Quad biking in Bora Bora

Today we went quad biking.  We were picked up from our hotel at 8 a.m. by Mo and crawled onto benches in the back of a pick up truck.  

We made one stop to pick up more tourists, all of whom were from the cruise ships we saw in the lagoon today.  Some of them were going jet skiing.  First we had to put on lunch lady hair nets.

Then we were given helmets and assigned a quad bike.

We were glad we got Mo for our guide today.  There were five quads and eight people on our tour.  Gayle was our driver and I rode on the back.  Gayle drives a UTV around her farm.  I knew I was in safe hands.

Mo directed that we (the two old ladies) would be the bike behind him.  There was a couple in their fifties, a French guy whose sole purpose was to get out his drone at every stop, and a young couple for whom the whole day was about getting Instagram worthy photos of her jogging down hills and other such nonsense.  

Our first stop was up a very steep hill where we could see down to both sides of the lagoon.  

I thought that was an exciting ride until our next stop, which took us up a very steep, dirt, muddy road where we could see out to two of the American cannons placed here doing WWII and thankfully never used. The view above us toward the highest peak in Bora Bora was lovely.  Actually, every view here is lovely.

We rode along the major road (much of it next to the water) at 50 kph for much of the journey.

Our last stop was up a treacherous muddy road.  Gayle was having a blast.  I was white knuckled, trying not to pitch over the top of her and trying not to squeal.  The plan had been for me to drive half of the way but there was absolutely no way I would have been courageous enough.  This road confirmed for me that Gayle had to do the driving. We were definitely going through a jungle, ducking under branches and hitting them on the sides.  I would love to have taken a photo or a video but I knew if I took out my phone it would fly from my hands.  When we got to the top of the hill we stopped beside two American cannons.  

Mo talked about why the American military stationed people here during WWII, what advances they brought to the island, and why there are now some blue-eyed Polynesians with American last names.  Then he cut us up some grapefruit, unwrapped some coconut bread and gave us mango juice.  Gayle spent every stop taking photos of flowers and plants to identify later.

Before we left this spot I asked Mo if the ride down would be as treacherous as the ride up had been.  He said, “It will be easy for me.”  It wasn’t easy for me.  Gayle went slow to ease my unease but the road was definitely tricky.  We turned in our helmets and quad bikes, got back in the truck with Mo so he could deliver us back to our hotel.  We were sticky, sweaty, dehydrated and just plan hot.  We stripped off our clothes, put on our bathing suits and slipped into the lagoon to cool down and perhaps do a bit of snorkeling.  Again the wind came up while we were trying to snorkel.  We gave up and got out, disappointed but refreshed.

We made reservations for dinner tonight here at the resort for their buffet and Polynesian dance show.  We were hoping for Polynesian barbecue.  It was a large array of food but the most astounding part of the buffet was the dessert section.  We ate our savory food quickly and moved on to the dessert extravaganza.  

Right as we finished the drummers, ukulele player and singer got into place.  

There were five women and four men danced for 45 minutes, with multiple costume changes.

Before it began, Gayle asked if we could figure out how to get the wheelchair out of the restaurant after the performance began.  She was sure she wasn’t going to want to stay for the duration.  But we made it through to the end and with smiles on our faces.  I said I wasn’t going to dream tonight of gun-wielding men in tuxedos trying to break into our room.  I was going to dream of Polynesian men dancing.

It only gets better and better in Bora Bora

We left the curtains open in our bedroom last night so we could see the sunrise.  I slept through it but I did wake up in time to see the canoe coming with our breakfast.

The breakfast was lavish…enough for six people.  We weren’t quite awake yet, and our stomachs definitely weren’t awake.  Bu we did manage to eat some eggs, fruit and bacon.  We saved the pastries and yogurt for our lunch.  

We got on our swimsuits and hats and stuffed a bag full of all the essentials needed for a day on the water. I pushed Gayle down to the dock to wait for our captain to arrive for our 3 hour private snorkeling experience.  You can tell it was windy.

We were early and so was our boat.  We climbed onto the front of the boat and set off for our adventure.

Jean, our captain, took us out to see stingrays and sharks.

When he suggested that we should get on snorkeling gear and go out to enjoy them, neither one of us was keen on the idea.  Jean assured us that he had never seen a shark eat a person here.  We said we would just watch them from the boat.  There were lots of them.

When other boats arrived and all of their tourists got off to swim/walk among the sharks and stingrays, I decided I was brave enough.  When I came back to the boat I convinced Gayle she was brave enough so she went in.

Here she is with a shark swimming by her.  

