Day 48 (2nd October 2015)

A view of Vaitape, the main port facility on small Bora Bora in French Polynesia. Taken from the Golden Princess.

A distant view of Bora Bora from our ship showing the cloud covering the main mountain.

The main street in Vaitape, showing the Protestant Church, Bora Bora.

A great view of the coastal road near Faanui, Bora Bora.

On the eastern side of Bora Bora, a church with the island’s tallest peak Mt Otermanu.

The “Le Truk”. Anne is there somewhere? Taken near Anau on Bora Bora.

Do you wonder where kapok comes from? This picture is the kapok tree on Bora Bora.

Our “Bloody Mary” guide showing how to put on a sarong during our trip around Bora Bora.

The view from Bora Bora showing the smaller islands “Motu”. Note the different colours of the lagoon waters.

Near Anau on Bora Bora. The majority of private boats are elevated and stored when not in use.

This bungalow is believed to be owned by Jack Nicholson, near Matira, Bora Bora.

 Land crabs everywhere on Bora Bora. The islanders hate them they destroy gardens. I believe they are good eating when prepared carefully.

A typical over-the-water bungalow near Matira, Bora Bora.

There are heaps of first-class hotels (bungalows) on Bora Bora. Most are located near the reefs on Motu(s).

A view of the small lagoon bay near Matira, Bora Bora.

This is the only public beach on Bora Bora – beautiful white sand. All other beaches around the island are privately owned.

A zoomed picture of the outer reef. Rough and dangerous. Taken from Bora Bora.

Our Golden Princess in the Baie de Povai (inside the lagoon) Bora Bora.

Inside the Bloody Mary bar on Bora Bora.

Ahhh – drinking a Bloody Mary on Bora Bora.

The main street of Vaitape, Bora Bora. Mainly tourist stores to cater for us “boat people”.

We arrived at Bora Bora at 7 am and to an overcast day. Bora Bora is exactly what the brochures say regarding the beautiful waters and scenery of the island. Remember this was the scene for the film South Pacific depicting Bali Hai. Unfortunately, there were low clouds covering the tops of the mountains. The island is surrounded by Motu(s) which are smaller islands that circle a huge reef at almost 330 degrees around Bora Bora. There is a small entrance which the Golden Princess has to sail through to reach the inner lagoon. There is also a road around the island, it follows the coastline for 32 klms. Abundant are mango trees, breadfruit, lime trees, banyans and just about every other tropical fruit trees known. The islanders have a happy lifestyle and definitely could not starve. It is also the holiday location of the rich and famous. Jack Nicholson has a water bungalow on the island. Marlon Brando idolised this paradise and lived here during his breaks. About 10:30 am we had to sail by tender boat to the main centre at Vaitape. We boarded a “Le Truk” and drove around the island. The following pictures do not do justice to the amazing colours of the waters surrounding the coastline. Near the end of the drive we stopped at Bloody Mary’s, a drinking hole frequented by many movie stars such as Pierce Brosnan, Keanu Reeves, Cameron Diaz, Goldie Hawn (and naturally Kurt Russell) etc etc. Neil tried the Bloody Mary but tomato juice was not the best mixer with vodka – said he. The amazing aspect about this bar, except that it was named after the James A Michener creation and portrayed in the film “South Pacific” is that the floor is sand. We were certain that our Bora Bora guide looked like Bloody Mary in the movie. After wandering down the short main street in Vaitape we returned to the ship and departed from Bora Bora before nightfall at 5 pm. We guess that this is best to navigate in daylight out of the narrow entrance through the rough reefs. On board we were told by the Captain that we will be experiencing a rough passage tomorrow morning – gale force winds with 10-14 feet waves. So…we need to batten down all loose items in the cabin. The quote of the day comes from….wait for it, an American; when our lovely “Bloody Mary” tour guide rolled her own cigarette, this person past the message through our Le Truk that they must grow “pot” on the island. Cigarettes are already made not rolled! Cheers.