2/9/10 - 11 Night Tuamotu & Society Islands Review

[wildcat68]

Nice review. we are booked on the 15 day Fiji-Tahiti trip on the 22nd of May. My question relates to Scuba Diving. Were the people who went diving pleased, and what were the costs associated with it?

 

Mike

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Maui, congrats on the pearls! And the pareos!

 

Tahia Collins actually has lots of simple settings. We spent an hour or more there in 2005 and I got a lovely solitaire on a chain, which I wear all the time.

 

Ah Moorea, wish I was there!

[DAJ]

Thanks Drmn for a great day by day. We leave Apr24 on the 7day and frankly we are both consumed with a 'can't wait any longer' mind set. This will be our first trip to FP though not our first cruise. My DW is not big on excursions but she does enjoy shopping as a diversion. So is there a better island for shopping (particularly for black pearls) and what are the other must buys?

[DrmnOfMaui]

Nice review. we are booked on the 15 day Fiji-Tahiti trip on the 22nd of May. My question relates to Scuba Diving. Were the people who went diving pleased, and what were the costs associated with it?

 

Mike

Sorry Mike... we didn't dive so I don't have any information for you. Hopefully someone else will "dive" in!

I did talk to a few people who did dive and heard some wonderful stories though. Can't wait to hear about your trip when you return!:)

 

Maui, congrats on the pearls! And the pareos!

 

Tahia Collins actually has lots of simple settings. We spent an hour or more there in 2005 and I got a lovely solitaire on a chain, which I wear all the time.

 

Ah Moorea, wish I was there!

 

Wish I was there too Wendy. Real life has a way of creeping back in, doesn't it? I'm trying hard to hold on to my "Island Peace".

 

Tahia did indeed have some lovely pieces. I'm thinking that the goal for my next trip will be to shop for earrings to go with my necklace. Shhhh... don't tell my husband!!;)

 

Thanks Drmn for a great day by day. We leave Apr24 on the 7day and frankly we are both consumed with a 'can't wait any longer' mind set. This will be our first trip to FP though not our first cruise. My DW is not big on excursions but she does enjoy shopping as a diversion. So is there a better island for shopping (particularly for black pearls) and what are the other must buys?

 

DAJ... I'm so envious!!! Only a month and a half to go for you. Woo Hoo!!

 

I'm not a big shopper, so I don't have a whole lot of advice. However, we did purchase pareos for gifts. There are some really lovely fabrics out there and they were well received when we brought them home. I also brought home vanilla and vanilla beans. Tahitian Vanilla has always been one of my favorites.

 

Bora Bora and Moorea were easy for us as we rented cars there and they were not difficult to navigate.

 

As for pearls, I'm not an expert. We purchased ours on Moorea, but I've heard that Papeete and Bora Bora might be good as well. Just a note of caution, like purchasing any other precious stone or fine jewelery, there are many levels of quality out there, so you might try to do a bit of homework to find reputable dealers/artisans.

 

The boutique on the ship had some good information and they held informational meetings about what to look for when shopping. Tahia Collins came to the ship one evening while we were in Moorea as well! Hopefully others will have more information for you.

 

Can't wait to hear about your trip too! Don't forget to report back to us when you return.

 

Kim

[Sophia4]

Hi Kim !

 

We just came back yesterday from our cruise. I really enjoyed your posts and pictures, they just bring it all back! Great pictures ! We had some rain but loved it anyway and already thinking about when to go next.

 

S.

[KBS1607]

The shop is called Coco Blanc and is filled with many beautiful pearl settings designed by the shop's owner, as well as various gifts and souvenirs.

 

You don't have any pictures of the jewelry do you? This will be our one year late 25th anniversary trip. DD was in a very expensive university so we decided to wait until she graduated. Also, I was worried about the change in management of the cruise ship. I am so thrilled to see the great reviews. I am planning a getting a pearl necklace to celebrate. Did you tour any pearl farms?

 

Should I try to talk DH into a 10 day? He's only ever taken two weeks off one time before (for a mediterranean cruise). I know we need to go at least a day early.

 

Also a Kim in IL

[FlightMedic555]

Can anyone share what the going cost is. I presume it is similar throughout the islands??

[chochoanche]

Valentine's Day 2010, Rangiroa!

