Advice needed on excursions for Society Islands & Tuamotus

[Dave in Hawaii]

Hi,

 

This will be our first cruise and we will be doing the 10 day Society Islands & Tuamotus (4/26/2023to 5/6/2023).

 

Here's the list of destinations.   For simplicity I've deleted the first and last day in Tahiti, and the one day at sea.  

 

• Huahine, Society Islands
• Bora Bora, Society Islands (Two days)
• Rangiroa, Tuamotu Islands
• Fakarava, Tuamotu Islands
• (Motu Mahana) Taha'a Island, Society Islands
• Moorea, Society Islands

 

I need some advice on the best snorkeling on the trip?  How are these?  Are there others that should be on the top of our list?

- Reef Discovery snorkeling in Bora Bora.  

- Which is suggested? Fakarava pinnacle snorkel or Fakarava Ato Excursions

- Coral garden drift snorkeling TAHA'A ISLAND.  It sounds like this is a must do?

 

My wife is interested in the in Sacred sites & legendary places in Huahine.  Has anyone tried that?

Has anyone tried the Capture Moorea – Photo adventure?

I really enjoy seeing places by bike.  Are any of these fantastic?  Or, are there private e-bike tours that should not be missed?

- Huahine Iti by e-bike

- E-Bike tour of Rotoava & the North shore

- Slow paced belvedere & pineapple valley by e-Bike

 

Please let me know if we have overlooked any other shore excursions that should not be missed.

 

Thank you very much.
Dave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FlightMedic555]

On Huahine Marc's Tour (Huahine Nautique) is very good.  You can do the half land/half lagoon tour to see some of the land based sites.  A very good tour but not a ton of snorkeling.  The lunch at the motu is very good.

 

We love Reef Discovery on Bora Bora (did that 7 times already).  I believe that this is now an excursion offered by the PG but we have in the past reserved it privately.  If you reserve it privately (if they will allow that) they can drop you off at Bloody Mary's or at the beach if you don't want to head back.  Their tour is usually over by about 1:00 pm.

 

On Rangiroa do the ships aquarium snorkel.  We tried to book independently on Rangiroa and it did not work out.  There really are very few other options there and the snorkel is great.

 

On Fakarava we have always gone with Ato.  It is a great trip with some great snorkeling.

 

The only down side to the drift snorkel on Taha'a is that you miss some time at the PG motu.  If you really like snorkeling I would do the drift snorkel.  You are then dropped off at the motu by about 12-1 pm in time for the lunch.

 

On Moorea we have usually rented a car and explored on our own.  I have seen the e-bikes going up to Belvedere and if that is something that interests you I would go for it.  It is a really steep bike ride and never having been on an e-bike I don't know how much effort you need to put in.

[Dave in Hawaii]

Awesome, thank you very much for your help.  

 

• "On Rangiroa do the ships aquarium snorkel.  We tried to book independently on Rangiroa and it did not work out.  There really are very few other options there and the snorkel is great."'

The only PG shore excursion that is showing up is the Glass Bottom Boat tour which doesn't sound that interesting to me.   Is the ships aquarium snorkel something you have to sign up for in advance or do you just show up for it?

 

• "The only down side to the drift snorkel on Taha'a is that you miss some time at the PG motu."

Could you please elaborate on missing time at PG motu?  What would we be missing out on? 

 

Thank you again.  I really appreciate your help.

Dave

 

[FlightMedic555]

we are on the same itinerary in July,  below is the ships excursion on Rangiroa. It does sell out quickly. 
 

Snorkelling Rangiroa's 'aquarium' 

RANGIROA, TUAMOTU ISLANDS 

Duration: 1 h 30 Total : $85
 

the PG motu is the highlight of the trip.  First tender is at about 10 am.  Tons of lounge chairs, bar, barbecue lunch, kayaks and decent snorkeling in a gorgeous setting. If you take the coral garden tour you get to the motu at about 12-1. 

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

Agree with Medic on everything ....

[Host Jazzbeau]

10 hours ago, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

Agree with Medic on everything ....

Wait – isn't this the internet?  People don't agree on anything... 🤣

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

10 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Wait – isn't this the internet?  People don't agree on anything... 🤣

 

Medic and I agree on most things concerning FP 😉

[Leejnd4]

On 2/14/2023 at 12:03 PM, FlightMedic555 said:

On Moorea we have usually rented a car and explored on our own.  I have seen the e-bikes going up to Belvedere and if that is something that interests you I would go for it.  It is a really steep bike ride and never having been on an e-bike I don't know how much effort you need to put in.

 

Just popping in to say that e-bikes are FUN, and not much effort! There are different types and configurations, and I'm not sure what they are using on this tour, but we've done e-bike excursions in other places and they are great for people who want to experience a bike tour but don't want to huff-and-puff it up steep hills. They are easy to control, and you can choose how much power you want at any given moment - full power up the hills, pedaling on the flats. Or full power the entire time, if you don't want to break a sweat. 😉 

 

I plan on doing the e-bike tour up to Belvedere on our cruise in November. I've been up to Belvedere before by driving, but doing an e-bike up there sounds fun!

