I awoke this morning at a quarter to six, the sun above horizon, but hidden behind Tahaa. The temperature was perfect for laying on the deck chair and watching the water change colors.
Apparently we were very luck with the weather. According to other tourists, the last three days were cloudy with scattered showers. Yesterday was the first nice day, and today is starting to look like a good one again.
Along the way to breakfast, we watched a catamaran raise mainsail and get going. The winds yesterday and today were gusty up to about twenty knots. This would be perfect sailing weather, if not a bit stronger winds than I'm used to in Vancouver, where it was not infrequently 0-7 knots whenever I went out. I'm planning on a reef until we get used to cruising.
Our $60 buffet breakfast was good. Nothing special, except for the view and locale that you were paying for. It had all my favorite fruits, more pastries than a couple can sample, sausage, bacon, fresh juices and omelettes and pain doree from the kitchen.
By the time we were finished and back to our room, housekeeping had already come by, and Shannon said this place was amazing.
We read a bit, napped a bit, and Shannon gave me a haircut on our deck. It was windy out! It was good in that it kept us cool, but bad because Shannon got slightly burned a little more despite several applications of sunscreen. We watched the shuttle go in and out of the pier bringing new people to this nice little motu.
In the afternoon, we headed over to the north side of the resort for some snorkeling at the coral gardens, reputedly some of the best snorkeling in the South Pacific. Over there was the infinity pool that we forgot about and kayaks that we could use. We borrowed some surf shoes and went over to the corals between Motu Tautau and Maharare. People from yachts anchored just off in the lagoon were here on dinghy, with mooring buoys readily available.
What was really cool about the coral gardens was that you start out where the reef meets the ocean and the current pushes you through. At some points the current was pretty strong but if you just stood up, your weight was enough to hold you in place in waist deep water.
The fish were very friendly here with a couple of bright yellow ones following Shannon around, making her nervous. She was also hesitant getting into the middle of the channel where the current was because she wondered if the urchins would come out and attack her face.
There was a passage between some coral that I wanted to get through that was guarded by territorial black fish. I stuck my foot out and it would angrily nip at it. Then another one would nip at my other ankle while I was distracted with the one in front of me!
There were whole bunch vibrant fish, several schools and occasional bigger loners that snuck in and out of the coral. The urchins had a beautiful blue color on their bodies and dangerous looking black barbs that aimed at my foot when I pointed it too closely.
It was a bit too cold because of the wind to do the gardens a second time, so we returned for a shower after a quick stop on the mini-island where they did weddings and special dinners (it'd be windy!), and a dip in the infinity pool.
We watched the sunset from the beach just outside beach bungalow 49, or should I say, Shannon watched it, because I had to go back to the pool because I forgot my sunglasses there. By the time I hustled back to the beach, the sun had just set.
After watching catfish fight for food under the lights of our bungalow, we headed to the main building for dinner. We had the infamous dinner as part of our half-board. It was a dinner outside under palm trees and stars. The tuna tartar and lamb chops were perfectly done, but the sides, like this morning's breakfast was much too salty. Reviews on the Internet warned of bad food, but it was all right. The bill came out to an extra 1200 CFP for our two bottles of water.
Promptly after dinner, we canceled the half-board so that we could order off the menu tomorrow.
Apparently we were very luck with the weather. According to other tourists, the last three days were cloudy with scattered showers. Yesterday was the first nice day, and today is starting to look like a good one again.
Along the way to breakfast, we watched a catamaran raise mainsail and get going. The winds yesterday and today were gusty up to about twenty knots. This would be perfect sailing weather, if not a bit stronger winds than I'm used to in Vancouver, where it was not infrequently 0-7 knots whenever I went out. I'm planning on a reef until we get used to cruising.
Our $60 buffet breakfast was good. Nothing special, except for the view and locale that you were paying for. It had all my favorite fruits, more pastries than a couple can sample, sausage, bacon, fresh juices and omelettes and pain doree from the kitchen.
By the time we were finished and back to our room, housekeeping had already come by, and Shannon said this place was amazing.
We read a bit, napped a bit, and Shannon gave me a haircut on our deck. It was windy out! It was good in that it kept us cool, but bad because Shannon got slightly burned a little more despite several applications of sunscreen. We watched the shuttle go in and out of the pier bringing new people to this nice little motu.
In the afternoon, we headed over to the north side of the resort for some snorkeling at the coral gardens, reputedly some of the best snorkeling in the South Pacific. Over there was the infinity pool that we forgot about and kayaks that we could use. We borrowed some surf shoes and went over to the corals between Motu Tautau and Maharare. People from yachts anchored just off in the lagoon were here on dinghy, with mooring buoys readily available.
What was really cool about the coral gardens was that you start out where the reef meets the ocean and the current pushes you through. At some points the current was pretty strong but if you just stood up, your weight was enough to hold you in place in waist deep water.
The fish were very friendly here with a couple of bright yellow ones following Shannon around, making her nervous. She was also hesitant getting into the middle of the channel where the current was because she wondered if the urchins would come out and attack her face.
There was a passage between some coral that I wanted to get through that was guarded by territorial black fish. I stuck my foot out and it would angrily nip at it. Then another one would nip at my other ankle while I was distracted with the one in front of me!
There were whole bunch vibrant fish, several schools and occasional bigger loners that snuck in and out of the coral. The urchins had a beautiful blue color on their bodies and dangerous looking black barbs that aimed at my foot when I pointed it too closely.
It was a bit too cold because of the wind to do the gardens a second time, so we returned for a shower after a quick stop on the mini-island where they did weddings and special dinners (it'd be windy!), and a dip in the infinity pool.
We watched the sunset from the beach just outside beach bungalow 49, or should I say, Shannon watched it, because I had to go back to the pool because I forgot my sunglasses there. By the time I hustled back to the beach, the sun had just set.
After watching catfish fight for food under the lights of our bungalow, we headed to the main building for dinner. We had the infamous dinner as part of our half-board. It was a dinner outside under palm trees and stars. The tuna tartar and lamb chops were perfectly done, but the sides, like this morning's breakfast was much too salty. Reviews on the Internet warned of bad food, but it was all right. The bill came out to an extra 1200 CFP for our two bottles of water.
Promptly after dinner, we canceled the half-board so that we could order off the menu tomorrow.
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