 

The ship arrived at the Rangiroa entrance around 2 PM. We had been advised earlier in the day that this was another entry not to be missed so we headed up early to get a good spot and to visit with Bobbi, the Naturalist, who was on deck to point out dolphins who enjoy swimming in the wake of the ship. The advice was well given as this little atoll had some of the most beautiful turquoise blue waters that we have ever seen! I just love the clarity of the air in these islands, everything is so sharp and sparkling.

 

This was the first time that I ever felt a bit of a crowd on the PG. Who knew there were this many other guests on board? ;) We all tried to scope out places on the rail to see the dolphins and even though it was crowded, getting a good spot was not problem.

 

We made our way into the bay and joined another ship, the Albatros, out of Europe that was on a multi-week world tour. Many of their guests were enjoying the day on the beach.

 

Rangiroa Entrance

 

Rangiroa Town direction

 

Shortly after dropping anchor we slipped into our swim suits, loaded up the snorkel gear and headed for the tender to catch some time on the beach. (There was a choice in tender, one could either go to the beach or the town.) We had a lovely ride to the beach joining Nancy4Elton (see her fantastic review on this board!) on the top deck of the tender in our usual spots.

 

At the pier there were a few local craftspeople with some souvenirs, necklaces, pareos, etc... and also a restaurant.

 

Walking down the beach to the left we felt a bit odd as we were literally walking through some of the locals' backyards. We located a nice spot about 1/4 mile down the beach and enjoyed an afternoon snorkeling and swimming in the warm water. I wondered how the local people felt having their space invaded by all these tourists, but no one seemed to mind and everyone was friendly. There was a man filleting fish who was throwing pieces of it back into the water which attracted numerous rays. We saw many colorful fish while we were snorkeling and some neat coral formations. Again, I can't imagine waking up to this beauty every morning.

 

Man filleting fish

 

Rays at the waters edge

 

Couple of cool snorkelers!

 

After a few hours we headed back to the tender to prepare for our dinner in La Veranda with another lovely couple Susie and Bob. This was our only visit to La Veranda and we fully enjoyed the meal and the delightful company.

 

I have been drift diving at the pass. It was beautiful down there. If you don't cruise, you can take a trip to the other side of the ring. It's very beautiful.

[chochoanche]

The next morning brought just one more gorgeous, sunny day in Bora Bora. As we had already visited the island we decided to check out our snorkel gear and head over to the motu for some lounging on the beach. After breakfast in Le Grill (now our usual, table 33 with the wonderful Joey as our sever!) we headed to the sports marina for the snorkel check out.

Our morning breakfast view

 

Before leaving home I had considered bringing my own snorkel mask as I have had experiences with not so nice snorkel equipment provided on other trips. Not the case on the PG! The guys at the marina were great and outfitted us with good quality snorkel gear. They stressed that it had been well cleaned and they were willing to take the time to show us how to use everything. As we are experienced snorkelers we just grabbed the gear and headed to the tender for our trip to the motu.

 

Once again we had to wait in line... almost 45 seconds this time (did I mention I love this ship!) and then we were on the beacher. This tender, the beacher, has the ability to do a wet landing (and this one was wet!) to land on beaches. The front end drops down and you kind of step off into the water. A few people were not expecting this and were wearing sandals that they needed to remove so as not to get wet. Lots of crew were around to help people up and down and no one seemed to have any problems.

 

Beacher picking up guests to return to the ship

 

The day was very windy, but the air temps were still warm and beautiful. The water was perfect. I'm a warm water lover, and this was just what I was looking for, warm and clear. The current at the motu was fairly strong, and the snorkeling was not the best as the water was a bit choppy due to the wind. We were still able to see some fish and a ray or two.

 

The beach has a shack with some fruit and drinks. Domestic beer, water and soda were available. Just behind the beach was a house with a family in the front yard. We had been asked not to wander around the island and to respect the family and their home.

 

Refreshment shack on motu

 

This was a lovely, relaxing day on a beautiful, uncrowded beach with views of Bora Bora and the Paul Gauguin. I'm not sure how life could get any better!

 

Waves crashing at the reef

 

Beach from the water

 

Did they take you to snorkey at the Coral Garden near the reef? The shark feeding tour usually goes there.

 

The manta ray dive is also good here. But nothing beats an overwater bungalow on our of the motus on Bora Bora.

 

Can't wait to goback to FP.

[Sophia4]

Hi Kim !

 

What kind of camera do you use ??? Your pictures are just beautiful ! I need to get a new one after I saw my pictures from the trip.

 

Thanks

S.

[DrmnOfMaui]

Hi Kim !

