Day 47 (1st October 2015)

Papeete, Tahiti from our ship – am hours.

Local wahines’ greeting us as we left the Golden Princess, Papeete, Tahiti.

A tour stop overlooking the waters on the northern part of Tahiti. Also site of the 1769 landing of Captain James Cook.

Black beaches on the northern side of Tahiti.

Breadfruit in the Tahitian rain forest.

This fruit is currently under research as a cure for cancer – so our knowledgeable guide told us. The tree is called the soursap.

One of the many waterfalls in the Papenoo Valley, Tahiti.

Our four wheel drive, guide and passengers – located in the heart of Tahiti, Papenoo Valley.

Another magnificent waterfall in Papenoo Valley, Tahiti.

A sacred old Tahitian warrior site in the Papenoo Valley.  Supposedly where the practice of cannibalism told place.

Mountain stream with waterfall in the Papenoo Valley, Tahiti.

And another waterfall in the Papenoo Valley, Tahiti.

The high mountain walls inside the Papenoo Valley, Tahiti.

The peaceful mountain stream where we could have swam – Papenoo Valley, Tahiti.

A local eel – Papenoo Valley, Tahiti.

A pine tree unusually perched on a small coastal location. Located on the northern coast of Tahiti.

A northern coastal view of Tahiti.

The back end of the Golden Princess in Papeete Harbour, Tahiti.

A side view of the Golden Princess in Papeete Harbour, Tahiti.

The local church in the heart of Papeete, Tahiti.

Anne is watching her black pearl earrings being set – in Papeete, Tahiti.

We believe this may be a hotel in the heart of Papeete, Tahiti.

One of the crowded streets in the heart of Papeete, Tahiti.

Some form of infamy regarding nuclear testing – located along Papeete Harbour, Tahiti.

A great view of our Golden Princess in Papeete Harbour, Tahiti.

Local girl selling sarongs in Papeete – Anne bought one just before boarding the ship.

We arrived and berthed at Papeete at 7:30 am and not long after we were boarding a land Rover four wheel drive with six other passengers up into the mountainous heart of Tahiti. It was an overcast day however the temperature was perfect – not hot nor cold. We entered the Papenoo Valley where many waterfalls sheer drop down from the high mountains. Many various indigenous trees abound and the village encountered along the coastal road reminded us of old Penang, Malaysia in the 70’s. The centre of Tahiti is rain forest, many mozzies and many places to swim. At one spot we were invited to wallow in a pool that is a favourite haunt of local eels. Nobody tried to make friends with this large aquatic critter. We arrived back at Papeete at 12:30 pm and ready to join the next tour titled “Undiscovered Tahiti”. We had paid for this and the bus that were to take us was late and we missed out on having lunch. We decided that we were not joining the mass oldies who were preparing to rush for the goods seats and we left for Papeete town on our own. We managed to find a high speed Wifi and updated this blogspot and later walked around the town. Anne bought some famous Tahiti black pearl earrings and a Longchamp bag. We climbed aboard the ship at %:30 pm after an exhausting day and after forfeiting the cost of the tour we were meant to be on was satisfied that we made the correct decision. Apparently the bus returned in darkness at 7:00 pm. We would have been starving and the sites that they presented was not that important for us to worry about. The Golden princess left Papeete at 8 pm for Bora Bora our next stop arriving tomorrow morning. It will be a tender transport affair again and we have a tour around the island. We will not miss out on this one. Bora Bora is famous for the film South Pacific’ and has the famous Bloody Mary Bar. Cheers.