kiwiland

Hello all! Ok, so I have a lot of explaining to do. First off though, I want to tell some more stories from French Polynesia. When I last left off, I had just brought you all on my journey to Huahine. Huahine was perhaps my favorite place in the Society Islands. We were in an anchorage with many other boats in about 15 feet of clear blue water with sandy bottom; coral heads and the fishies living in them were easily visible.

the anchorage

 The first order of business was, of course, find a store at which to buy beer. We couldn't believe our luck when we walked into the store; it was huge! More like a regular supermarket, and much more decently priced. Soon, after obtaining our necessities, we heard rumor of a bar on the waterfront by the quay where the happy hour was cheap. We found ourselves amidst many other cruisers and enjoyed the evening immensely watching the sun go down and enjoying cold Hinano on tap. I even saw a friend that I met on Moorea!

just another sunset in paradise

John from Moorea

           

nom

 I didn't enjoy Huahine solely for the cheap booze though. The next few days were full of snorkeling, and surfing (by the boys not by me; the reef break is much too dangerous for a beginner, but I heard it was quite epic and I intend to return someday when I'm a pro-surfer...right). We also made a point of putting the spear gun and sling to use and getting some yummy squirrel fish for dinner. I myself didn't get any fish; my hunter instinct didn't really kick in, not to mention I lost a flipper during one windy night in Moorea, so that made things a little difficult. The boys got a few fish though, more and more each night. Taylor, Connor and Mat from s/v Gypsy Blues got a grand total of 15 fish over three days! They weren't the biggest, but that's really a huge achievement because those fish are quite quick to dive back into their coral homes when we got close.

mmmm fish guts

We decided to get off the boat the next day and go walk around the island a bit. There are quite a few interesting archaeological sites on Huahine. There are about twenty ancient Polynesian ruins that are called Marae; used for many important ceremonies and events; including human sacrifices and human dinners. Damn cannibals. They don't look like much in the pictures, but they were actually quite interesting. 

These sites were quite a few kilometers away from the quay where we parked the dinghy, so Mat, Taylor, Connor and I had to hitchhike to them. We got separated during the hitching process, so Connor and I wandered amidst the Marae, and soon found ourselves at a locals house that sold ice cream out of their house next to their art gallery. Naturally, both of us having big sweet tooths, we had to stop and we enjoyed cookies and cream with a local guy name He'are. We were soon invited to a bbq at his house the next night with his American girlfriend and some of their French and Polynesian friends.

if you're going to be eaten, I suppose there are worst places for it to happen

a marae Connor and I found on a short hike

 An invitation to a bbq seems to be a pretty thing to get when you're cruising around these islands. We came back the next night with nine freshly speared squirrel fish, a large fruit salad, and fresh baked cookies (by yours truly). We enjoyed a night with hew friends in He'are's self built home, attempting to play a traditional Polynesian instrument made from a tree trunk, drinking Hinano, and bbqing fish. Pretty enjoyable.

bbq made from coconut husks

ice cream shop aka He'are's house

fish cleaning

Connor being musical

approaching Raiate'a

Soon we were off to Raiatea. Only a half day sail away. We were there for two days, but it wasn't super exciting so we left for Taha'a after we searched in vain to find one of the world's rarest flowers. In Taha'a we did some more walking around and general hanging out, before we found a beautiful place to snorkel where I proceeded to snorkel with one flipper. Not the easiest thing to do when you're inches above pokey sea urchin, but I made it work.

I'm convinced this is the motu Captain Jack Sparrow was stranded on

In Taha'a, the decision was made to head back to Raiatea where I could get off the boat. I hopped on a flight to Papeete, where I stayed for two nights at Chez Fifi, a wonderful hostel right by the airport.

breakfast table & lounge at Chez Fifi

last Tahitian sunset...for now

I hopped on another flight, and here I am now, in Auckland! Kiwiland! I couldn't be more excited. Though it's still winter here...my wardrobe wasn't really ready to be here this early, but it's ok. It feels more like a Seattle Autumn than a winter so I think I can handle it.