Before I get Popeete, I want to tell you about a fun outing we had several days ago.  On January 25th there was an unusual planet alignment of 6 planets.  The ship had anyone interested go up to the “Retreat” area of the ship, 11th floor forward.  They turned off most of the lights on the ship and you could see the stars majestically.  They had a historical astronomer as a part of the ship’s cruise and she talked about how the ships long ago navigated and what they looked for.  There were many constellations that we cannot see from Georgia and the sky was cloudless.  I found an app that you can point it at the sky and it outlines the constellations for you.  Now no more guesswork as to what you are looking at.

A daily show that we like to take in is the string quartet. Three fabulous musicians that play wonderfuly together. The violinist and Piano are married but we didn’t find that out until the cruise director talk with the 3 of them. They all have very interesting backgrounds.

The next night, we had a gorgeous sunset.  One of Nana and my favorite parts of the being on a ship is seeing the sunrises and sunsets which are spectacular.

Two days ago we arrived into Papeete, French Polynesia.  Papeete, the capital city of French Polynesia, which is located on the island of Tahiti. Its history is deeply rooted in Polynesian culture and shaped by European exploration, colonization, and modern development.  Tahiti, including the area now known as Papeete, was settled by Polynesians around 500 AD. The island became a key part of Polynesia’s vibrant culture, with strong oral traditions, navigational expertise, and a hierarchical society led by chiefs.  The French Catholic missionaries established a significant presence in Tahiti in the early 19th century. They began influencing local politics, customs, and religion, leading to changes in traditional Polynesian society.  In 1842, France declared Tahiti a protectorate, which was formalized as a colony in 1880. During this time, Papeete became the administrative center of the French colonial government.The 1960s brought significant changes with the establishment of French nuclear testing in the region. This led to an influx of funding and increased urbanization, particularly in Papeete. Papeete has became a melting pot of cultures as people from neighboring islands, Europe, and Asia settled there, seeking economic opportunities.

We waked around the city in the morning enjoying the shops and taking in the city.  Nana especially liked the fish market.  We had a sunset sailboat cruise scheduled but the seas were too rough and it was cancelled. 

Yesterday we head to Bahia d Opunoha, Moorea   We took a catamaran sail on a leisurely two-hour cruise along Tahiti’s coastline.  We were on a 53’ catamaran and the wind was 25-30 knots.  Papa was glad he was not sailing in his J24 with it that windy.  Nana (and Papa) did Nana’s favorite activity snorkeling and swimming. Nothing like snorkeling off of a catamaran sailboat. The waters were clear, warm (84 degrees) but a little choppy.  A very majestic island.  During our sailboat ride (under sails) we circled our ship, it was a great way to see the ship from the water.

Today we arrived into Uturoa, Raitatea, another island a part of the French Polynesian Islands and very close to the previous two stops.  Today was a a kayak adventure on the Faaroa River.  We discovered the pristine natural beauty of Raiatea  we began in the fjord-like inlet of Raiatea known as the Faaroa Gorge. We continued up the scenic Faaroa River, where the steep riverbanks are clad in lush jungle foliage and are home to a diverse range of bird species. Wild hibiscus (purau) trees are found along the sheer cliffs at the edge of the rain forest.  Nana enjoyed learning about the trees, the flowers and the animals we saw along our trip.  Our guide was worried about us paddling under coconut trees.  Apparently there were 2 people killed recently from falling coconuts.  We also had to avoid bee and wasp nests but our guide was there to point them out and no issues avoiding them.  

Tomorrow is a sea day and the next day we head to Rorotanga, Cook Island.