[Phantom_Celery]

On 2/14/2023 at 7:21 PM, FlightMedic555 said:

If you take the coral garden tour you get to the motu at about 12-1. 

Just in time for lunch! 😃

[Dave in Hawaii]

We had a wonderful time in Tahiti.  Thanks for the help.

Here's some photos that I uploaded.

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjACXNv

 

[Leejnd4]

20 minutes ago, Dave in Hawaii said:

We had a wonderful time in Tahiti.  Thanks for the help.

Here's some photos that I uploaded.

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjACXNv

 

Nice shots! Can you share what you decided to do in each of the ports? Any other comments on your cruise? I haven't seen a recent review or trip report in ages! 

 

--editing to add--

 

Hmm, I just checked the reviews and sure enough there is one new one there for the PG, but unfortunately it's pretty bad! Specifically, the reviewer complained about the food. Can you share your thoughts? 

Edited May 17, 2023 by Leejnd4

[oakridger]

Thanks @Dave in Hawaii for the different and beautiful pictures!  I'm still considering a cruise to FP but if I do, I really want to stay and spend some time on land for a couple of weeks.  Possibly Moorea.  I've been on a couple cruises there so want to branch out a bit.  

 

~Nancy

[Dave in Hawaii]

Hi, 

 

The service on the PG was outstanding / top notch / blown away.  The food quality was very good to excellent.  There was a covid situation that was handled very professionally.  I work in healthcare and have a lot of experience in managing covid outbreaks and the ship did an excellent job.  My wife and I wore masks at times when in crowded indoor spaces once there was Covid and there were some other passengers that also wore masks but not a lot.  People were cool with the masks and it wasn't a political type issue.  We really enjoyed meeting some other really nice people.  The passengers were all nice and everyone seemed to get along.  I never saw anyone get upset or nasty.  

 

It was a great trip.  The Tahitian people are very sweet and loving.  

 

It's so similar to Hawaii that I'm not sure I'll be going back any time soon.  But I would like to visit again. It was our first cruise and I don't think we could have asked for anything more.  

 

All the excursions are recommend expect for two that I noted below.  

 

Huahine, Society Islands

Arrival 4/27/2023 at 8:00 AM  -  Departure 4/27/2023 at 5:00 PM

• Huahine Marc's Snorkeling tour
  Email: huahinenautique@mail.pf
• https://www.huahinenautique.com

 

Bora Bora, Society Islands

Arrival 4/28/2023 at 8:00 AM  

·      Half day with: https://boraborah2o.com/bora-bora-snorkeling-tours.html

·      AM departure pick up time is 8:45 am at the main dock.

 

APRIL 29, 2023  Bora Bora, Society Islands (depart at 4PM)

·      Half day with Herenui Teriitehau private boat tour. (Tamatoa excursion borabora)

I was looking forward to this but he cancelled the day before due to engine trouble.  

 

Rangiroa, Tuamotu Islands

• This island was skipped due to rough seas.

 

Fakarava, Tuamotu Islands

Arrival 5/1/2023 at 8:00 AM  -   Departure 5/1/2023 at 5:30 PM

·      Fakarava Ato Excursions- sent email to book for blue lagoon on 2-23  and 4/20

·      https://www.fakarava-divelodge.com/excursion-fakarava.html

The above guys never responded so we booked the e-bike tour.   This was a mistake.  The land area is too small, there's not much to see.  Much better to do something in the ocean.  

 

 (Motu Mahana) Taha'a Island, Society Islands

Arrival 5/3/2023 at 8:00 AM  -  Departure 5/3/2023 at 5:00 PM

·      Coral garden drift snorkeling   EXCURSION CODE: PFTAH57

 

Moorea, Society Islands

We did a PG arranged snorkel tour on Moorea which was good.  We also rented a car for both days and did our own thing.

 

We liked Moorea the best.  But, I would like to explore the main island of Tahiti more if we go back.  Moorea was not too big and not too small.

 

 

[Dave in Hawaii]

I just saw the comment about someone leaving a bad review for the food.  

 

My wife and I love delicious food and we were both impressed and happy with the food quality.  

 

Given we were on a boat I'd say the food was excellent.  I always enjoyed the breakfast.  We were usually away for lunch.  Dinner was always very good to excellent.  

 

Unfortunately I gained 10 pounds on the trip.  I've set a new lifetime personal weight record.  Thanks PG.  

[Leejnd4]

9 hours ago, Dave in Hawaii said:

I just saw the comment about someone leaving a bad review for the food.  

 

My wife and I love delicious food and we were both impressed and happy with the food quality.  

 

Given we were on a boat I'd say the food was excellent.  I always enjoyed the breakfast.  We were usually away for lunch.  Dinner was always very good to excellent.  

 

Unfortunately I gained 10 pounds on the trip.  I've set a new lifetime personal weight record.  Thanks PG.  

 

Well! I'm sure you're unhappy about that ten pounds, but it makes ME happy to know the food was that good! LOL! 😁

 

Thank you SOOO much for your detailed review! It's everything I remember from my PG cruises from years ago, but I wasn't sure how the Ponant ownership had changed things. Sounds like it's just as wonderful as I remember.