We were both exhilarated by the experience….and pretty proud of ourselves.  But I had a hard time hauling myself back into the boat.  So when Jean suggested we dive into deeper water and peer down at the eagle rays, which can be as large as 16 ft long and have a 23 ft wingspan.  I didn’t want to have Jean have to lift me back into the boat so soon.  So we headed to the north side of the island to the coral garden.  Again we crawled onto the front of the boat and soaked up the sun and the scenery.

Jean warned us not to touch the coral and that swimming through the coral garden is like a maze.   We jumped off the boat (my jump was more like a stumble) and eagerly set off to see fish.  It was wondrous.  The place was alive with color:  clams with teal and purple mouths, red fish, blue fish, yellow fish, pink fish, spotted fish, striped fish…you name it.  It was a maze and we had to be careful where we swam in order not to brush the coral.  Jean came out to join us and lead us back to the boat…and then he hefted me back inside.  We got back on the front of the boat

and took a tour back around the other side of the island, past the motu resorts, private islands, catamarans full of tourists and sailboats in the distance.

We could see that rain was probably headed our way again this afternoon.

We pulled back to the dock of our hotel absolutely sated with adventure and beauty.  Back in our bungalow we got out our breakfast leftovers and snacked.  Gayle can’t stop smiling here on Bora Bora.

We put on our snorkeling gear and climbed down the ladder of our bungalow to see the fish under our glass coffee table.  But the winds came up suddenly making it very difficult to swim around.  We gave up quickly and by the time we got to the ladder to climb out it was raining.  I am glad we are having our adventures in the morning because it seems like wind and rain are a regular afternoon occurrence.  We cleaned up, took naps and got ready for our dinner reservation at La Villa Mahana.  Just before sunset we walked across the street from where we are staying to the only public beach on Bora Bora, Matira Beach.  It is known as the place to watch the sun go down.

We arrived at La Villa Mahana by taxi with two other couples from our hotel.  The restaurant is very small.  There were only five tables (10 people) for dinner and one seating. It feels like you are entering someone’s home or having an intimate dinner in a a small art gallery.  When I researched where to eat in Bora Bora this restaurant was on every list.  You have to get a reservation months in advance and so we did.  Chef Damien has an incredible culinary history.  He married a Tahitian woman and together they have created this restaurant.  A message in the menu from the chef tells how he feels about food.  He writes, “In the way that spices bridge countless cultures, so they open us up to the world, not masking the products but instead sublimating them.”

There were three different tasting menus.  Gayle went with the vegetarian menu:  tart of goat cheese and baby artichoke hearts (she wanted to lick her plate), mashed potatoes with bananas and mango sauce, asparagus and truffle risotto with mango sorbet for dessert.  I had the “exotique” choice:  seared ahi on a mixed green salad with edible flower petals and a lime dressing (beyond amazing), mahi mahi curry on the same mashed potato magic that Gayle had, beef tenderloin with gnocchi, and banana flambé.  Everything was exquisite.  The table service was perfectly timed and every dish was served with elegance.  As we ate a soundtrack of music played, everything from Frank Sinatra to Elvis to opera to classical to weeping violins to Ray Charles. At the end of the meal we were brought a guest book in which we could write about our experience at Villa Mahana.  I wept as I wrote about my gratitude for the flavors, colors and music…so grateful to have survived a double mastectomy and to be having this wonderful adventure in Bora Bora with my sister.

As we walked back to our bungalow with our leftover bread (sourdough and coconut bread) from the restaurant in our hands Gayle kept repeating, “What a perfect day!”

I am in heaven

I had bad dreams last night.  I dreamt that men in tuxedos (with guns) were trying to break into our room.  I guess I must have felt uncomfortable with the fact that we slept with our sliding glass door open.  The birds in the palm trees outside our open door woke me up this morning to just how beautiful it is here.

We have a 10 a.m. flight this morning with an 8:40 a.m. pick up time from our hotel.  It is too bad we couldn’t have stayed here another day.  We spent only 8 hours in this lovely hotel.  The breakfast buffet was like nothing I have ever experienced before.  It had all the foods that would be traditional to me but also fondue, full salad bar, fried fish, taro root, and more, as well as options like bacon or well-cooked bacon.  

We had researched which side of the plane to sit on to get the best view of Bora Bora. We flew Air Tahiti and unless you pay for a priority ticket you choose your seat when you get on the plane.  I convinced Gayle that she should get wheelchair assistance, which she hates but this is an airport in which you have to walk out a bit of a distance to the plane and then climb a set of stairs.  Because she had a wheelchair we boarded the plane right after the priority people.  However, our seats were chosen for us, the very back of the plane near the rear exit…and on the left side.  We were excited that we would get a good view.  As we came close to Bora Bora we snapped dozens of photos.

