This is our final blog from our Tahiti trip in April where we stopped for a second time at Bora Bora and Nuka Hiva in addition to visiting Maui and Honolulu.
Our return trip to Bora Bora was enjoyable with a fun day snorkeling and jet skiing around the island. Our guide was a very talented native from Bora Bora who was a cross between Maui and Tarzan. He had a physique like Maui from the Disney movie but dressed in a loin cloth like Tarzan. The girls absolutely loved him and the other women from our cruise ship that saw us on our return were very envious of the tour we took! We made 2 stops for snorkeling where we saw many more Black Tip sharks and some beautiful coral reefs with pretty, tropical fish swimming in and out of the coral. In between stops our guide played the Ukulele and sang while telling us stories of his island. We stopped at one of the Motus to have a very tasty lunch of fish and chicken with some great tropical side dishes. After lunch we took a jet ski tour around the island. It was one of the most exciting jet ski tours we ever took because of the fast speeds we were at flying around the island while trying to avoid the waves that might knock you over. It seemed like the jet skis were in the air as much as they were in the water as we sped across the waves. It was a great tour to end our final visit of Bora Bora, but we know we will be back in the future! Sharon is already planning a return to the islands to see the baby whales during breeding season and has found a guide that will allow you to swim with the baby whales as the mother looks on carefully.
Our final stop in French Polynesia was a stop at Nuka Hiva. While Greg went to the island to get better internet to send out some blogs, Sharon and Lisa walked around the port to see what was there. When we first got into the port, we saw some of the crew buying some large fresh tuna from some of the fisherman to bring back on board our cruise ship. We were having Polynesian night the following day and watching them cook this fresh fish in front of you is a real show. Lisa and Sharon walked all the way to the other side of the port and found a beautiful resort that they would like to stay at some time in the future. Although we didn’t do much at this port this time around, it was a beautiful island to watch as we sailed away from the French Polynesian islands on our way to Hawaii.
In Hawaii we first stopped in Lahaina in Maui and took an Uber to Whalers Village which is a very nice mall to walk around and shop. The mall itself is located on the beach where you can spend the day sunning yourself or just enjoying the waves. It was a little overcast when we were there, and we had spent plenty of time in the ocean after our trip to French Polynesia. Instead of going to the beach we elected to have a drink and appetizers at one of the many beachside restaurants in the area. We then went back to Lahaina to do some shopping at the many interesting stores in the area. Before going back on the ship, we stopped at our favorite restaurant in the area – Kool Kats. This place has some great hamburgers, and the fries and onion rings shouldn’t be missed either. We didn’t need to have dinner back on the ship that night.
Our final port stop was in Honolulu where we had an overnight stop. Greg was excited about this stop because he had arranged to play golf with his sister at her golf course, which is one of the nicest on the island. A few former presidents our members there. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day and after driving over to Greg’s sister’s place it was decided to cancel the tee time and instead drove around the area a while before picking out a nice seafood restaurant to have a nice lunch. Later in the day we walked from the cruise port all the way to Waikiki Beach and back to take a few sunset pictures. A nice 15 mile walk to stay in shape. The following day we rented a car and drove up to the North Shore of the island taking pictures and watching the surfers up there. We stopped at the Dole Pineapple farm on the way back took their tour. We also had some of their pineapple ice cream which was good. We always enjoy our visits to Hawaii, and it is always nice to catch up with Greg’s sister and brother in law.
The trip back to Los Angeles was uneventful. We were able to relax and enjoy several sea days. This was the first time we had cruised with Oceania, and everybody seemed to like this cruise line. They are known for the food and that did not disappoint. The ship is a little older and the cabins are not as modern as the newer ships.
We leave in a few weeks for another cruise where we go to Norway, Iceland, and Greenland. We have several cruises booked through early 2025. Here is a list of where we are going in case you see anything that looks interesting to you.
