Blog 45. Tahaa. 16.38.18S 151.29.21W

Alcedo
David Batten
Mon 16 May 2016 05:48
8 May. An uneventful motor sail/motor to Tahaa, dead downwind as usual with 8 to 10 knots of wind. Carango, Wishanger and Take Off left before us, heading for Bora Bora, the must do/see Island and Hannah's 21st birthday celebrations today, while we are going for less distance and tourism. We found only one other yacht in Haamene Bay, so had a choice of buoys and picked up the one with most depth. A very beautiful and deep bay with a good restaurant, which of course immediately closed on our arrival until Tuesday lunchtime! So afternoon walk and supper on board.

9 May. A day of rain after a bit of shopping in the well stocked supermarket, so we arranged car hire, walked to a vanilla farm and had a lazy afternoon. It was a foul afternoon and everyone remained below.

10 May. Drove round the island, which is lovely, bought some expensive pearls for Jane (there is a plan b if she doesn't like them), picnic lunch and then a walk to "paradise beach" from the wrong direction. This involved a difficult scramble around some run down properties on land we were assured was not private. We didn't quite make the target beach, which is lovely by the way, but had a great snorkel and met some charming locals after being yelled at by an unfriendly man in a motor boat. He shouted that the land was private and we had to leave, but not apparently by foot in either direction. Luckily, he couldn't reach us because of the reef and the locals came to see what the problem was, told us it was not private and that we were welcome and we could bring our boat round and moor it off their pier any time. We got back in one piece and had a very good, if expensive, meal in the now open restaurant, Tahaai Maitai.

Tomorrow we plan to go to Raiatea. If the weather improves we will go snorkelling at the pass on the way.

Alcedo

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