Thursday 30th July - Port Maurelle; Vav'u Tonga

We had a nice lazy day today - a walk to the local village (where we saw only 1 person but around 50 pigs running wild!) and then back to the boat for some rest and relaxation! We were going to head to a cave in the dinghy for a snorkel but decided lounging the sun was more appropriate - cave tomorrow - maybe!
We had Keith and Dianne from Chriselle over for drinks and had a great time with them - they are as crazy as us!!
Salami and green pepper pasta for tea!!

29th July, Port Maurelle, Tonga

We headed ashore this morning to collect our washing and buy bread before heading off to explore the many anchorages in the Vava'u island group. Getting our washing back from CocoNet was like heaven - it had been washed, dried and folded and was a very nice treat after hand washing!!
We left the town and motored for half an hour to reach our first anchorage where we wanted to visit a nearby cave. We had lunch and headed to the beach. On the beach we got talking to a boat called Moon Glow who had been interested in our dinghy - there were a couple of New Zealand who had sailed up to Tonga for the season.
From the beach we decided to go and say hello to Chriselle who are friends of Christine Anne and Sea Dove. Keith and Diane are a lovely couple from New Zealand who have been circum navigating for 8 years and are now emigrating to Australia. By the time we left Chriselle it was 7pm!!
Back on Newt we had tea and watched a dvd.

28th July, Neiafu, Tonga

We waved goodbye to Christine Anne and Sunchaser this morning as they headed off Fiji – it was great to catch up with them for a couple of days.
We headed over to say hello to Sea Dove who we had met in Bora Bora and felt guilty because we got them out of bed!!
We headed ashore to drop off our laundry and get some fresh fruit and veg from the market. We had arranged to meet a local craft guy to go to his workshop to see some of his carving work but when we met him in the morning he had a job to do and we agreed to meet again at lunchtime.
We headed back to the boat for lunch and then went back ashore to meet the local guy (Tui). We walked out to his house and workshop and he showed us some of the projects he had in mind. He didn't really have any work to show us but it was amazing to see his house and the views he had.
For the rest of the afternoon I did internet jobs whilst Jonny filled in our customs form for Fiji and then we headed ashore for a drink.
We have hopefully sold our spare dinghy from the UK – we just need to blow it up and check that it is working ok as it has been deflated in the cockpit locker since St Lucia.

27th July, Neiafu, Tonga

We headed over to the customs wharf this morning to clear in and were visited by 4 different officials – customs, immigration, quarantine and health! All were very friendly and the procedure was easy.
Whilst at the dock we were approached by a local guy whose daughter makes flags. We have all the courtesy flags we need but he said she would be able to make us a new red ensign (ours is looking abit faded!!). We agreed a price and although it seemed slightly expensive we decided it was helping the locals and to go for it. Jonny was going to the bank to get some money when one of the tour operators advised me not to deal with the local guy because he is expensive and the flags are poor quality so I called Jonny back. The flag guy wasn't happy that we changed our minds but accepted it but said he was going to go to the police about the tour guide that warned us off!!
We took Newt back to a mooring buoy and then went for a walk around town. It seems like a very cute place. We had a walk round the market and bought a yacht necklace each (10TP$ each or 10TP$ for 2!!). The guy invited us to his workshop to see some of his other work so we are meeting him tomorrow.
After lunch Jonny took our genoa over to Christine Anne to fix the UV strip and I did internet jobs.
At 5pm we headed ashore with Christine Anne and Sunchaser to the Balcony restaurant which was a great evening with lovely food.

25th/26th July, Neiafu, Tonga

Although Tonga is not at 180 degrees it is classed as being on the other side of the dateline so the day started of as Sat 25th and Sun 26th – Jonny is very upset because he feels he has missed some meals!!
We spoke to Christine Anne and Sunchaser as we approached the north end of the island – they are both on buoys at the town and we were looking forward to seeing them when we arrived. As we approached the harbour we radioed the Aquarium Café and got a mooring buoy and Russ (Christine Anne) came out in his dinghy to meet us and show us where it was.
Russ then took us over to Christine Anne for coffee and chocolate cake and Sunchaser came over with another chocolate cake. It was great to catch up with them again.
Back on the boat we tidied the boat up and put it all back to together. Luckily in the squall last night we only broke a baton in the main and we had a spare so Jonny was able to replace it.
We headed ashore with Sunchaser and Christine Anne to have fish and chips at the Aquarium which was yummy!!

