Cruise The World With Us

Friday – February 21, 2025

There is much to write about our first day on Tahiti. I’ll get to that eventually. While your are waiting for the text, read this article about sea grapes. I’ll tell you a story about them when I enter the text.

I thought we might have a chance to see a sunrise as we arrived at Tahiti. I didn’t plan on the maneuvers the ship would make to dock. Beginning on a Southwest course we turned due South headed directly toward Papeete, then turned due West and backed into our berth at the pier. If you view the sunrise time-lapse you can see when those changes were made. My first impression of Tahiti is that it is much like Hawaii – temperature, terrain, vegetation, etc. One difference is that many more of their beaches are black sand (from volcanic activity) and fewer are white sand (from coral).

Our Daily Program had a notice that NON-EU passengers were to report for a face-to-face meeting with Tahitian immigration authorities at 8:00 in one of the lounges. We went there around 7:40 and found there was already a lengthy line. A couple of the crew members came asking if we were planning to spend the night “off ship”. We said “No” and they informed us this face-to-face was only for those who would be “off ship”. You’ll see a photo of us in line before that encounter. Needless to say, we left and headed to our cabin for a breakfast of fruit!

As we waited for our 9:45 excursion gathering we were able to observe activity in the harbor – a inter-island ferry leading port, waves causing the masts of the boats moored near us to bobble back and forth and emergency vehicles traveling the streets near us with the distinctive European wail (unlike what you hear in the USA).

Our excursion left close to the planned time. As we walked off the ship we were greeted by a group of six local musicians playing Polynesian music using guitar and ukulele – again, much like Hawaii. I took a screenshot of Maps on my phone to show our location relative to both Moorea and Tahiti. On the bus our group numbered 34 and was led by a man named Bernie. He was born on Hawaii and spent over 40 years there before, as he said, “marrying a wealthy Tahitian and moving to Tahiti”. He also joked “Who says you need to go to college to live well!”.

Our excursion today (which was included with the cruise) was what they call a “city tour”. We drive around the city and learn about its history then visit several places for photo opportunities. I have included a few photos and video as we drove to Point Venus Park. One strange sight along the way was a large crab created using plastic water/drink bottles and fishnet. You can’t miss it as you view the photos.

When we arrived at the park we were given time to explore on our own. We took a selfie and headed toward the black sand beach. From there you could see Moorea Island in the distance as well as the Northwest coast of Tahiti. On the beach I found a couple girls playing in the sand – one covering the other with sand. Lots of people in the water enjoying the waves, a father and daughter playing ping-pong and a plaque commemorating the arrival of HMS Bounty were among the other sights.

That brings us to the sea grape. We headed back to the bus and were waiting under a tree near where the bus was parked. I noticed there were what appeared to be grapes hanging from the branches. We had seen this type of fruit many years ago when Jan and I traveled with Heidi and Steve to St. Croix. I asked Bernie and the driver if they were sea grapes. They answered that they were and Bernie volunteered that the driver loved to eat them off the tree. I saw the driver reach for and take a grape and put it in his mouth – at least it looked like he did that. The driver then reached again, pulled a grape from the bunch and offered it to me. It was green and had a stem. I pulled the stem, threw it on the ground and put the grape in my mouth. When I bit down it was like eating a nut – only harder. The grape didn’t smash between my teeth but broke into many different small pieces. The taste was bitter – not sweet at all. As I was turning to spit out the crushed grape I heard both Bernie and the driver chuckling. With help from Jan (a peppermint candy) I got the foul taste out of my mouth. I looked up “sea grape” on my phone and discovered you don’t eat them until they turn purple. Lesson learned – silly tourist!

From the park we drove to an overlook that would give us a view of the area including Moorea Island. Got some nice photos including one that showed our ship in port and another selfie. While there we talked with Bernie about his ancestry. His family was from Germany. On a previous tour he had mentioned that to a group and told them his family’s surname. One of the women from that group walked up to him, pointed her finger at his chest and said he was not pronouncing his family name correctly – she gave him the correct German pronunciation while poking him in the chest. He said he has been pronouncing it correctly since that day.

The road we had traveled going to and coming from the park has three lanes. During rush hours in the morning and evening the middle lane is converted for use as a second lane in the direction with the most traffic. To do this they use movable cement barriers that are positioned using a special machine. This is the same system used on Hawaii on the island of Oahu. In Hawaii they call the special machine a Zipmobile or Road Zipper. I included a short video specifically for Mr Grimm so he could see the Hawaiian system at work in another location.

I liked the shirt that Bernie was wearing and asked if there was a store near the dock that carried that type of clothing for both men and women. Bernie gave us the name and general location of the store. When we were let off the bus back at the pier we began our short walk to look for Taaroa. Along the way we came to the Notre Dame Cathedral of Papeete – also called Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. We weren’t sure we were headed in the right direction so stopped to ask for help. There is a photo of a friendly lady who guided us to a store that could tell us where to find Taaroa. Several minutes later we were in the store and amazed at the number of brightly colored clothes. We each bought something – you’ll see a photo of us in the new “duds” in the media for today.

It was a couple blocks from Taaroa to the ship. Along the way Kelsey spied some chickens running in and out of bushes. The hen had found something to eat and her chick was chasing after her to take it from her beak. The rooster was looking confused as the other two scurried in and out of the bushes. There are a couple photos of their antics. As we walked the pier to board the ship there was an unusually decorated garbage container – so I took a photo and included it with today’s media. It would be nice to have more decorated garbage containers.

We headed to the buffet for water and food (hadn’t eaten since fruit in the morning). Then back to the cabin to prepare for dinner. Took a couple photos from the balcony of the hills near us and set up a time-lapse to show the transition during sunset (even though our balcony faces South). Went to dinner – not many in the restaurant as they were probably still out on excursions or had chosen to have dinner off ship. Jan liked the shrimp in her starter but not the potatoes below it.

This evening’s entertainment was dancers, musicians and singers from Tahiti performing Polynesian dances. I don’t know the meaning of each dance but they put on a good show. I suggested to Jan that perhaps the girls she hangs with at home would like to start a grass skirt dance class in addition to some of the other physical activities they do. Jan gave me a “You idiot” look. Guess that idea is going nowhere.

Click here for today’s video and photos.