Only it turned out not to be Bora Bora and the people with the stunning aerial view of Bora Bora were on the right side of the plane.  We laughed at ourselves for a long time.  As we got off the plane in Bora Bora Gayle was greeted with another wheelchair.  I am so glad.  We are staying at the Intercontinental Bora Bora Le Moana.  We chose it because we wanted to be on the island, not on the motu around the island.  A hotel representative greeted us with another stunning lei, our bags were collected for us and we were put on a boat to our hotel.

Gayle sat on the boat with a delighted grin the whole time.  She is so happy to be here. We both are.

At a speedy clip we were driven around the island to our hotel, a half hour trip.

Gayle again was greeted with a wheelchair.  Obviously they had radioed ahead to have one ready for her.  We were told that we could keep the wheelchair the entire time we are at the hotel. It is a good thing.  It is a bit of a hike from the hotel’s front desk and our overwater bungalow.  Did I mention that we are staying in an overwater bungalow?

It comes with a glass coffee table that gives you a view of the ocean below.  You can slide the top back to get a clearer photo if you choose.  Also they recommend that at 6 p.m. we turn on the lights that shine below the bungalow because the light attracts the fish.  I am sure I will be adding many glass coffee table photos to this blog!

The view from our bedroom is stunning.

There is a ladder off the deck so you can climb down into the water and snorkel right from your overwater bungalow.There is also an outdoor shower so you can rinse off after you snorkel.  Gayle and I settled in and then headed down the boardwalk to their all-day restaurant.  We enjoyed our fish tacos, smoothies and salad….and the view, of course.

Before heading back to our room we got some snorkeling equipment, confirmed our snorkeling excursion tomorrow and asked to have breakfast delivered to our bungalow by canoe tomorrow.  While Gayle rested I headed down the ladder of our deck to try out the snorkeling equipment.

I was in heaven.  I can’t believe the number of different fish I saw.  Gayle took this photo of me through our glass coffee table. 

When I came back inside I found a website of the fish you can see in the Bora Bora lagoon and jotted down the names of the fish I could remember seeing.  I would have stayed out longer but I could see that rain was headed our way.

Our plan had been to cross the road from our hotel to the public beach to see the sunset but rain prevented a perfect sunset.  So instead we turned on the light under the bungalow and watched the fish through the coffee table. Then we headed down to the restaurant for some tapas before an early bed.  I hope there are no gun-toting, tuxedo-wearing men in my dreams tonight.

Goodbye New Zealand, Hello French Polynesia

I arose today with one thing on my mind…to secure a key to the hotel laundry room and make sure we arrived in Tahiti with clean clothes.  Success. After a delicious breakfast in the hotel I went out for a quick walk along the harbor.  The view from our hotel window was enticement enough.

The Maritime Museum is across from our hotel, with this huge boat in front, but I wanted to walk along the water.

I crossed the bridge to the Viaduct harbor.

On a night in 1966, Tiri, a “pirate” radio broadcasting boat was planning to set sail to begin broadcasting in the Hauraki Gulf.  At that time the radio waves were monopolized by the conservative NZ Broadcasting Corporation and it did not want this boat to be able to go on air.  The crew decided to leave the harbor on a Sunday because the bridge was always left open for fishing boats to access the harbor.  To try and stop the boat from exiting the harbor they began to lower the bridge.  Members of the crew placed themselves under the jaws of the bridge and the closing of the bridge was halted but the mast got caught.  Supporters nearby worked to pull the boat free.  However, police jumped on board and arrested the crew.  At trial the crew was exonerated and a month after their arrest they set sail for Hauraki Gulf to broadcast in international waters.  They continued broadcasting from there for 1,111 days before finally being granted a broadcasting license and becoming land based. I crossed the pedestrian bridge.

As I did I heard a loud splash and realized that there was a public harbor pool complete with a diving board.  I caught the next diver in mid-jump.

As I headed back to the hotel I saw a sign for Hobson’s Pocket Park, a little park at the end of one of the piers.  It had a great view of the land across the harbor.

It also had seesaws that play notes as you go up and down.

