Waiting for wives with Nitidus

Waiting in Polynesia for Ann and Julia


Because we could not make landfall in the Marquesas, as was explained in the posts about the voyage, we arrived in Tahiti 2 or 3 weeks ahead of the time we expected. So we had almost a month to wait before Ann arrived on the 21 January and Julia a few days later. When Ann arrived it had been agreed that I would leave the boat and go on with Ann. The others would spend time on the boat with Julia and when she lef,t take the boat back to Hawaii. Until then however there was the whole of French Polynesia to explore if we wanted to. This post records the time we spent in Tahiti, Moorea, Riatea, and Bora Bora

Christmas Day and Boxing Day
                                             Not a lot happened on Christmas Day, however we found the market which was open,and we bought eggs and fresh bread and fruit and all sorts of goodies for celebratory breakfast. I opened my presents and shared the chocolate which I got from Sierra and Ashbury with everyone else so it was a bit like Christmas.
 I then investigated the bag with my good clothes which had been stored in the forepeak and which I thought had survived the inundations of the voyage. Alas I was wrong and the mould  had started on lots of my clothes so Christmas Day turned into a major dhobi day on the pontoon. I managed to save most things and of course the T-shirts which were completely expendable were untouched whilst the good clothes were affected.
Kosta went off to try to book-in more in hope than expectation, and so it proved .
The harbour area of Papette is lovely, there are moorings and  promenades and gardens and play areas for children and canoe clubs and the whole area is pretty and well maintained. However once you leave the front the rest of the town is decidedly tatty and down at heel.

No-one is doing very much except sorting out their possessions, fiddling with the boat moorings and sitting in cafes drinking the odd beer and last but not least, dodging the rain which comes frequently and heavy.

27 December 2011  Papette
                                          Yesterday I declared my intention to go for a hike to the Tauana waterfall unless there was a job that needed doing. I got 2 jobs but finished them both that evening so after breakfast I left. The guide book said to get an entry permit from the Mayors Office. 'No permits, route closed because of rain', but I decided to have a look anyway. The bus driver assured me that he went to Titioro, the start of the route, but in fact he dropped me at the end of the road to Titioro so I had 4-5 kms to hike before the start. It was not an auspicious beginning. The route starts as a track from Bain Loti, a pool in the river where children swim, though there were none when I went out. It wanders beside the offices and workshops of the municipal water company, and then out through tropical rain forest at the bottom of a steep narrow valley. There were avocados and mangoes growing wild so I picked some to supplement my sandwich and pineapple lunch. The track was easy walking for about an hour, and then it turned into a footpath which got more and more difficult to follow as it progressed deeper into the valley. There were hand ropes on a few exposed sections but the important ones at the numerous river crossings had been removed. Underfoot was slippery and treacherous with smooth basalt, mud and tree roots; and apart from the various exotic flowers the scenery was decidedly green!

This was typical of the path

The drops of water on the Hibiscus were there all day

About 2 hours from the start of the track I got to bottom of the falls which were very impressive. They were a single drop of about 600ft into a cirque of overhanging basalt cliffs and ending in a black, black pool.

A greatly fore-shortened view of the falls

I sat a little way back from the falls to eat my lunch, I basked in the sun and dried myself from the effects of the  mornings' frequent tropical downpours. However the spindrift from the falls would sometimes wash over me in a cooling caress. It was lovely and I was utterly alone and quiet, a joy after the close confines of the boat and the noise of Papette.

 Eventually I stirred myself and retraced the path back to the end of the track, and here a bridge crossed the river and a footpath led up the hill to an old fort above the top of the falls. On the way up I was passed by a couple of young French lads who insisted on shaking my hand as they passed. I caught up with them at a viewpoint where we were joined by a brother of one of the lads and his dishy girlfriend. Whilst we were looking at the waterfall a Tahitian hunter with 5 dogs and a shotgun covered in tattoos/chasing came down the track and passed us without a word! Then it was on and up the path to the fort. At the fort I carried straight on on the path but it eventually got narrower and narrower and more indistinct around the river, so I decided to retrace my steps to the fort.   At the fort I found another path by a wall which teetered over a ravine and then dropped steeply over wet rocks and tree roots, with a fixed rope for security to the river at the top of the falls. Here there were two basalt pools complete with entry water slides. The first was cavernous with a sprinkler tributary from its' roof; and the second ended in what can only be described as an 'infinity pool' at the head  of the waterfall. My 'friends' were already swimming so I stripped down to my knickers and joined them.

