We pulled into Papeete and took the Northern entrance through the reef to head down to the Marina. In order to make the pass, mike had to radio the Port Control and ask permission to motor passed the airport in case of a low flying plane. They give you about a five minute window to go past and luckily we didn’t have any close calls with the air traffic.
It was nice to put the boat up in the Marina as we had not been on shore power since our time in Panama over two months ago; this gave the generator a well deserved break. Marina Taina is in a good location, close to the big supermarket, but out of town enough to not feel the hustle and bustle of the Polynesian Metropolis, or “Big Smoke” as Mike likes to refer to it. Using the marina as our hub, we took advantage and made day trips around the island to Grottos, Blow holes, and surf breaks, then went inland, inside the volcano crater for marae’s and waterfalls.
In Papeete proper, we of course took a stroll through the famous marche, full of souvenirs, curios, fresh produce, flowers, monoi oil and so much more. A favorite as well are the nightly roulottes that park in the port square. These are food trucks that produce great food at a reasonable price. They are all over the island, but downtown you get a big concentration of the community to meet, socialize and eat. There are a variety of foods ranging from Chinese to French to Polynesian, so coming a couple nights in a row, you can still find a new treat. After a hot day too, it is nice to not have to be indoors and tourists and local alike enjoy the cooler hours of the day. Mauruuru!
The Wind Dancer Crew