 

What kind of camera do you use ??? Your pictures are just beautiful! I need to get a new one after I saw my pictures from the trip.

 

Thanks

S.

 

Thank you Sophia, you made my day!! I love my camera, I have a Canon XSI with the kit lens and an additional 55-250 telephoto lens. I also used a polarizing filter as it really brings out the blues and cuts glare. The camera is a bit of a hassle to bring along sometimes as it is kind of bulky, but I absolutely love it and rarely go anywhere without it.

 

Sorry for taking so long to respond... real life has somehow gotten in the way of my PG/FP mindset. I'm still suffering from the Post Vacation Blues and will try to finish up my last day on Moorea tomorrow!! I have a few more general photos of the ship that I wanted to post.:)

[DrmnOfMaui]

You don't have any pictures of the jewelry do you? This will be our one year late 25th anniversary trip. DD was in a very expensive university so we decided to wait until she graduated. Also, I was worried about the change in management of the cruise ship. I am so thrilled to see the great reviews. I am planning a getting a pearl necklace to celebrate. Did you tour any pearl farms?

 

Should I try to talk DH into a 10 day? He's only ever taken two weeks off one time before (for a mediterranean cruise). I know we need to go at least a day early.

 

Also a Kim in IL

 

 

Good Evening Kim in IL!! I would definitely go for the 10 day... especially since you are traveling so far. It took me about 3 days to fully relax. So if you can swing the 10 day I would say go for it!!

 

I will try to get a few pictures of the necklaces I purchased for you tomorrow. I really love them and have worn them nearly every day since I got home. I did check, and didn't see a web site for the shop we used, but they do have an email address: cocoblanc@mail.pf (Coco Blanc is the name of the shop)

I didn't take any photos in the shop though, so all I have are what we purchased. I will work on that tomorrow!!

 

We did not visit any pearl farms, although I heard some really good comments from people who did. The whole pearl farming industry sounded interesting, and I will try to make that visit on my next trip.

 

Happy Anniversary to you and congratulations on your daughter's graduation!:)

[Sophia4]

Hi Kim !

 

Thanks for the camera info. I know what you mean by Post Vacation Blues. I never really had it so bad as my Post Tahiti Blues. I cannot wait to go back. Hopefully soon, I suddenly found out that I really needed a string of Tahitian pearls...

 

S.

[DrmnOfMaui]

You don't have any pictures of the jewelry do you? This will be our one year late 25th anniversary trip. DD was in a very expensive university so we decided to wait until she graduated. Also, I was worried about the change in management of the cruise ship. I am so thrilled to see the great reviews. I am planning a getting a pearl necklace to celebrate. Did you tour any pearl farms?

 

Should I try to talk DH into a 10 day? He's only ever taken two weeks off one time before (for a mediterranean cruise). I know we need to go at least a day early.

 

Also a Kim in IL

 

OK... sorry to take so long!! I've discovered that shooting jewelery is not quite as easy as shooting beach scenes. However, here's what I have (Actually a fun thread would be to post pics of pearls!):

 

 

 

 

3 pearls on leather

 

 

What I really liked about this one was the shell "clasp".

 

I hope that answers your questions!!

[Emdee]

Maui,

I can see that you have likely caught the FP Flu. Wendy and myself and a few others have it really bad.

 

Glad to know that our beloved PG is still doing well. I last left her in November with tears in my eyes. Now that five months have passed I am almost considering another PG trip.

 

Is Miki still the Maitre?

 

Thanks for your review it helped me relive some of my many memories.

 

Miriam

[DrmnOfMaui]

Our last day on the Paul Gauguin was a busy one. The morning started out bright, but quickly turned gray as cloud cover moved in and then it rained on and off for a number of hours. As we had spent the prior day on the island of Moorea we decided to spend our last few hours aboard the ship finishing up anything that we hadn't yet had a chance to do. I had planned all cruise to take photos of the public areas of the ship, but somehow something always came up and I kept thinking I would get to it later... unfortunately, my laters appeared to be running out. After kicking myself for not getting ship photos while it was sunny, we decided to return our snorkel gear and check out the sports marina. Luckily, a two person kayak was just being returned as we walked up so we took our turn around Opunohu Lagoon, burning off a few of those Creme Brulee calories that had been accumulating. My paddling experience is... shall we say, somewhat lacking. But I figured how hard can it be to paddle a kayak?? Seems it's a bit more involved that I had imagined, all that timing and working together just to go straight. Who knew that if you dipped your paddle a little harder on the right side you would turn the whole darn thing left? Wasn't that the Kayak Captain's job to fix? Our marriage enhancing PG paddling "excursion" took us around the ship and to the shores of Moorea. Beautiful views from the water, but I think it might have been a bit more enjoyable if it had not been raining for most of the "tour". All in all, a fun way to spend an afternoon.

