Day 47-48 – February 21-22 – Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
Photos from February 21
Sunrise and Magnifica docking
Tahiti around 5:50 am
Backing into port
8:00 am – going to a meeting we didn’t need to attend
Our mooring in Papeete
Tahiti Island Ferry
Watching the masts sway – especially on the smaller boats
Listening to the European emergency vehicle siren
Band greeting passengers leaving the ship
Where we are in the Tahiti/Moorea islands
Group 21 getting on the bus
Our tour guide Bernie and the driver
MSC Magnifica from our tour bus
Crab made using plastic bottles
Driving in residential area on way to our first stop
Location of Point Venus Park
Bernie with his shades
Lighthouse designed by Robert Lewis Stevenson’s father
Lighthouse from another viewpoint
Toursists with Tahiti mountains in background
First selfie of the day at Point Venus Park
View of Moorea from the beach at Point Venus Park
Black sand beach at Point Venus Park
People enjoying the warm water – Moorea Island in the background
Girl playing bury my sister
Discussing where to add more sand
Adding more sand
Making sure the other side is covered
Examining the finished product
Assisting with cleanup after being on the beach
Ping pong on the beach
Marker commemorating HMS Bounty arrival on October 27, 1788
View toward Papeete and Moorea Island from Point Venus Park
Sea grapes – don’t eat these until they turn purple!
Our bus driver after tricking me to eat a sea grape
Driving from Point Venus Park to observation point off Route Ceinture L’est
Panorama from observation point
Our ship in port in Papeete as seen from the observation point
Second selfie of the day – at observation point with Moorea Island in the background
Bernie with Kelsey and Jan
Kelsey and Jan resting in the cool shade at the observation point
My new best friend (and our bus driver)
Location of the observation point
Just for R Grimm – movable stone used to change highway lanes in morning and afternoon as traffic demand changes – like in Hawaii
Driving in Papeete on the way back to the port
Lady in Papeete who helped us find Taaroa to buy clothes (recommended by Bernie)
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Papeete
Walk along the port with MSC Magnifica in the background
Hen with food and chick trying to get it from her beak
Dad watching over Mom and chick
Returning to the backed-in MSC Magnifica
Garbage container on the pier
Looking in the hills from our balcony
Wider view of hills from our balcony
Wider still view from our balcony
Time-lapse of sunset from our balcony (5:38 to 7:38 pm)
We went shopping at Taaroa (recommended by Bernie)
Fresh fingerling potatoes and lime marinated shrimp
Roasted tomato cream soup, mozzarella, basil
Potato gnocchi Sorrentina style
Chili-stuffed enchiladas
Slow-roasted beef sirloin with peppercorn
Raspberry mousse cake
Peach and orange blossom
Tahitian Cultural Expressions
Tahitian Cultural Expressions
Tahitian Cultural Expressions
Tahitian Cultural Expressions
Tahitian Cultural Expressions
Tahitian Cultural Expressions
Tahitian Cultural Expressions
Tahitian Cultural Expressions
Tahitian Cultural Expressions
Tahitian Cultural Expressions
Photos from February 22
Sunrise 2-22-2025
The size Tobasco every home needs
MSC Express Breakfast less mushrooms
Temps expected today on Tahiti
A strange-looking ship berthed next to ours
Kelsey and Jan on the way to our 4 X 4
Hotu – our guide and driver
Aboard the 4 X 4 with Magnifica in the background
Our location on Tahiti as we travel to the backroads
Where we are in relation to the islands of Tahiti and Moorea
Traveling on smooth road on the way to the backroads
Mahina where we turned Ono the backroads
A less bumpy section of the backroads
Another example of travel on the backroads
Location of first stop
Small waterfall at first stop
Panorama of first stop area
Tree with orange blossoms – many of these on the way
Crossing the river
Selfie at second stop
Waterfall that never runs out of water
Hotu giving us info
Waterfall using iPhone
Hotu giving more info
Another of those trees with the orange flowers
Jan and Kelsey bounced in the 4 X 4
Location of our next stop – by a reservoir
Selfie with another waterfall that doesn’t stop running
Photo taken by Hotu
Waterfall feeding reservoir
Kelsey and Jan with Hotu
Video of waterfall filling reservoir
Location of final stop – in the middle of the volcanic crater
View from high point inside crater
Widen view from inside crater
Wider view still from inside crater
Panorama from inside crater
Jan glad to have water – it was hot
Location showing us about to cross river
Crossing the river going North
Jan and Kelsey being bounced on the way to Papenoo and paved roads
Pulled off the road here to watch the surf and people
Surf near Papenoo
Surfers and swimmers
Wind surfing
Surf
Surfers and swimmers
Time lapse – leaving Papeete for Moorea Island