Compared to Papeete, Uturoa the capital of Raiatea, seemed very small, but it appeared to have all that we required.
We were greeted by a patisserie full of sumptuous pastries & a choice of 3 supermarkets & an undercover produce market from which to purchase supplies. There are also some quite decent artisan outlets offering the usual French Polynesian merchandise – pearls, shell jewellery & wood carvings, but actually I thought the quality very good.
We didn’t stay long & then headed to the NW of Raiatea to anchor on the sand flats opposite a couple of boat yards, (Carenage & CNI). Here we met up again with Kelani & enjoyed a few perfect windless days. A good time to improve my SUP skills & swim/snorkel to my heart’s content.
John& Kerry have a drone & took some amazing footage of Mowzel Cat looking splendid in the sunshine, sitting peacefully in the placid aquamarine water.
Bill & I went ashore to stretch our legs & check out the facilities at both the Carenage & CNI. Both would be good places to haul out Mowzel Cat next time – good reputation & about half the price of the boatyard in Tahiti. We mooched around the boatyards, although frankly, I found it rather sobering as several of the yachts were clearly being repaired after an encounter with the reef. And the was no doubt who claimed victory – keels gone, hulls torn out, big patch repairs – not nice. Mind you as one cruiser put it, French Polynesia is full of boats who have either hit the reef or boats that will hit the reef!
We next scooted off to an anchorage on the south of Taha’a at Point Toamaro, which was very picturesque. Last time we were here in 2009 it was a lovely refuge when looking to get out of the wind. This time we picked up a mooring which appeared in good condition & had a walk ashore. There is a pearl farm here which at some stage we will visit & a very unassuming building identified only by a small chimney sticking out of the roof, which was the local bakery. Best baguettes in town for sure!
We knew that there were some strong SE winds forecast a few days down the track, so whilst they were light & variable we headed down the east coast of Raiatea to Nao Nao island in the SW corner. Another beautiful anchorage on sand flats adjacent to a private island, (no going ashore), but another magnificent setting. We snorkelled off a very nice drop off adjacent to the island which was absolutely teeming with fish, the occasional shark, ray & giant moray eel! The trip up and down the channel N and S was also lovely. Raiatea is such a beautiful island. We passed several other anchorages along the way which we will visit another time.
So now we are hunkered down deep in Faaroa bay, (the river anchorage), sitting out several days of very strong winds from the E/SE. Although quite calm, we have experienced torrential rain and some very strong bullets of wind up to 35knots, so it is not the most peaceful of times. To break the monotony of sitting on the boat doing various jobs, (interrupted by catch ups with Kelani as the sun apparently set), we all headed into Uturoa via taxi. The wind was absolutely howling off the Port, so it did make us feel that our anchorage perhaps wasn’t too bad after all.
I was very pleased to buy a wedding gift for my niece, Rachel who marries Ben in a couple of weeks in Tuscany. We also sampled the epicurean delights of the patisserie, got a few provisions from the 3 supermarkets, (not a 1 stop shopping trip here – unlike Carrefour in Tahiti), and enjoyed a tasty lunch.
We’re a bit hunkered down in the anchorage here as the SE to E Mara’amu has set in. With steady 20 to 25 knots with 30+ knot gusts there are few places we can go. It will be a few days before it settles a little, so we are doing our best to be patient as you can’t do anything with the weather. It has been “entertaining” to be accosted by charter boats that have come into the anchorage and decided that right in front of us is the perfect place to stop. Much anchor dragging, waving of arms, flipping dinghies and one even had to be pulled off the rocky shallows by a passing tour boat. Happily they have all gone away and peace has returned.
Ideally we will make some tracks tomorrow and try to find a new location with clear water (the rain and river have combined to turn the water to chocolate here) and perhaps a bit less wind.
Postscript: we found a lovely sunny calm anchorage at point Toamaro & picked up a mooring close to the shore. After a very relaxing & peaceful night, we visited the pearl farm there to learn the intricacies of pearl farming in French Polynesia. It was a very informative visit & well worth a stop. They also had some spectacular jewellery, but with a rather large price tag unfortunately!
After a couple of nights on the sand flats near Motu Tau Tau, where we rediscovered the delights of the manta rays & the coral gardens, we are again taking refuge from the strong winds in a rather blustery deep anchorage called Baie Tapuamu. Good news is – there’s an excellent place for sundowners ashore – so all is not lost!