Another ‘Coral Garden’

On March 11 we pulled anchor from Tapuamu Bay and went around the northern part of Taha’a. After going almost 15 nm (in yellow below) we anchored near another snorkeling area that is also called ‘Coral Gardens’. We got in the dinghy and headed there (red line on map) for a really nice few hours of drifting with the fish.

The fish were probably not quite a numerous as in the first Coral Gardens but again, they seemed to be fine with us being close and some were even curious enough to come right up to the lens of my camera or nibble on the end of my finger.

After snorkeling and a late lunch, we pulled anchor and headed to Ha’amene Bay (see green line on map above). This bay almost cuts Taha’a in half and has a nice little town at the end of the bay. Because it is so long, it is also a very good place to shelter if the weather turns bad. It is known as a ‘hurricane hole’ for the protection it gives from the wind and storm surge.

The next morning we went into town and did some shopping. I was able to find a hardware store that had the parts I needed to fix our deck shower (where we rinse off the salt water after taking a dip). Sun had degraded a plastic fitting so a few parts had to be replaced. I had been struggling with getting a workable solution for about a week so this was a welcome find! We also found a magasin (small grocery store) that had a number of things we had not been able to find other places, including some spices and a green curry paste. Yum!

Walking along the road we saw a number of large greenhouses for growing vanilla. It is a big business on Taha’a.

This is a new greenhouse, before the vanilla is planted. Vanilla is a variety of orchid and often grows in tropical forests, in the ‘understory’ where is gets filtered light. Here, the screen filters the light. The ‘roots’ will go into the piles of coir (coconut husk) at the bottom and climb up the concrete pillars. The plant is a ‘semi-epiphytic’ meaning its roots can go into soil or the ‘roots’ can be on a tree trunk or, in this case, a concrete pilar. The vines can grow to over 200 ft long but here they will be trimmed to fit the pillars. Vanilla is the second most expensive (in $/lb) plant we eat (after Saffron). Each flower must be pollinated by hand, contributing to the cost of the product.

We also noticed what looked like an odd shaped mail-box in front of many homes.

It happens to be just the right size for morning delivery of a fresh baguette! This being FRENCH polynesia, and baguettes being everywhere, it makes sense.

Another thing that caught our attention was the many small cemeteries. The people like to have their ancestors buried very close and they visit the graves often.

The small structure with the blue roof is a cemetery in front of a family home. There are fresh flowers on all the graves.

On the 13th we pulled anchor and went out to an area just north of the pass opposite Ha’amene Bay. We spent the night there. I slept out on deck – zillions of stars! A really beautiful night!

The next morning we heard from Raiatea Carenage – they found a way to fit us into their schedule and could do our haulout the next day, Friday the 15th. Great news!

Mid morning we pulled anchor and went to the Pension Hibiscus (back in Ha’amene Bay) where they have a very nice restaurant.

I had a great broiled fish with rice and lots veggies and Peggy had a veggie noodle dish. Both very good.

After lunch, we motored back to where we were almost a week ago, right outside Raiatea Carenage, to be ready for our haulout the next day. See the orange path above.

The next post will be all about the haulout, the work done while Calista was ‘on the hard’ and the little bit of sight-seeing we did between boat jobs.