24th July, Niue to Tonga

We carried on making good progress throughout the day. The wind eased slightly but without the reefs we were still making good speed. Towards the end of the day the seas had eased off and it was a comfortable sail.
At 9pm the wind started getting up and there was a huge black cloud in front of us so I called Jonny to come and help me put a reef in. We got the first reef in but as the wind was still increasing we decided to put the second reef in as well. Suddenly the wind went for 15 – 20 knots behind us to 35 – 40 knots on the nose and torrential rain. We decide to drop the main as it was out on the preventor and was going to get damaged. For 2 hours we battled into 35 knot headwinds and big seas doing less than a knot at times – not a very pleasant experience!!
By midnight the wind and seas had eased but the wind was still on the nose so we carried on motoring towards Tonga.

23rd July, Niue to Tonga

We went ashore in the morning to check out, pay for our mooring buoy and spend any remaining NZ$ in the supermarket. After lunch on the boat we headed off on the 250 mile trip to Tonga. As we were heading out of the bay a whale swam passed which was amazing. We were making good progress with just the main up and the dinghy was in the way of the spinnaker pole which we would have needed for the genoa and also the UV strip on the genoa had started to come unstitched so we decided to just sail with the main. It was a rocky and rolly evening with some good wind and we were making good progress despite having to put 2 reefs in the main.

22nd July, Niue Yacht Club, Niue

We headed ashore at 9am with Andy (Calysta) to pick up our hire car. We had an amazing day driving round the island - the road around the island is 68km long but it took us all day to get round because there was so much to see. The caves were fantastic, the rock pools were stunning and the chasms were great. The only downside was we tried to find the Vaikona Chasm which Lonely Planet said was a 1km, 20min walk. It talked about 2 pools you could swim in and how you could explore further if you were brave. It said that you followed the red arrows to the cave and that a local guide was essential - we thought the guide would just be if you wanted to explore the caves further than the initial two pools so headed off following the red arrows. After an hour of scrambling over coral rocks and scrambling through jungle we arrived at the entrance to the cave which was a narrow gap into a gorge. Jonny went down to explore and said that it was spectacular but that you needed climbing gear to get to the pools - obviously why a local guide is needed!! So we trekked back to the car!!
Back in town we stopped at the Yacht Club for a burger for tea and to check the weather before heading back to the boat. The swell has gone down alot today and the motion is alot more pleasant.

21st July, Niue Yacht Club, Niue

A rolly night on the mooring buoy as the swell started coming from the south. In the morning we headed ashore to book a car for tomorrow, get a Niue driving licence from the Police Station and then go on a round the island tour with the locals. We had been told by the Immigration lady that one of the villages was having a drive round the island as part of a festival and we would be welcome to join them - we tried to find the meeting place at 12 when we were told they would be leaving but could no sign of any cars. After a while we gave up and headed back to the boat. About 1.30 we heard cars tooting their horns at setting off - it was obviously 12 local time!! I spent the afternoon in bed - still trying to catch up on some sleep from the passage and Jonny did some jobs.
When we had come back from lunch we picked up another buoy with a stern line to pull the bow into the swell and make the motion better but got a call from the yacht club to say that we couldnt do that as it would be putting strain on their buoys.
Whales - i keep forgetting to mention the whales. On Sun night as we were entering the bay Jonny briefly saw a whale then that night we coiuld hear them around the boat in the dark but couldnt see them. When we arrived back at the boat on Mon afternoon we could see a whale in the distance jumping out of the water and doing huge slaps - even from a distance it was spectacular. That night again we could her the whales - one even woke me up!! On Tue night the whales were even closer (less than 10m from the boat) but because there is no moon at the mo you couldnt see them just hear them.

20th July, Niue Yacht Club, Niue

We were planning on going ashore at 10am to check in because thats when the yacht club opened and someone would be able to help us with the crane to lift the dinghy - because of the swell that they sometimes get they have a crane to lift your dinghy out onto the wharf!! However at 8.30 we got a call from Niue Radio saying that customs wanted us ashore at 9am. At the wharf they were some construction workers who showed us how to use the crane which was great fun!! We headed to customs and then to immigration to clear in. On the way back to the bank we were met by Keith, the commodore of Niue Yacht Club, who took us for a drive along the coast to point out key things to us. In 2007 Niue was hit by a cyclone. The most damage was done by waves that were 35m high washing houses off the cliffs. In the bank we changed some US$ into NZ$ - vthe bank only takes visa credit cards (and has a high charge for doing so) so the best way to get money is to change another currency.
From the bank we headed to the yacht club and had an ice cream - yummy!!
After lunch back at the boat we headed back ashore to use the internet at the Yacht Club - it was a slow connection but we managed to check our e mails.
We had been invited on a walk with some of the locals in teh evening but we were still tired from the passage so headed back to Newt for tea and an early night.

