We arrived at Denarau Marine in the early afternoon, very nice place with shops and restaurants right on our door step.
Here is the Denarau Yacht club with a great restaurant overlooking the marine.
While waiting for family and friends to join us from New Zealand we managed to get some maintenance and cleaning done on Kapowai ready for party time.
Finally done with paperwork, we had a few days to ourselves and then it was time to leave Suva and head up the coast. We left at some unearthly hour of the morning but luckily my job was to lift the anchor, and using a very powerful torch, look out for all the fishing boats that were anchored all around us. Once we were into the main passage I got my head back down for a couple of hours.
Awake again I was treated to the Fiji coast.
With the odd wreck of something on the way.
And some places we may stop off at in the future.
Sorry its been awhile since I have posted, I’m finding it very hard to get motivated with the lack of energy I have.
Time for a leisurely walk along the water edge, check out the shops and stop for a drink and some lunch.
Streets are so clean, people friendly.
So close to the sea always makes it better.
Could look out to sea all day.
Trader Jacks for lunch.
And of course with a view.
Even the birds were chilling.
A great couple of days spent here, I promise I will be back.
Sad to leave Rarotonga, but what a good-bye.
Next stop Fiji.
Feeling a lot better after a relaxing 3 day voyage we arrive at Rarotonga, Wow what a difference compared to Tahiti, clean, friendly and not French (Just my opinion).
Lush and very inviting.
Kapowai berthed, time to explore.
First sign I come across and a reminder of the dangers of living so close to the waters edge. I wonder if there is a bar.
Here is one of the local buses, there is only two bus routes, can you guess what the other one is?
An absolutely stunning place, more photos next time.
We did an overnight trip to Tahiti and arrived around ten in the morning, unfortunately I picked up some sort of virus which really knocked me for six and I didn’t leave Kapowai for a few days, apparently I didn’t miss much, we were berthed close to a main road and the town was pretty dismal. Later we moved down the coast to a nicer mariner passing these guys on the way, actual they passed us.
Passing the end of the runway, we didn’t time it right and have a plane land right over our heads.
Some nice looking holiday huts, I bet they don’t say how close to the runway they are in the glossy brochure.
I think we did a bit of shopping and had a nice meal but I really can’t remember much of Tahiti, I know we fuelled up and headed out to open water again, passing this nice looking island, I think it was Moorea.
Next stop Rarotonga.
Six days and nights of pretty calm sailing and we arrived at Vaitape, the largest city Bora Bora, first impressions were good.
After visiting customs at the local police station we had a look around town, 15 minutes later we stopped for lunch, tour complete.
One street, a market and the normal visitors tat shops, don’t get me wrong! it’s a loverly place, but I can imagine the tourist keep to the 5 star resorts.
The brightest shop.
So what else to do in Bora Bora, back to Kapowai for a large G&T i think.
Vaitape is the largest city of island Bora Bora in French Polynesia. It has a population of 4,927, about half of the island’s population which is about 9,000. It is located about 130 mi (210 km) northwest of Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia. The main language of Vaitape is French, although 20 percent of the population speaks Tahitian.
The area was first settled by early Polynesians who arrived on canoes during the 4th century. The early Polynesians built grass huts and hunted fish with spears and sticks. The Tahitians lost the French Tahitian War making Tahiti and all the other islands belong to France. During the California Gold Rush, many people left Vaitape in search for gold. By the 1900s the population of the area had grown significantly, and during World War II it served as a military supply base, and it had an oil depot, an airstrip, and a seaplane base.
It wasn’t really boxing day, but we were leaving Christmas Island and it felt like it, it was a great place to visit, friendly people and the food was stunning, but it was time to leave, we were sad to leave, so it sort of had that feeling of boxing day.
We pulled anchor and turned south, we got our day back we had lost and for the next couple of miles had our own farewell feathered entourage.
Next stop Bora Bora.
We arrived at the hotel and saw the safe delivery of bedding, this is one of the new rooms at the hotel for which said bedding is for.
Rest of the hotel.
A small walk through the grounds and a sign of other guests.
And onto a great view of the lagoon in the centre of the island, apparently one of the best places in the world to snorkel.
We left the hotel for a quick tour of the island, not really a lot to see except coconut tree’s or palm’s, botanically it is a Drupe not a nut.
Some of the local transportation. I can see why as it was very very hot.
Local wildlife.
Once checked in at the marine office it was time to explore, 10 minutes later that was complete, there wasn’t a lot around, the marine itself was very nice, new and with good facilities, but a long way from anywhere, ok if you had a car.
Talking of cars, I found this beauty in the car park.
Further around the bay were four very nice resorts, each with it’s own lagoon.
These we could swim in, but not the hotel pools, they were for guests only. This is the one I would sneak into.
Later that first night Sean and I went out for a meal, found a bar with a view, watched the canoes go by with a cold beer.
Later that night the rain started, it was a downpour like I had never seen before, the barman gave us a poncho each for the walk back to Kapowai, these didn’t make a bit of difference, I found out why the following morning when I found them in my pocket still in their wrapper. Half way back to the boat I remember taking off my Jandals (flip flops) because they were too slippery, as soon as I got them off I ended up on my ar$e, yeah my bare feet were no match for this rain.
This was the scene the following day, just as well as we didn’t feel much like venturing out.
After 11 days at sea we finally arrived in Hawaii, it was a pleasant trip, I was a bit sea sick for a couple of days out of San Diego but soon got my sea legs.
There was not a lot to see on the way, very little wild life, one ship and a large steel pipe floating vertically out of the water, unfortunately I was off shift and didn’t get a photo.
Honolulu in the distance, looks a bit stormy, still a nice sight after days at sea.
We sailed past Honolulu, past one airport, past another airport until we found our marina, it was a very nice marina but a long way from anywhere.
Kapowai at berth.
A long walk to dry land, but after only having 60 odd feet to walk around in this was very nice.
The walk was worth it.
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