 

After our paddling excursion, we packed our suitcases with our old clothes and new treasures and prepared for the Sail Away party. Bumping into the Staff Captain Nenand Mogic, we wholeheartedly thanked him for a wonderful vacation and conveyed how much we had enjoyed this cruise and how sad we were to be leaving that evening (we had booked an early Friday departure due to prior commitments at home.) From the ship, crew, dining, excursions, etc..., our PG experience had surpassed all of our expectations. At this point I extended my offer to stay aboard and explained that since I had my pilot ground school license I was certain I could be of some help on the bridge! After discovering that my parallel parking was maybe not quite up to par, S.C. Mogic offered to show us how it is really done. He took us for a quick private bridge tour and he and my husband found out that their jobs in moving large "vehicles" (my husband is an airline pilot) are in some ways very similar and in other ways very different. I found it interesting that it is actually not only the anchor that holds the ship in place, but the anchor chain that is laid down as well. Also that the the ships movement while anchored (it seemed to rhythmically move back and forth) was due to the wind - not the Captain's considerate intent to continually give us a changing view! This was a fully enjoyable way to finish off our afternoon.

 

Showing my Captain skills!

 

The Captain's Sail Away party was well attended and very enjoyable with many of the crew participating in a goodbye ceremony enhanced with music from Siglo and Le Gauguines. As we quietly left Moorea behind to head for our final destination of Papeete the sun parted just a bit to show a bright and colorful island surrounded by more gorgeous blue waters.

 

Room Stewardess' waving goodbye

 

Captain

One of Le Gauguines

 

Siglo

 

Siglo (loved these guys!)

[DrmnOfMaui]

The servers in L'E'toile were very helpful in moving our dinner along this evening as we had an 8:30 pm taxi set up for our early departure to the airport. We were joined by Ed and Barbara, our dinnermates from our very first evening on the ship, and were very sad to hug them goodbye in what seemed to be an all too short meal (the servers kindly found me one more Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee from La Veranda for my dessert!)

 

Within 15 minutes of finishing our meal we had changed into our travel clothes, called for luggage pick up and checked out at Reception. Walking down the gangplank for the last time left us with heavy hearts and before we knew it our taxi had taken us away from our new home away from home and dropped us at the airport with a long line and a long wait for our 11:30 PM flight. The lack of someone wanting to help us with our luggage or quickly answer any questions or frankly help in any way was a bit of a shock to the system after our 11 days aboard the PG!

 

When we originally booked this cruise, we looked at the opportunity as a once in a lifetime experience. After the fantastic 11 nights on this ship we are certain that the experience will definitely not be once in a lifetime, but hopefully a frequent occurrence. Our recently received PG brochure is already worn with pages turned down and our calendar is marked with tentative dates that we just might be able to make work.

 

The PG is most definitely a special place for us with its understated and peaceful elegance. Although it took a few days for us to fully relax and embrace the islands, we came away with a renewed appreciation for life and for each other. Things that seemed so important before the trip somehow were put into perspective. Ideas that we had thought were set for our future somehow evolved into new ideas. One thing that we took away and are trying to hold on to is a peacefulness that seems to permeate the islands. Holding on to this peacefulness in our busy life has not been easy, but we are continually trying to remind ourselves to take some time out of our full days to take a breath and live, to just enjoy a few special moments, whether it be our coffee in the morning, the pink clouds from the sunset or the brightness of the moon.

 

A dire case of the Polynesian Flu seems to be our diagnosis. As I've read that there really is no cure, it seems that a return trip to French Polynesia and the Paul Gauguin will have to be in our future!

 

Brian & Kim - Paul Gauguin in Moorea, 2/10

 

[cmstraf]

The photographs of the pearls are stunning!

[bandt]

The photo of two happy travellers who have shared wonderful memories of their voyage is even more stunning ! God bless you both !

 

We're sure that you will soon book an antidote to Polynesian Flu !!! :)

 

Many thanks

 

Brian & Tony

 

P.S. We are going to miss your great day-by-day journal !

