All great adventures must come to an end and the end of my pacific adventure was insight. We had a couple of days of smooth sailing to Tahiti, most of it under sail until the wind died off just as we got closer to the Island.
We anchored just outside the main harbour, close to the reefs, which were sadly very damaged & not teeming with life, as the others we had snorkelled in the Tuamotus. We stayed in harbour for five days, as some crew members left & we new members joined for the next passage. This time also included a trip in to Pape’ete, which was also sadly disappointing. Having spent so long away from towns of any decent size, the whole crew ended up leaving as soon as all errands had been run.
However, as we explored the island we were soon to discover the tropical beauty of it and the incredibly friendly locals – another crew member and myself spent a day hitchhiking around half the island, visiting Point Venus and the northern coastline. After discovering this probably wasn’t the most time efficient way to see Tahiti, a few of us decided to hire a car.
We woke up early and managed to make it around to Papara for breakfast – we continued along the southern coast, heading down to Taravao look out over the dramatic landscape of Tahiti Iti. With one last stop to wonder at Vaimahutu Falls, before heading back to Infinity.
Our time in Tahiti also coincide with the big surf at Teahupo’o, with a few keen surfers amongst the crew, we headed back to the south coast of the island on the first bus down the coast. Down at the dock we managed to secure a boat to take us out into the channel, where we witnessed some of the most skilled & insane surfers in the world – we just so happened to be there whilst they were filming ‘Point Break Two’, so managed to make my movie debut at the same time!
With only a few days left as a full crew, before some of us flew on to further adventures, we headed over to the small island of Mo’orea, which was possibly even more beautiful, due to how relatively untouched it was. As we entered the pass in to Cooks Bay a mother & calf humpback whale swam just meters below the boat, which meant once again the crew jumping overboard with snorkels and fins to catch glimpse before the swam off.
On the Saturday morning Sage, the kids & I went ashore to explore – which ended up with us catching the lift on the back of a Landover to the viewing point over the hills of lush greenery and fields of pineapples. Before heading back down the beach for a picnic lunch whilst the girls paddled in the sea.
On the Sunday it was Dea’s 21st Birthday, which was cause for much celebration. After a day of snorkelling the reefs, we sailed back to the anchor spot in the harbour in Tahiti and threw a party, inviting other crews over to join in the celebrations, with live music and lots of drinks it was a great way to end this adventure. After four months on Infinity is was finally time to leave the boat and catch a flight to New Zealand, for the next adventure.
