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Tia Moana - Superyacht Tia Moana Bora Bora Cruises and St. Regis Bora Bora Review Raiatea - Day Two

Bora Bora Cruises Tia Moana - Superyacht

2008 Date: 1/19/2008

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Raiatea - At Dock

Friday we arrived at Raiatea and docked at the port town of Uturoa. This is the biggest village in the outer Society Islands (other than in Moorea). Raiatea has a airport and the next largest island you can see is the spice island of Le Tahaa. The morning was spend parked behind the Regent Seven Seas Paul Gauguin (which I've been on twice). I could actually pick up the WiFi signal on my iPhone from the Paul Gauguin. This is also the home of the sistership, Tu Moana which sits at dock all year long. In the afternoon we motored to Motu Nao Nao in a very windy and wavy anchorage.

Uturoa

Tia Moana Dockside

Tia Moana sitting dockside at the village of Uturoa in Raiatea.

Taking on Provisions

Loading Tia Moana

Raiatea is a small container port, and also where the Tia Moana does its resupply. Notice the load of pineapples on the truck. I had fresh pineapple at the end of every meal - it was incredibly fresh.

Market in Uturoa

Market

Uturoa is where I bought some black pearls and also where there is a beautiful market, which displays the islands fresh fruits and vegetables. You can also see wonderful displays of tropical flowers.

Motu Nao Nao

Beach at Motu

After a morning shopping in Uturoa, the Tia Moana pulled up her lines and departed for a motu on the far eastern side of the island. There's a beautiful reef just off the beach, which is full of shells and hermit crabs. It was windy and wavy at the anchorage, since the winds funnel down between the main island and the motu, providing a rocky anchorage.

Motoring inside the reef to Uturoa.

The RSSC Regent Seven Seas Paul Gauguin - massive in size compared to the luxury Tia Moana.

Looking off into the distance at Le Tahaa, the vanilla spice island.

Market in Uturoa.

Fresh flowers on display.

Varieties of bananas and plantains.

The public phone booth - a popular place. Get your phone cards at the post office. My GSM iPhone worked great on the local VINI network. Texts were $.50 and calls were about $2.50 a minute. The other option is to buy a GSM Mobal phone.

Mobal Phone - Good for 140 Countries

Water hyacinth at a small water garden in Uturoa near the gift shops on the dock.

Tia Moana dockside. Boarding ramp down.

One of the few sunny days illuminating the upper deck.

Tuna lunch.

Brownie dessert.

Motoring during lunch to the motu.

The motu beach. The island was and still is a coconut palm plantation.

Tia Moana at her windy anchor off the motu.

At anchor. Approaching the stern with the tender.

Dinner dessert.

Air mail stamp.

Friday daily newsletter.

Sample lunch menu.

End of Day - Raiatea

This was the first full sunny day of the voyage (aside from the day we boarded). It was a nice change from the overcast and showers we had received during other days. After shopping for pearls in Uturoa, the Tia Moana motored during lunch to the isolated motu, where we spent the afternoon on the beach. The snorkeling here is good - but the best is probably at Le Tahaa. Some of the passengers saw some baby sharks at the far end of the island. You can walk around the entire motu - but be prepared to have some reef shoes and some time. It can take up to two hours. A few hundred yards off the beach is the reef, where the waves pound from the ocean swells. That night was a windy and stormy night at anchor. It was the first time we actually saw any lightning in the distance.

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