Day 8 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Niue??)

At 8.30pm we picked up a buoy provided by Niue Yacht Club off the main town on Niue. You have to use buoys here because there is too much coral to anchor and a big drop off. It was dark (and no moonlight) when we entered the harbour but Andy (Calysta) had arrived earlier in the day and was on deck with a torch to guide us to a buoy. We are the only 2 yachts in the harbour! We checked in with Niue Radio and then had a nice evening watching dvds before an early night.

Day 7 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Niue??)

At 5pm the wind filled in and we could turn the engine off and sail. We had a lovely nights sailing with a nice breeze and little swell. By 8.30am it became clear that if we ran the engine to give us abit extra speed (0.5 knots) we could make it into Niue before dark so we turned the engine on - if we didnt make it by dark we would have to slow down and have another night at sea as we didnt want to try and pick up a mooring buoy in the dark as there is very little moonlight at the mo.

Day 7 distance traveled: 141n/m
Total distance traveled: 992n/m
Distance left to Niue: 52n/m

18th July 2009 - The end of one year at sea

Today is 12 months from when we moved aboard Newt! Here are some of the facts and figures of the last year:

Total Miles Travelled: 12,750 n/m
Average Miles per Day: 35 n/m
Number of Countries Visited: 18
Number of Anchorages / Harbours Visited: 80
Number of Nights at Sea: 89 (25%)
Number of Nights at Anchor: 184 (50%)
Number of Nights in Marina: 73 (20%) (only 1 night since Nov 08)
Number of Nights Mooring Bouy: 15 (4%)
Number of Nights on the Hard: 4 (1%)
Distance Left to Travel to Sydney: 2,362 n/m
Number of Days Left to Sydney: 95 Days (Approx)

During the year we have also become members of the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) - a club where you have to have completed a 1000 mile passage non stop to qualify. We have enjoyed meeting other people from the club on our travels.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our year abroad Newt and cant believe the time has passed so quickly. We are looking forward to our remaining time on board and also to starting our new lives in Sydney.

Day 6 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Niue??)

The wind died all day. For most of the day we were moving along at about 4 knots with the main on one side and the genoa on the other. By midnight it had died completely and we have been motoring ever since.

Day 6 distance traveled: 129n/m
Total distance traveled: 851n/m
Distance to Niue: 193n/m

Day 5 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Niue??)

The wind started to die at the start of the day but then picked back up again but just to a nice sailing strength. This morning we had blue skies and 10 - 12 knots of wind. I made bread for the first time since a high school cooking lessons - we are missing our french baguettes!!

Distanced traveled on Day 5: 159n/m
Total distance traveled: 722n/m
Distance to Niue: 322n/m

Day 4 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Niue??)

Another overcast day with lots of wind and rolly seas. We had to use some of emergency ration Uncles Bens instant rice for tea because we could only face being in the galley for the 2 mins it takes to cook. Forecast is for the winds to ease tomorrow and we woke up to blue skies this morning and less wind so looking better.
We have decided not to stop at Palmerston. There is a cold front coming through after the weekend and if we stop at Palmerston we will either be there (which isnt very protected and the mooring buoys are slightly dubious!!) or one route to Niue. If we carry on we can be in Niue before it arrives were we might be more sheltered at the buoys are definitely better.

Day 4 distanced traveled: 150n/m
Total distance traveled: 563 n/m
Distance remaining to Niue: 480n/m

Day 3 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Palmerston and Niue??)

A mixed day today. We spent the daytime with the main and cruising chute up doing about 4 knots in about 8 knots of wind. By the end of the day we had at least 25 knots of wind - 2 reefs in the main, half the genoa furled away and were still doing 7 knots!! The boat is coping well with the wind but big seas are making abit uncomfortable for the crew!!

Day 3 distance traveled: 138 n/m
Total distance traveled: 413n/m
Distance to Palmerston: 247n/m

Day 2 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Palmerston and Niue??)

A good days sailing with the wind starting to drop towards the end of the day as predicted in the weather files. Calysta is still within VHF range but out of sight.

Day 2 distance traveled: 125 n/m
Total distance traveled: 275 n/m
Distance to Palmerston: 384n/m

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Day 1 Bora Bora to Tonga (via Palmerston and Niue??)

After finishing our jobs this morning we left Bora Bora about 11am. We had good winds but the seas were initially very rolly but this settled down once we were clear of the islands. Calysta also left today on the same route so we are in VHF contact with him. We are heading towards Palmerston but are unsure whether we will be able to stop - it depends on the weather and whether there are any mooring buoys available.