[AnglerGirl]

Kim, thank you so much for your posts of the trip and the wonderful photos. The pearls are most lovely! I purchased some earrings and a loose pearl, which I'm unsure what to do with almost 8 months later. I may bring it back to the shop on Moorea this June and have them set it for me in something special. Your pictures gave me some great possibilities.

 

And yes, you have to plan to go back again! I believe it calls us back.

[DrmnOfMaui]

The photographs of the pearls are stunning!

 

Thank you!! They were much harder to shoot than the beach shots... but it was fun to try.

I really, really enjoy them and thank my husband for picking so well!

 

The photo of two happy travellers who have shared wonderful memories of their voyage is even more stunning ! God bless you both !

 

We're sure that you will soon book an antidote to Polynesian Flu !!! :)

 

Many thanks

 

Brian & Tony

 

P.S. We are going to miss your great day-by-day journal !

 

Thank you!! Thank you!! You made my day. Believe it or not, I'm actually going to miss writing it too. I really enjoyed putting all the memories down on "paper" and sorting through all the photos. Somehow it seemed to make the trip last just a bit longer.

 

I'd love to keep the day to day journal going, but somehow I don't think anyone would be as interested... As I woke up to my blaring alarm this morning I realized just how much laundry there was to do, but that would have to wait until after dropping the kids off to school. Breakfast was the same oatmeal that I was getting on the PG, and today we even had papaya! Unfortunately there was no one to clear the dishes, and then the laundry.... ;)

 

Luckily we do live very near to the beach. It's not quite the same blue waters as the islands, and although the water is currently a chilly 63 I still love to walk along the waves.

 

We are looking into vacations in your lovely city too as my list of destinations seems to be ever growing.

 

Kim, thank you so much for your posts of the trip and the wonderful photos. The pearls are most lovely! I purchased some earrings and a loose pearl, which I'm unsure what to do with almost 8 months later. I may bring it back to the shop on Moorea this June and have them set it for me in something special. Your pictures gave me some great possibilities.

 

And yes, you have to plan to go back again! I believe it calls us back.

 

It's calling Angler!

 

I really liked the shop we stopped at, Coco Blanc. They were so friendly and helpful. The setting with the 3 pearls is on leather, which originally seemed kind of odd to me, but I have had so many lovely compliments on the piece when I wear it. That was the first one my husband noticed when we entered the shop. The owner of the shop designed all of the pieces and his wife was working that day, there are many lovely designs.

Their email is cocoblanc@mail.pf if you would like to email ahead of time for more information.

Post a picture when you decide what to do! I'd love to see it.

[DrmnOfMaui]

I have a few more photos that may be of interest for those who are planning future trips! I know I love to see what everything is going to look like before I go, just kind of helps the excitement.

 

This was sushi at Le Grill for lunch and though I'm not much of sushi eater, the reviews from those who like sushi were very good.

 

Fresh fruits were available on our cruise for breakfast and lunch (usually pineapple, papaya, mango, watermelon and cantaloupe.)

 

Sandwiches, breads and just outside the picture is a cheese tray

 

My personal favorites...

 

Service always came with a smile!:)

[bandt]

Brian & Kim

 

If you need any advice, or info about a trip to Paris don't hesitate to get in touch. It's the least we could do after your informative journal :

 

brianandtony at free dot fr

 

All the best

 

Brian & Tony

 

P.S. I have recently retired from over 30 years in the airline industry so I'm sure we have a lot in common :)

[egret]

Thank you for the great travelogue. Our first trip on the PG in 2001 was supposed to be once in a lifetime too. Alas, there is no cure for the variety of FP Flu I have contracted. I made creme brulee for my son's new wife and his inlaws and digging out the vanilla beans from Ta'haa brought back the familiar symptoms and your story caused the fever to spike.

[DrmnOfMaui]

Thanks Brian & Tony! I really appreciate the offer. I have your email saved for future reference and hopefully will soon get to take you up on your advice offer. We are compiling a wish list and Paris is high on the list. :)

 

You're welcome Egret. I have yet to try the Creme Brulee at home, was it difficult? I have beans that are waiting to be used! I keep telling my husband that when I run out of beans we will have to return to pick up more. We are looking at some time next year for our return trip, have to pin down a month when we can figure out all of our schedules. The kids are getting busier and busier and trying to mesh those with my husband's work vacation is proving more difficult than I had thought. We just might have to do the spontaneous trip again. That in itself was sort of fun and exciting!