Papeete, Tahiti

Papeete, October 9

Tahiti is the largest of the 115 islands and atolls that comprise French Polynesia. Mountain peaks tower above dense rain forests, and waterfalls drop into cool rivers and streams.

Papeete means water bucket, and is likely a reference to the traditional method of gathering water from a spring.

Docking at 10am, we were off to find the post office to purchase stamps. Along the way we found some nice postcards, and after locating the post office made our purchase of stamps. Then it was back to the ship to have lunch, and get ready to meet our tour guide at 1:15p.

Our tour was great! We completely circled the island making stops at Point Venus, Arahoho blowhole, through Taravao, past the Gauguin Museum, a stop at the Mara’a Grottos, and then back to the ship. All in all we were away for right at 5 hours and it was wonderful. An absolutely delightful time was had by all, and if you ever plan on coming to Tahiti, we can highly recommend Marama Tours.

We are here overnight and leave at 5am for the short trip over to Moorea, arriving there around 8am.

October 7 - Nuka Hiva

Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands, October 7

The Marqueses Islands form a relatively little visited South Pacific island grouping. Comprised of three distinct island chains spread out northeast of the Society Islands, the central group consists of Ua Pou, Ua Huka, and Nuku Hiva. The grouping is officially part or the lager group known as French Polynesia.

Nuku Hiva is the largest island in the Marquesas group, and is the administrative and economic capital. The island is formed from two volcanoes stacked one on top of the other. The main town is Taiohae, which has a vast harbor area and is at the foot of Mt. Muake. Herman Melville spent some time here.

The weather prediction for the day was partly cloudy with showers. As we approached the island the sky was overcast with dark clouds and didn’t look good. We had 20 Cruise Critic members that signed up for a 4x4 tour. We met in the Explorers Lounge area, and got on the first tender going to the island.

As we approached the dock area the sun was trying to break through the clouds so things were beginning to look up. We met up with our tour guide, boarded the vehicles and we were off!

Did I mention that the island was formed from volcanoes? Which means mountains. Sometimes very steep mountains. With winding roads. Most of which are not paved and have lot’s of pot holes.

Definitely not a tour you want to consider if you have back problems. That said, the views from the top of the mountains were fabulous. While we did have an occasional shower, they didn’t last long and really didn’t affect our enjoyment. We have a fantastic lunch with shrimp, wahoo, tuna, chicken, and various vegetables.

The ship did not offer any tours here, and there really isn’t much here. The “town” can be walked easily from one end to the other in about half an hour if you take your time. From there, it’s an uphill climb to get anywhere else. There are only a couple of people that offer tours and they are not the cheapest tours around, but if you want to really see the interior of the island that’s the best way to go.

We enjoyed the area and were quite tired after returning to the ship. After dinner we went up to the thermal spa for a bit to help relax. For those interested, the thermal spa for the entire cruise of 60 + days was $899 for two people. For us that works out to $14.26 per day. As a day pass is $20 per person that made it quite reasonable. And we usually don’t miss very many days. In fact, on this cruise the spa is open until 10pm on port days which is a first for us. What a way to end a day in port!!

Next up, Papeete.

At Sea

October 1, Day One at Sea

We departed LA yesterday shortly after 5pm, to a bright sunny sky and blue seas. Our first meal in the dinning room was very good. Sharon and I had a fillet mignon that was cooked to perfection and very tender.

Then it was back to the room to finish unpacking and putting everything away. Once that was done we were pretty beat after another long day so off to bed we went.

Thanks to a gentle rock most of the night we both slept very soundly and didn’t wake up until just before 7am (which was extremely unusual for us). As we had a 10am Cruise Critic meeting, we slowly got around and went to breakfast.

The Cruise Critic meeting was held in the Crows Nest and it was really nice meeting up with friends from previous cruises and meeting new folks. We had the Hotel Manager and the Shore Excursion Manager there that welcomed us aboard.

After lunch Sharon went to the room while I checked out one of the Digital Workshop classes. The Digital Workshop classes seem to be slanted more toward folks that don’t have much experience with computers (which is fine) and the instructor onboard the Amsterdam (Trish) seems very knowledgeable and very at ease in a classroom environment.