 

I'd love to hear more about your excursion with BoraBoraH2O. We're booked on that one as well. Biggest questions: how comfortable was the boat? And how challenging was the snorkeling? The reason I'm asking is that my friend is somewhat mobility challenged (she uses a cane). I'm going to be her helper, but we're hoping it's relatively easy and shallow so that we can manage it. 

 

Also the Moorea snorkel tour - was this the snorkel & bbq on motu? We're doing that one as well. How was it?

 

Thanks for telling us about Fakarava! We'd considered doing the ATV tour there, but it sounds like it's not worth it. I'm going diving in the morning, and then we will probably just check out the town and then relax on the ship for the afternoon.

 

I'm glad you had a wonderful time! And sorry for all the questions. 😀

[Dave in Hawaii]

I'd love to hear more about your excursion with BoraBoraH2O. 

Hi, it was 3 stops.  2 were in deep water and one was a shallow coral garden.  My wife stayed in the boat for the deep water.   They had a very nice boat.  There were only 6 of us on the tour.  Highly recommend them.  

 

• Also the Moorea snorkel tour - was this the snorkel & bbq on motu? We're doing that one as well. How was it?

It was good.  Food was not included.  The highlight was snorkeling with the sharks and rays.  That is shallow.  We saw the motu where everyone has lunch and swims.  Yours should be good.  

 

• Thanks for telling us about Fakarava! We'd considered doing the ATV tour there, 

Personally, I would book up the ocean activities.  There's not much to do on Fakarava.  

[Leejnd4]

44 minutes ago, Dave in Hawaii said:

 

I'd love to hear more about your excursion with BoraBoraH2O. 

Hi, it was 3 stops.  2 were in deep water and one was a shallow coral garden.  My wife stayed in the boat for the deep water.   They had a very nice boat.  There were only 6 of us on the tour.  Highly recommend them.  

 

• Also the Moorea snorkel tour - was this the snorkel & bbq on motu? We're doing that one as well. How was it?

It was good.  Food was not included.  The highlight was snorkeling with the sharks and rays.  That is shallow.  We saw the motu where everyone has lunch and swims.  Yours should be good.  

 

• Thanks for telling us about Fakarava! We'd considered doing the ATV tour there, 

Personally, I would book up the ocean activities.  There's not much to do on Fakarava.  

Once again thank you so much! Glad to hear there are shallow snorkel spots on both of those excursions. I suspect Sandy will stay on the boat for the deep water ones, and go in for the shallow ones. This is the BEST news!

[Dave in Hawaii]

Sure thing.

I'm curious why you don't sail your boat from Mexico to these areas?  

Take care,
Dave

[Leejnd4]

5 hours ago, Dave in Hawaii said:

Sure thing.

I'm curious why you don't sail your boat from Mexico to these areas?  

Take care,
Dave

Oh Dave. TRUST me, if we could we would. In fact we were going to! That was the plan when we left to go cruising in late 2019 - to spend two years cruising Mexico, then sail over to the Marquesas, and spend at least a year cruising the South Pacific before heading to Australia, where we planned to sell the boat and move back home to CA.

 

But then Covid hit, and the South Pacific shut down to all pleasure craft. We have friends who were half-way to the Marquesas when they shut down their ports, and they had to divert to Hawaii - and had a helluva time getting there.

 

So we've been kicking around the Mexican Pacific coast ever since...and recently the South Pacific fully re-opened. We know numerous boats who just made the leap, most having just arrived in Nuku Hiva or Hiva Oa, and several others still underway.

 

But we missed our window to do it ourselves, and now we can't go. 😟 Long story short: our agreed-upon plan has always been to cruise for five years (for various reasons I won't bore you with). But we just finished year 4, and now that FP has re-opened we only have one year of cruising left. That's just not enough time to cross over, properly cruise FP and the rest of the South Pacific, get to Australia, and get the boat sold. So...we will do our final year of cruising in Mexico then head home. And I will get my South Pacific fix by doing another PG cruise. 🙂

Edited May 19, 2023 by Leejnd4

[Dave in Hawaii]

Wow, sorry to hear that Covid screwed up your plans.  It's an easier hop over for people already in Hawaii.  Paul Gauguin will be fantastic and you can leave the sailing to others.  I was very impressed with the captain and crew.  Best wishes to you.

[Leejnd4]

12 hours ago, Dave in Hawaii said:

Wow, sorry to hear that Covid screwed up your plans.  It's an easier hop over for people already in Hawaii.  Paul Gauguin will be fantastic and you can leave the sailing to others.  I was very impressed with the captain and crew.  Best wishes to you.

 

We're certainly not the only people whose plans were screwed up by Covid, that's for sure! And we are among the luckier ones - we were able to ride out most of the pandemic aboard our sailboat, avoiding a lot of contact with people while enjoying the pleasures of coastal cruising. So I have no place to complain!

 

Thanks again for all of your details about your cruise. If you are up for it, post a review in the PG reviews section, for people like me who are jonesing to read anything and everything in anticipation! 😉