March 04: Raiatea, Society Islands, French Polynesia - Second Day of Two-Day Port Call

There was no leisurely start to today. We need to be ready to go at 7:45. We were on a tender at 8:15 and at the pier rendezvousing with our guide at 8:30.

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Today's Tour: Land & Sea of Taha'a

Board a boat and glide over the tranquil lagoon toward Raiatea's sister island -- Taha'a. An ancient legend says that Raiatea and Taha'a were originally one island until an enraged creature broke through the surface of the earth, splitting the island in two to create Raiatea and Taha'a.

Upon arrival on Taha'a, board a 4-wheel-drive vehicle and head to the valleys and mountains inland. Your guide will point out sights along the way. You'll stop at a beautiful viewpoint and learn about the traditional uses of local plants and trees. Sample local fruits and learn some tamure, a typical Tahitian dance.

The island of Taha'a is often called "the Vanilla Island," and you will learn about this fragrant spice while visiting a small family-owned vanilla plantation.

You will also visit a black pearl farm and discover how these treasures of the sea are raised and harvested. These small cottage industries are part of this small island's economic structure.

Finally, board a motorized outrigger canoe for an enjoyable ride across the turquoise waters of Taha'a's lagoon to a motu (islet) for some snorkeling.

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Twenty-six passengers and two crew boarded a boat equipped with an outrigger for a 20-minute trip to Taha'a, the island we had passed after the ship came through the barrier reef yesterday. The outrigger seemed to make the boat more difficult to maneuver at the pier, but smoothed our ride considerably.

Ashore on Taha'a, which has a population of only 5,000, we got into trucks and headed to a pearl farm.

The black pearls the island is known for are cultured pearls. I will leave it to Wikipedia to explain how a cultured pearl is created. I will note that the nucleus of a Tahitian black pearl is formed from a clam shell, and more precisely, a Mississippi clam shell. 

Surprisingly, there was a buying opportunity. [Insert sarcasm here.]

Back into the trucks, we were off to a vanilla bean plantation. Once again, I will leave it to Wikipedia to explain the cultivation of the vanilla bean. And once again, I will note something unusual about the process. Vanilla bean vines are grown on date trees. Bonus factoid: once picked, each bean needs to be massaged daily during the drying process.

Surprisingly, there was a buying opportunity. [Ditto.]

Who is that right in the middle of everything? She looks familiar.

Leaving there, the trucks climbed an overlook that gave us a view down Haameme Bay on the east side of the island. While there, we were given a dance lesson. Blessedly, it was short.

Back at sea level, we boarded our boat and sped off to a motu (island) where those who wanted to could snorkel. The stop was only thirty minutes, and the locale was similar to where we had snorkeled the previous day, so we passed on going in the water.

Everyone back aboard, we returned to Uturoa. We walked around a bit, but as the sky began to look more ominous and we recalled yesterday's unpleasant tender experience, we beat feet to the pier and boarded one back to the ship.

We were on the pool deck relaxing when the captain announced that he was suspending tendering operations due to an approaching squall. As it happened, the squall drifted off to the east of the ship.

At 4:30, Nieuw Amsterdam hauled her anchors. We proceeded back out the channel we had come in, this time Taha'a being on the starboard side of the ship. We were once again impressed by how well defined the channel was by shoals on one or both sides.

After a pleasant dinner, Pam and I skipped the theater show and headed to our stateroom to get a good night's sleep so that we could be up early to watch the ship arrive in Papeete, Tahiti. Keep that intention of a good night's sleep in mind as you read my March 5 post.