Went I went back to the room there was a horrid smell in the passageway that smelled like paint fumes. It was even worse in our room and Sharon had a really bad headache from it. After complaining about it three different times they finally admitted that they had been painting in the aft part of the ship, and put an ozone machine in our room to clear it out.

Finally, after returning to our room after dinner, everything has been taken care of. We went to the evening movie which was The Proposal. Even though movie critics were not impressed with it, we thought it was quite funny and well worth seeing.

We have five more days at sea before we hit our first port, Nuka Hiva. Unless something really earth shattering happens between now and then, this will be my last post until October 7, after we leave there for Papeete.

Cheers!

Eureka California

Today is re-packing day. There isn't a lot to pack but we do have some stuff out and about in the hotel room. We took it quite easy today knowing we had a long drive in the morning to get back down to San Francisco.

It was quite overcast today and a little cooler than it has been. We decided to drive out the the coastline to see what was there. The ocean seemed quite rough this morning, with large waves breaking.

Of course there were seagulls around, as well as very small shore birds that loved flying around in a large flock.


After walking the beach for a while, we headed back into town.

Like most of the towns in this area Eureka is noted for their restored Victorian homes and buildings. A lot of the buildings in town have been restored or are in the process.




We hope that you have enjoyed our visit to the Northern part of California. Tomorrow we spend the night in LA prior to boarding the Amsterdam.

Cheers!

Northern California

After our guided tour yesterday, we are both in awe of the Redwoods. They are so majestic and absolutely beautiful. Today we decided to strike out on our own, and drive south to see another part of the forest. A few miles south of Eureka is a road that parallels Route 101 called Avenue of the Giants.

What a stunning drive that was. Redwoods even larger than what we saw yesterday. It was well worth the time spent to drive down to there. On our way back, we noticed a road that went out to the West and then North towards Eureka, and we decided to check that out.

A twisty, winding road that rose slowly up into the mountains with fantastic scenery along the way.

After a couple of hours in the mountains, we started to descend. Towards the bottom, we came upon the coastline and the Pacific Ocean.

The road went along the coast for about 5 or 6 miles, and then back up into the mountains, finally arriving at a little town called Ferndale. Ferndale is known locally as the "Victorian Town". There are numerous buildings and houses that were built in the 1800's in the Victorian style, and have been restored.

Finally arriving back at our hotel around 5pm, we went out to an Irish Pub for dinner. Tomorrow we will stroll around the historic district of Eureka, and take it easy. We will have to be on the road Tuesday by 6am to drive down to San Francisco.

Cheers!

The Redwood Forest

Today we were off on a guided tour of the Redwood Forest. What a delightful day it was. The sun was shining but the temperature stayed in the mid to high 60's throughout the day, which made for some great photo opportunities.

On the way North from Eureka where we are staying, we saw one of the local natives and stopped to take his picture.


It's very difficult to really show the reality of their size, but this picture at least tries.


Further into the trees, the sun was shining down through them providing an interesting picture.


And finally, to attempt to show just how big some of the trees were, here is Sharon standing next to one.


After leaving the forest, we headed back South and made a few stops near the ocean along the way and managed to see some seals lounging on rocks and playing in the water. All in all it was a wonderful day and we are very tired and still recovering from our jetlag.

Tomorrow we will drive down to an area called the Avenue of Giants that is supposed to have even larger Redwoods.

Until then, our best to all!

In Eureka California

After rising at 3am this morning and getting around to catch a 7am flight out of Dulles, we are safe and sound six hours North of San Francisco in the heart of the Redwood Forest area. We both are a little jet lagged and trying to stay awake for another hour or so but we may not make it.

We meet our local guide at 9am tomorrow morning and will spend the day exploring the local area. The weather is supposed to be in the mid 60's with partly cloudy sky so it should be a great day for taking pictures. We definitely will see the Redwoods, and hopefully some sea life and maybe an elk or two. I will post a few of our better pictures tomorrow night.

More to come tomorrow, our best to everyone!

Cheers!