Hello again!
It was time for us to start island-hopping around Polynesia. Travel between Polynesian islands is largely by plane so we bought a pass that allowed us to hop from one island to the next. The Taha'a airport was very simple and we shared the basic cafe there with chickens and roosters!
We boarded our plane and were ready for the famous view of Bora Bora from the sky but sadly, we picked the wrong side of the plane. Luckily we had met a young Italian couple and they took photos for us.
Oh my - what a place Bora Bora is! If ever you've envisioned being stranded on a tropical island, this is the place you were dreaming of - crystal clear waters full of colourful fish and tiny islands dotted with palm trees. Life is laid back and pretty wonderful!
Sadly though, John came down with a heavy cold after his dive in Taha'a. He spent most of our three days in Bora Bora tucked up inside with Netflix and watching the Tigers, John's football team, win again, in an attempt to get better so he could dive again. We did manage to get in a couple of lovely meals though. Helen and John (John's sister and her hubby) came to this island a while ago and told us to eat at the Yacht Club, which we did. We got a table out on a jetty over the water and had a lovely evening there.
Over the next couple of days I went on two snorkelling trips while John stayed in our room. I tried not to look too excited about what I'd seen and done but the trips really were amazing! (Sorry John!)
The first trip was a bit strange. The only paying guests were a French couple and myself. The French woman spoke great English and was good fun and we got on well. The other people on the boat were local friends and family of the boat owner, just enjoying a day out. At first it seemed weird but I soon realised that we were getting a lot more of an understanding of the local culture this way.
First stop was where we were told to expect to see reef sharks and lemon sharks. I've never seen lemon sharks before. We pulled up at a spot marked with a few bouys and in the crystal clear water we could see heaps of reef sharks without even getting out of the boat! Any hopes I had of maintaining a natural environment for the sharks were quickly dispelled though when our captain, along with people on the other boats that had pulled up, started feeding out fish to attract the sharks. Anyway, we jumped in and it was incredible!
Far below us, a separate shark swam around. It was larger and fatter than the reef sharks. I realised it must be a lemon shark.
After a while it suddenly rose closer to us, hoping to get in on the free feed action.
Around the boat swarmed heaps of black triggerfish, waiting for their share of the scraps. To my horror, the local woman on our boat threw a fishing line over the edge and hauled in triggerfish after triggerfish. It seems to be cheating to catch fish that are there because they get fed and will bite at anything that's thrown to them.
The next stop was where we would expect to see stingrays. Again, there were three or four boats there and everyone fed the rays. The rays would come so close that sometimes the boy feeding them had to push them away. They were almost aggressive. It was amazing to see so many rays so close but the artificial environment was disappointing.
There were also heaps of reef sharks here.
Next stop was the "coral garden" where a few feeble patches of coral were swarmed by boatloads of tourists. Agan, they fed the small fish and the sight of hundreds of small fish swarming around us was pretty amazing.
Thankfully, we then left the well-worn boat trail and our captain took us to a spot that only he knew about. The sand here was like fine clay and we used it like a body scrub. Cool!
The last stop was our captain's own little island where he lived. It was like something you'd imagine being on if you were Robinson Crusoe. Coconut palms protected thatch-roofed huts and the azure waters sparkled in the sun. It was incredible! We ate fruit while the local lady prepared her triggerfish nearby. She then waded through the shallow water to the next island, where she lived, with the fish fillets neatly arranged on a coconut frond. It was all so picture perfect (if you like eating fish!)
Our captain lived on this island with his three dogs. One of these dogs then accompanied us back to town. It stood on the front of the boat and barked every time it saw a stingray in the water!
That night we had a lovely dinner at a nearby restaurant. I was quite smitten with the flower arrangement in my cocktail!
The next day I headed out again, joining a trip that specialised in visiting manta rays. The French couple joined me and there were other French and American couples on the boat. This trip was much more professional and, with one exception, was much better at not disturbing the environment.
Heiva was still going so our captain started our trip by taking us to where the canoe races were happening. We had seen locals practicing for this. Although this is a very traditional race, the traditional boats have been replaced with modern canoes, although they have outriggers attached like the traditional boats have. The men were working hard. There was a separate race for women and one for children.
We stopped at another 'coral garden' which was much bettter that the overrun one yesterday. Again, the fish were amazing and the water was crystal clear.
I wandered off and found a school of eagle rays! They were a long way down though so the photos aren't very clear.
The young captain knew exactly where animals lived and showed us an enormous moray eel. It was obviously used to being fed as the captain could pat it. Man, it's ugly!
After a while it had had enough of us and it left its hole and swam to another spot. I've never seen a moray out of its hole before.
Again, the fish were very friendly. Even though we weren't feeding them, other boats must do so.
We then went to a sandy area where eagle rays are known to hang out. We soon found them and jumped in. Again, they were a fair way down. I tried to count them and estimated there were between 80 and 90 in the main group with another dozen or so scattered around. Amazing! I love the way they look like butterflies as they slowly flap their way across the ocean floor.
For some reason the next couple of videos don't seem to have loaded properly. This seems to happen sometimes on this blog.
We had another stop at a coral reef where I saw a huge school of butterfly fish. After that, our captain tried to prise an octopus out of its hole. I think he got the message that we didn't want him to.
Finally it was time to go to the spot where manta rays hang out to get parasites cleaned by cleaner wrasses. It would be pot luck if there would be any there. We jumped in and found one manta circling slowly beneath us. It was only a 'baby' - about 1.5 metres across, but I was rapt to finally see one.
We then pulled up in a shallow bay and ate fruit and home-made coconut cake. Our captain loved having his photo taken!
We were taken around the whole lagoon. The setting of some of the resorts with over-water bungalows was spectacular.
The colour of the water in some parts of the lagoon is truly astonishing. It really was 50 shades of blue!
Bora Bora is one of the most touristy islands on Polynesia and I hadn't expected to like it much for that reason, but it was really wonderful! It didn't seem overrun with tourists although that was probably helped by the fact that we stayed in an apartment in the main town, not at a resort.
There was dancing and singing in the town each night for Heiva but I was too tired at the end of each day to go all the way to where the performers were. We could certainly hear them though! I did see a percussion group practicing one day. They were fantastic!
Our last morning was a Sunday and we were staying next to the Mormon church. Apparently the Mormons are big around here. It was strange seeing local men wearing white shirts and ties. They started to sing and, to our dismay, they sang English-style hymns. The songs sounded just as dreary as they do at home. If only they could sing local music - it's so much better!
Til next time,
Heather
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