Regards,
Sharon and Greg
Our return trip to Bora Bora was enjoyable with a fun day snorkeling and jet skiing around the island. Our guide was a very talented native from Bora Bora who was a cross between Maui and Tarzan. He had a physique like Maui from the Disney movie but dressed in a loin cloth like Tarzan. The girls absolutely loved him and the other women from our cruise ship that saw us on our return were very envious of the tour we took! We made 2 stops for snorkeling where we saw many more Black Tip sharks and some beautiful coral reefs with pretty, tropical fish swimming in and out of the coral. In between stops our guide played the Ukulele and sang while telling us stories of his island. We stopped at one of the Motus to have a very tasty lunch of fish and chicken with some great tropical side dishes. After lunch we took a jet ski tour around the island. It was one of the most exciting jet ski tours we ever took because of the fast speeds we were at flying around the island while trying to avoid the waves that might knock you over. It seemed like the jet skis were in the air as much as they were in the water as we sped across the waves. It was a great tour to end our final visit of Bora Bora, but we know we will be back in the future! Sharon is already planning a return to the islands to see the baby whales during breeding season and has found a guide that will allow you to swim with the baby whales as the mother looks on carefully.
Our final stop in French Polynesia was a stop at Nuka Hiva. While Greg went to the island to get better internet to send out some blogs, Sharon and Lisa walked around the port to see what was there. When we first got into the port, we saw some of the crew buying some large fresh tuna from some of the fisherman to bring back on board our cruise ship. We were having Polynesian night the following day and watching them cook this fresh fish in front of you is a real show. Lisa and Sharon walked all the way to the other side of the port and found a beautiful resort that they would like to stay at some time in the future. Although we didn’t do much at this port this time around, it was a beautiful island to watch as we sailed away from the French Polynesian islands on our way to Hawaii.
In Hawaii we first stopped in Lahaina in Maui and took an Uber to Whalers Village which is a very nice mall to walk around and shop. The mall itself is located on the beach where you can spend the day sunning yourself or just enjoying the waves. It was a little overcast when we were there, and we had spent plenty of time in the ocean after our trip to French Polynesia. Instead of going to the beach we elected to have a drink and appetizers at one of the many beachside restaurants in the area. We then went back to Lahaina to do some shopping at the many interesting stores in the area. Before going back on the ship, we stopped at our favorite restaurant in the area – Kool Kats. This place has some great hamburgers, and the fries and onion rings shouldn’t be missed either. We didn’t need to have dinner back on the ship that night.
Our final port stop was in Honolulu where we had an overnight stop. Greg was excited about this stop because he had arranged to play golf with his sister at her golf course, which is one of the nicest on the island. A few former presidents our members there. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day and after driving over to Greg’s sister’s place it was decided to cancel the tee time and instead drove around the area a while before picking out a nice seafood restaurant to have a nice lunch. Later in the day we walked from the cruise port all the way to Waikiki Beach and back to take a few sunset pictures. A nice 15 mile walk to stay in shape. The following day we rented a car and drove up to the North Shore of the island taking pictures and watching the surfers up there. We stopped at the Dole Pineapple farm on the way back took their tour. We also had some of their pineapple ice cream which was good. We always enjoy our visits to Hawaii, and it is always nice to catch up with Greg’s sister and brother in law.
The trip back to Los Angeles was uneventful. We were able to relax and enjoy several sea days. This was the first time we had cruised with Oceania, and everybody seemed to like this cruise line. They are known for the food and that did not disappoint. The ship is a little older and the cabins are not as modern as the newer ships.
We leave in a few weeks for another cruise where we go to Norway, Iceland, and Greenland. We have several cruises booked through early 2025. Here is a list of where we are going in case you see anything that looks interesting to you.
- Norway/Svalbard/Iceland/Greenland cruise in August
- Broken into two 14-night segments
- Canada/New England cruise in September
- No staterooms available on ship
- Greek Isles/Mediterranean cruise in October
- No staterooms available on ship
- Vietnam/Singapore/Bangkok/Hong Kong cruise in January 2024
- Two back-to-back cruises available
- Wonder of the Seas Caribbean cruise in February 2024
- Over Winter Break in Fayette County GA
- South America/Panama Canal cruise in March 2024
- Distinctive Voyage
- Kenya/Masai Mara Safari in July 2024
- Very limited availability
- Viking Christmas Market River Cruise in December 2024
- Group rates available
- Amazon/Brazil cruise in January 2025
- Miami to Rio de Janeiro on Oceania
- Transatlantic/Cape Town cruise & Safari in February 2025
- Rio de Janeiro to Cape Town on Oceania
- French Polynesia/Hawaiian Island cruise in April 2025
- Distinctive Voyage
Regards,
Sharon and Greg
Bora Bora Pictures
Nuka Hiva Pictures
Hawaii Pictures
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