16.26S 152.14W  Monday 26^th May  And we finally made a move – bye bye Bora Bora and bye bye internet connection so no photos until we find another one!

 

We stayed longer than we meant to really…… initially for  a Rally gathering at Bloody Mary’s which was fun and then for Jeremy on Hakuna Matata’s birthday when Pat hosted a cocktail party for the whole BWR anchorage which was an amazing feat………and Heidenskip’s dinner party catching up with Robert and Wendy,  Maryanne and the Zippies again which was great too and a very funny evening……but today we set off for Rarotonga in the Cook Islands – then side tracked off to Ile Maupiti.  This island’s only pass has a very poor reputation because in rough weather it is particularly hazardous with many vessels having come to grief.  However, today in glorious weather, without a breath of wind, the pass was benign and we entered – gracefully with only one knot of current against us!

 

 

Maupiti Island

 

 

Sizing up the pass…….

 

 

And through………..

 

In fact the write ups in the pilot books are so scary we are the only boat in the huge lagoon – with the towering volcanic remains of Maupiti above us - a wonderful respite after overcrowded Bora Bora.

 

 

Bora Bora a distant memory!

 

 

You can just see Anahi on the horizon in the lagoon – we are alone……..

 

We ‘kissed’ a coral head on the way to the anchorage, but no damage done and the peace and serenity here is overwhelming.  We have already trickled around the lagoon in the dinghy and seen huge manta rays, wild birds on the sand spit, coral heads everywhere but not so many fish – with the sea temperature at 71 degrees I suspect it is too warm? There are few tourists here and no hotels – only pensions.

 

 

Sand spit with birds in the evening light

 

 

Isn’t it glorious here? 

 

The radio net is back on since yesterday so we are all in touch, each doing their own ‘free sailing’ before meeting up again en mass in Tonga.  I made the Niue flag today (as we shall be going there after Rarotonga) – this isolated island is one of the smallest independent nations in the world and is affectionately named ‘The Rock’!   We are also planning a visit to Mopelia, weather permitting, a little visited Society Island, and its good to be off the beaten track for a change.  Here, it really is back to nature in the real sense of the word, not much has changed since Paul was here 15 years ago with Hans-Henning and Mazelle on a Moorings charter holiday and it is the better for it…. miles of unbroken sandy clean beaches on the motus around the lagoon.

 

Next morning, up at 7.00am and off the boat to explore – we had run down our Pacific Francs but had just enough to hire three bicycles (fixed wheel – no brakes!), buy five red bananas, one egg roll, one homemade chicken and potato takeaway and a large bottle of water!

 

 

Cement roads circle the island and it took an hour to ride around

 

 

 

Everyone who was anyone was up and about, ladies in their finest flower decorated hats waiting for the bank to open, the post office busy (two people in the door and it was full) much cleaning of steps and watering down of the café floors and verandah, one aeroplane’s passengers arriving, workmen widening the cement road to double its size, cockerels crowing, dogs with puppies, the Maupiti express catamaran’s arrival all contributed to a busy, happy community going about its business.  Gardens adorned with flowers, fruit trees and vegetables growing in every spare patch of rich earth, children at school, choirs singing in the church – really it is enchanting.

 

 

Maupiti express arriving – trading between the islands plus passengers

 

 

Colourful living – typical house on the water’s edge

 

 

And all their boats hoisted up out of the water…

 

The local town hall was buzzing – posters outside depicted problems they may encounter with yachties’ pets

 

 

Loved ‘the dog and the pussy cat set out to sea …….’

 

We also understand that sadly there is an ongoing problem with elephantiasis, a disease I ignorantly thought to be isolated in Africa…..

 

 

Poster warning of the dangers of rubbish which can provide the habitat for the carriers of the disease………

 

By 12.00 today we had cycled around the island, drunk our water, eaten our picnic, collected some gifts from a hotelier who asked us to deliver them to his friends in Mopelia if we get there, bought a T shirt with our remaining francs and exited successfully through the pass…….

 

 

Holding my breath……..the reef seemed so close and spirited!

 

This was a great interlude and we wouldn’t have missed Maupiti for the world…….