The swish down the water-slide and the swim across to the top of the waterfall and the view out into space was FANTASTIC.
  I dried in a patch of sun, ate the last of my pineapple and then headed down. it was an uneventful descent of about  an hour and a half. At Bain Loti the children were in full swim and greatly enjoying themselves. It was 4.55pm and I asked about the bus back to Papette. 'Last bus 5pm, probably gone. But don't worry my son will take you on his scooter' Amazing generosity. On the way we passed the bus on it's way up but 'the son' insisted on continuing. he dropped me at the market and refused any recompense. It was a wonderful end to the excursion.
 Chow Mein and 2 beers for supper and asleep by 2100hrs!

28 December 2011  Papette

A pirogue at Point Venus

         Genady and Kosta decided to do the walk I did yesterday. They declined advice on the route as they wanted to find it for themselves. I was left to sort out how to get gas and buy a padlock as they had failed to complete these tasks yesterday, when they had a frustrating time. By contrast I had a charmed run and completed both jobs by 0930hrs so I wandered back to the boat to be fed an enormous brunch by Sergiy.After this I took off on a local public bus, with much assistance from, and amusement for, the local populus. I headed to Point Venus. This is where Capt Cook was sent to by the Royal Society in order to observe the transit of Venus across the Sun. The timing of which was used to determine the orbital radius of the earth. It was a pleasant enough place with grey sand  and the only lighthouse on Tahiti, and fine views across the lagoon to the reef and motus(little desert islands on the reef).
  I dodged the rain and then walked back to the road and past a fabrication plant making today's sporty version of the traditional outrigger.

I then turned towards the mountains through a village of shacks and bungalows by a river. Kids and dogs and friendliness everywhere. there were bananas and mangoes in all the gardens and flowers in profusion. I was tired after yesterday and the afternoon was hot so I turned back after a couple of miles. At the main road was a bus stop with a seat in the sun and I think I slept though the first bus, but caught the second and got back to the boat just before the hikers.They had had a good day but failed to find the pools at the top of the fall which I considered the highlight of my trip.

29 December 2011  Papette
                                            Sergiy and Kosta found that the housing of the Hydrovane shaft had been bent. How and when this happened we have no idea but it must have been before it was dismantled at the end of day 3 or 4. Emails to Hydrovane were not particularly helpful so we went ahead and mounted the thing anyway! The housing holds bushes top and  bottom to act as bearings for the shaft which turns the rudder to rotate in. The bend in the housing has affected the orientation of the bushes and consequently the shaft is stiff to rotate. Sergiy mounted it 'back to front' saying if it bends again at least it will bend it straight!
I did a bit of shopping and tried to plan out Ann's visit on a calendar. I went looking for a West coast beach to swim from and on the advice of the tourist office ended up outside Sofitel and looked out at 30-40 yachts over-wintering in the bay behind the reef. I swam off the beach and watched a family of Tahitians fishing with as little success as we generally achieve. The view across to Moorea was fine even though the mountains of Moorea, like those of Tahiti, were wreathed in cloud. Today we have had very little rain which is unusual.

30 December 2011  Papette
                                          We awoke to heavy rain and thunderstorms. Kosta went for the weather and says that there should be a break in a couple of days, so we have decided to stay a bit longer. I said I was going to see the Arahoaho Blowhole. Kosta and Genady said they wanted to come too, so I went off to get the info from the tourist office. Eventually the others appeared and we all waited for the bus and watched the people going by. The bus takes the road along the NE coast and passes many surfing beaches all of which were busy. The blowholes were interesting and the force of air driven out and sucked back in was impressive.

We watched the waves breaking and the surfers riding in to the beach, and then we walked up to the triple falls a short distance down the road. The road was lined with the usual mixture of smart bungalows and shacks and exotic vegetation with kids and dogs always in evidence. The falls were impressive but not on the scale of a couple of days ago. They were about 3-400ft of cascades but there were 3 waterfalls around the end of the canyon. The paths had all been prepared and there were warning and prohibition notices in many places. Not at all like the first trip. After buying some papaya we returned to the blowhole to watch the surfers again, to eat our spoils and wait for the bus. Looking in to the interior from the bus  during the ride back to Papette I was impressed by just how thin is the coastal strip of development and how wild the forested canyons and passes actually are.


This was to be our last day in Papette as we sailed the next day. I will continue  that story in another post.