Two more sea days and we have arrived in French Polynesia. Our route, past Easter Island and Pitcairn, has taken us through the centre of the South Pacific Gyre. This is a system of currents rotating between South America and Australia with a large, static area in the centre. The lack of currents here makes the ocean relatively unproductive. Sometimes described as an oceanic desert. What we experienced was clear blue seas but no bird life and no whales. The ship’s crew have been putting on a variety of games and events to keep us happy. The latest of these was the “Teddy Tumble” or, as I thought of it, teddy tossing. An hour before our arrival at the first atoll many of the passengers were to be found at the top of the main staircase. Five floors below was a small bucket. The objective was to drop a teddy bear from the top into the bucket. Each passenger was given three bears. I think two bears actually made it into the bucket.
Back in the real world, we took on board at pilot just outside Katui, our entry point to French Polynesia. Nobody went ashore here but some officials came aboard to stamp a few passports. After many days at sea, the area seemed alarmingly crowded. There were two more cruise ships, a plethora of yachts, an airport and many buildings. The World caught my attention. This is a cruise ship but it is run like a condominium. It contains 165 cabins which can be purchased outright. The residents live onboard as the ship travels. Some choose to live onboard full-time while others visit periodically. They all have a say in where the ship goes. It has traversed the Northwest passage. In 2017 it broke the world record for being the southernmost ship at the Bay of Whales. The same place that our ship, the Douglas Mawson, pushed the record even further in March. https://salter.blog/2026/03/02/bay-of-whales/
Paperwork done, we left in the evening to anchor off Tahanea Atoll, an uninhabited chain of islands. Next morning was zodiac cruising. This was fun and pleasant in the warm early morning sunshine. We saw some Black Tipped Reef Sharks. Quite small animals. Usually, a lot less than 2 m. As our friend Bruce explained, these are not dangerous unless you pull their tail or try to cuddle them. There were a few birds around but they seemed quite shy and mostly kept their distance.
In the afternoon we went snorkelling. No photographs of this. I am planning to get a waterproof camera because the sights along the reef are amazing. Many brightly coloured fish, giant clams and the occasional shark. Only about the fourth time Diane has been snorkelling ever but she is really getting the hang of it now.
Next day we moved up to Anaa where a small community lives. We were all invited to a cultural presentation. First, however, we got up early for some more snorkelling. There is no stopping Diane now. Warm water. Masses of brightly coloured fish. Interesting coral. Small sharks. Great way to start the day.
A shower and a change of clothes later we arrived at the presentation. They gave us cold, green coconuts to drink. This is terrific stuff. Tasty and not too sweet. We wandered around the place a little. There was some music and dancing girls. There was a demonstration of how to prepare a mature coconut. Coconuts are everything here. They are used for eating, building, decorating and many other things. No part of the plant is wasted. We were served some local foods. To my surprise this was not all fish. I mean, there was quite a lot of fish but there was also savoury coconut fritters, breadfruit fritters, a savoury cake made from coconut milk, some sweets and other things. It was all very tasty. If asked, I will usually say that I don’t like coconut. There is a coconut taste, the flavour you get in a Bounty bar, which I am really not bothered about. But this coconut was lovely. A much more delicate and interesting taste.
Coconuts all finished, we headed back to the ship at lunchtime. The anchor was pulled up and we set sail for Tahiti.
