Papeete Tahiti the land of plenty

Papeete is a bustling city, frenzied by the early morning arrival of large cruise ships and their hundreds of visitors and the marine industry (as one might expect being the biggest city in the middle of the Pacific). Our slip at the Papeete Marina was located just 50' off the main road (it's the closest to on-street parking we will likely ever put Okisollo), so it was quite noisy up until about 10 pm. There were 4 chandleries within walking district as well as two large ACEs (one for tools, the other for paint and home goods). There were several grocery stores as well as the beautiful Papeete Market also a short walk away. We were surprised to find that all the things we could have possibly wanted were available and the prices were not unreasonable. Expensive yes, but not outrageous.

Okisollo at the dock in central Papeete

Dan spent a few days working out how to get our batteries charged, now that we were in 230v land -- where 110v power is no longer accessible. After figuring that out, we were delighted to have some air conditioning while at the dock. It was certainly warm being tied up nearly next to the pavement, and in the shadow of the cruise ships there was not much breeze.

Enjoying a fabulous French meal, with fabulous deserts! (Photo credit: Will on Sea Wisdom II)

Each night we were delighted to enjoy food 'off boat'. We had delightful steaks, burgers, oysters, and pizza. We re-connected with friends we hadn't seen for a few weeks. We saw another Polynesian performance at the very same place we had visited 26 years before.

Wild rooster roaming around on Tahiti

Upland Tahiti

We also had some time to do some sightseeing visiting the Polynesian museum. It was especially cool after having recently read "Sea People" by Christina Thompson (a must read if you are interested in Polynesia!) We took a 4x4 truck into the interior of Tahiti and saw beautiful scenery, many waterfalls AND fresh water eels (eewwww--they are friendly but I still don't appreciate them!)

Stitched together canoes from the Tuomotus at the Polynesian Museum

Tikis at the Polynesian Museum, Tahiti

By the end of our weeklong stay, we'd been city-ed out. Our credit card was weary of use and it was time to again, get away from the hustle and head out. With our provisions re-packed and organized, our boat ship shape and a last visit to the Sunday Market at 6 am...we were on our way to the photogenic island of Moorea just a short hop away.

The vibrant municipal market Papeete

The Sunday morning market at 6:30 am fills the streets surrounding the municipal market building. We are all filled up and ready for the next legs of the trip.