store. Then the idea came to try buying some propein bottles there. From the information we were sent to the garden part of the store and here a very nice man showed us a shelf with around 7 nearly brand new propeine bottles. Our next question was that whether we should buy them or we could exchange them to our rusty bottles. The manager came out to solve this question and after he had examined our rusty bottles with a big sigh he said he would exchange them for us. We had an unexpected good feeling and we were happy that we could get 3 nearly new fully filled bottles only for 2,300 polinesian francs (one new bottle was 6,000 and only filling up costs 700) here. Returning back to the marina we shared this information with the other boats too.
In the evening Yagoona (SV) invited us for a sushi dinner with Hafskip and Muline. Marc made suprisingly nice sushi foods from the fresh stocks of Carrefour supermarket, which is not far from the anchoring place. Here every food looks nice such as fish, shrimps, crabs etc.
| | | | Sushi Party | Sushi Party | Sushi Party | | | | | | |
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7. day - 04/09/2007 - , Clearing out IINext day we started again at the filling station and we got the one bottle then we went again to Brico to buy a spare one too. When we arrived to the Port Captain he was again nowhere. We really needed a document from him that we could visit Cook Island after French Polynesia.
We went for a big shopping to Carrefour then returning on board we got a VHF call from Hafskip that they could talk to the Port Captain and he would make the documents if we go back to the town at 3 pm. We were there but he were not again.
We heard that also the immigration officer had called his boss that he were not able to open for two days now.
Interesting: we saw many times men in clothes of women on the streets, busses, supermarket and shops here in Tahiti. I was searching some information about this and I found the followings:
In the Polynesian culture the mahus represent the third sex. A young boy may adopt the female role by his own choice or that of his parents, performing female task at home and at the working place (such as serving in restaurant, selling in shops etc). Generally there one mahu in each village, which is a proof that this type of individual serves a certain sociological function and excepted by the society. You do not know whether they have a husband or wife at home but they are part of the Polynesian life and today Miss Male beauty contest is also organised for them.
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8. day - 05/09/2007 - , Clearing out IIIIn the night a 25-30 knots of wind came with a front. We heard that more boats had to be reanchored. We did not worry too much with our 50 kilograms anchor beast, and also the catamaran in front of us was on mooring instead of anchoring.
Geza and Joost (skipper of Hafskip) went into the town to organise the clearing out from French Polynesia in the moorning. Meanwhile a stormy wind started at the anchoring place.
Then Joost arrived to Rotor and he told that Geza had remained in the town, where he had met Aron (the other Hungarian sailor). Joost was worried about our dinghy, which did not look good at the dinghy dock in the stormy wind, so I asked him to pull back our dinghy to Rotor. Then I switched on the VHF in case Geza calls me for a dinghy lift.
I was watching the shore and saw Geza who was delivered with the dinghy of Muline.
During the oil checking and starting the engine we heard a strange leaking sound from the engine. Something was really wrong with it. We saw that the air was coming out next to the injenktor. When we mounted out the injenktor from the engine the sun had gone down so we could not see too much. We have to check it again tomorrow morning.
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9. day - 06/09/2007 - Geza plugged the place of the injenktor and cleaned the surroundings. The cylinder head of the engine looked ok, so we started to search the problem on the injektor. We found the crack on the nozzle-holding nut (special-nut).
In the town at the DiselEc Volvo Penta service people could help us out with a second hand nut.
So we fixed the engine in the afternoon, so tomorrow we can leave, finally.
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