I got back to the hotel in time to finish up my packing so Gayle and I could meet our transport to the Auckland airport.  Our flight was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and we were in a car headed for the airport by 11:30 p.m. We figured we would have lots of time to be bored at the airport.  However, when we arrived there was already a line waiting just to get in line for Air Tahiti Nui’s ticket counter.  We joined the line.  The counter opened at 12:35 and we didn’t reach the front of the line for an hour after that.There were no kiosks to allow you to self-check in.  It was very old school and quite exhausting.  We made it to our gate with only enough time to eat a bag of chips for lunch before boarding the plane.

The flight to Papeete was fine.  We arrived at 10:30 p.m. and were greeted in customs by a Polynesian dancer.

The line was out the door but since Gayle had a cane they skirted us around to a much shorter line.  Baggage claim was a nightmare….an absolute nightmare,  Finally with our bags in hand we went outside to find our transport to our hotel.  We have a flight to Bora Bora in the morning so our travel agent booked us in a hotel 5 minutes from the airport.  We were greeted with leis and told to wait and someone would come for us.  We waited and watched as almost everyone else was picked up.  I got a little hot about it and so finally, we were loaded into a van and delivered last.  I felt old and unseen and pissed off.  But then we entered our room and opened the door to the sound of ocean waves.  We were in Tahiti!!

Auckland

Our plane to Auckland leaves Christchurch at noon.  We returned our rental car to the lot.  It was such a chill process it was hard to believe we had actually done the right thing.  We checked in and turned in our bags, no request to show ID.  We found a place to get something to eat and relaxed.  Then we realized that we were in the regional section and not the international section.  We hurried to the upper gates and went through security screening, feeling like we had made it just moments before boarding began.  Then came the announcement that there had to be an evacuation of a plane on the runway in Auckland and we would be delayed.  They solved the situation within a half hour and we boarded the plane.

We were picked up at the airport and driven to M Social hotel directly across from the Princess Wharf, facing the harbor.  I messaged my friend Jacki and she and her husband, Eric, picked me up within a half hour.  Their family moved to New Zealand two years ago.  They were taking me for some quick sightseeing and then out to dinner.  Gayle stayed in the room to rest.  They took me to Maungawhau (Mt. Eden), a volcano that last erupted 150,000 years ago which now offers 360 degree views of the city and harbors.  We hiked up numerous steps to the top.  It was absolutely stunning.  It was in the 60s and people were enjoying the day.  We looked down into the crater, now covered in grass.

And out to the city.  

Our next stop was to a city park so I could see some pukekos, birds of New Zealand with a blue chest. They look a bit like a small blue chicken.  They were everywhere at this park, we didn’t have to search.

We walked down to the stream that runs through the park in search of swans.  

I was more fascinated by the number of eels swimming below the swans.

Today is a holiday in New Zealand.  It is Anzac Day (Australia New Zealand Army Corp), similar to Memorial Day in the US.  There are observances everywhere at sunrise.  There was one in Christchurch this morning that took place in front of the damaged cathedral and included the prime minister.  There was a sunset observance happening near Jacki and Eric’s home and we went to be part of it.  It began near the parking lot with a bagpiper.  As he played additional songs to stall for time he played the theme from Outlander. 

Then shortly before sunset we followed the bagpiper and a woman carrying a flag with poppies and soldier on it to the point of the park, right above the beach.  At a specific time a trumpeter began to play.  Then he read the Ode of Remembrance and ended with “We will remember them, lest we forget.”  Then in unison the crowd responded with “We will remember them.’  One more trumpet song and a lament on the bagpipe.  It was simple and solemn.  Australians and New Zealanders were slaughtered at Gallipoli.  They remember that history.

Now that the sun had set and it was getting a bit chilly.  We headed to dinner.  Eric and Jacki’s two daughters joined us.  I was curious about what they all remembered from their first visit to New Zealand and what surprised them most after they moved here.  Then the girls headed off for other activities and the rest of us went for a walk.  There are art installations everywhere.  This one changes colors and the eyes actually blink.

Jacki wanted me to see Waimahara, an interactive artwork under a nearby bridge.  It is designed to describe the memory of the stream that flows under this underpass towards the harbor.  Like the stream this artwork responds to the environment by changing light patterns and sound.  A mike, that looks a bit like a pine cone, sits at one end.  You are encouraged to learn one of two songs about water composed for this artwork.  If you sing the song correctly, the artwork comes alive and sings to you.  Jacki had practiced on of the songs that afternoon so I would get the full experience.  She sang the song correctly and it responded.  I wish I could post a video here because the experience was beyond description.

As we headed back to their car we came across this piece of street art.  It memorializes the women gaining the right to vote in 1893.  New Zealand is the first country in the world to give women voting rights.

When I got back to our room I headed straight to bed.  Tomorrow we leave for French Polynesia.