Land Ho! – Tahiti

After many days at sea, partially due to our inability to land on Easter Island, everybody on the ship was looking forward to standing on dry land, which finally happened in Papeete located on the island of Tahiti. The thoughtful captain of our ship the Viking Sun phoned ahead and got permission to come in a day early and dock overnight, giving everyone the opportunity get off the ship and walk about the harbor during the sunset hours. Very nice.

The next morning we were off on what they called a Jeep tour which was actually a Mazda pick up set up for off roading. It actually was a great experience and we had a good time in a small group. The guides did their best to demonstrate their Polynesian culture.

We visited the famous waterfalls from the many movies shot in Tahiti and drove along black sand beaches. Sounds like a tropical paradise and in a way it is. Unfortunately the “way it is” is HOT AND HUMID! That’s OK, we took cold showers when we got back. We also walked into town to see the marketplace. Not that exciting. At the end of the day we departed for Bora Bora, also in French Polynesia. We are sailing as I write this.