Tahiti - Glad I've experienced it, not in my top 10 though.

(note: 2 posts today)

We really enjoyed Tahiti, make no mistake about that. Please gander at the Ports of Call tab to get some facts and figures; but suffice it to say, Tahiti is 1/10th the size of the lake we live on back home. So it's relatively small. We had the opportunity to join our friends Lanny and Sandy again so we did. We got off the boat early and after figuring out how to get to where the rental car was, we were good to go. Rain was on and off most of the day but it rarely impacted us.

We went clockwise around Tahiti and if I were to do it over, I would go counter clockwise. More of what I wanted to see was on the north side. That said, we started with some great vistas and a park with 2 "blow holes", holes forged in the rocks over millions of years by the crashing waves. Now they spew water like the blow hole of a whale....and sounds similar too. We saw a lighthouse made of limestone, which was attractive.

Then we headed to the "tail" of the island and went to a lookout point. It was recommended by a local geocacher and it didn't disappoint. Other than some cloud cover, I think it might have been the most picturesque spot of the day. Tough to say when you're comparing to waterfalls and blowholes.

We then headed to lunch. Due to slow 4g mobile service, it was hard to find a good place for lunch. We settled on Chez Loula et Remy. It was very good but a bit pricey for lunch. It was $$-$$$....I'd hate to see what $$$$ cost. I got a steak and my wife got a seafood platter with shrimp and crab. Pics below:

They were quite good and more food than we needed for lunch...but we didn't have any leftovers so it was a need vs want conundrum.

Afterward, we traversed back to the lower part of the islands tail and explored more. As we left we wanted to see 2 more spots on the northern side of the island before dropping off the car. The first was caves. Interesting but not much to look at really. The second we were too late for. We didn't realize but almost all businesses and shops across the island close at 5:30. We had wanted to go shopping in the marketplace near the ship when we got back, but it was almost 6:30 so we missed that opportunity. That's ok. My summary of Tahiti is that while it is in French Polynesia, it is a bit more French than Polynesia. Very little tolerance for English. Such a pity for an island that relies on tourism.

Often when in port, the ship will organize some local talent, which tonight were Hula dancers. They did a great job. First show I didn't fall asleep in. After some catch up work, it will be time for bed. An early day as we are n Morrea tomorrow early.