Distance travelled on Day 1: 150 n/m

11th July, Bora Bora Yacht Club, Bora Bora

We woke up this morning to an overcast sky which was a problem because we wanted o head back up to the yacht club but we couldnt get back through the coral pass without good sunlight to help our visibility. At about 7.30 there was a small patch of blue sky so we decided to make a run for it - getting out of the pass was alot less scary than getting in!
We headed up to the yacht club and anchored. Today we wanted to get ready to leave tomorrow so we did some hand washing, took a load of washing in for their machines, filled up with water and went to the supermarket to get some fresh veg.
On the way back from town we saw Ishka who invited us on board but we needed to put some of the shopping in the fridge and see if our laundry was ready to hang out.
After lunch with the washing hung out we headed over to see Ishka - White Hawk and Blaze were also there so we had a fun afternoon.
We headed back to the boat for dinner and to finish our jobs and had been invited over to Natural Mystic (Tina (Norwegian) and Kyber (American)) for cocktails. We had a quick cocktail before heading ashore to watch the dance festival which was great.

10th July, South West anchorage (between Point Raititi and Point Matira), Bora Bora

Yesterday afternoon we had asked the local dive shop about good snorkeling spots so we spent the morning snorkeling and exploring. The coral was mostly dead but the fish were amazing.
In the afternoon we were going to go to the beach but it became very over cast so we did boat jobs.

9th July, South West anchorage (between Point Raititi and Point Matira), Bora Bora

We headed ashore and went to a shop that Jonny had seen computers in the window of when we had been walking around town. They couldn't help us but sent us to another shop. The shop had one option in stock and another they could get from Tahiti the next day but we decided to go with the option they already had.
Back on the boat Jonny spent the rest of the morning fixing the laptop and re installing the systems.
We decided to carry on exploring the island and to head down to the southern end. We got to near the end of the island where some boats were anchored but decided the anchorage around the point looked nicer. The passage around the point was heart stopping with 0.1m under the keel at times as we worked our way through the coral heads … but it was worth the effort because the anchorage was stunning.
We had a lovely afternoon exploring and then had to fix the dinghy because the floor kept going down … while we had been tied up to the town quay the night before someone had thrown a cigarette in the dinghy and burnt a hole in the floor!!

8th July, Motu Tapu, Bora Bora

After doing some internet jobs in the morning we decided to leave the yacht club and explore the rest of the island. We wanted to go ashore this evening to watch some of the local dance competition that was part of the festival so we wanted to anchor somewhere near to the town. We found a lovely spot next to a small island (motu) in crystal clear water.
I tried to send some SSB e mails from our navigation computer when lots of error messages appeared … the hard drive had died completely. This had started to happen in Tahiti so we had bought a spare external hard drive so that we could take the hard drive out of the one we already had and use it in the laptop. Unfortunately when Jonny tried to replace the hard drive the spare hard drive had stopped working??!! Jonny tried a couple of other options but they wouldn't work … we needed a new hard drive. We were going to go ashore in the morning and try and find a shop that sold them (although we weren't hopeful) or try and get one sent from Tahiti.
After dinner we headed ashore to watch the dancing. We met Coromandel Quest, Kathleen Love, Painted Skies, Calysta, Blaze and Equinox ashore as well. The dancing was amazing.

7th July, Bora Bora Yacht Club, Bora Bora

After dropping our laundry off (the yacht club had had to replace 3 washing machines in a year due to cruisers overfilling them so now they fill the machine for you!!) we were met by the taxi to take us to the jewelers.
After much debate I ended up having one pearl set in a necklace and a braclet made of the misshapen pearls. The braclet was going to take a while so the Sarah arranged to bring our jewellery to the yacht club this evening.
Sarah, Zerkovian Pearls (pick up a postcard size flyer in the tourist info and ask them to ring to get you collected) was brilliant. I would highly recommend any cruisers coming through here with pearls to be set visiting her.
We bought baguettes at the shop near the yacht club and then headed to town in the dinghy to go to the post office.
On the way back to Newt we stopped at Calysta to arrange getting diesel and then stopped at an English boat Kathleen Love to say hello. Grahame and Gillian have taken 3 years to get here and are doing a circum navigation. Gillian is from Preston originally.
After lunch Jonny headed off in the dinghy to fill the diesel jugs and I did some cleaning and tidying.
On their way past the boat Bruce and Cheryle, Sea Dove, Australian came past to say hello.
At 4pm Equinox (Scottish, Gordan and Ann) came over for drinks. We had met them initially in Portugal and have bumped into in various places on the trip but never had a chance to chat properly. We had a good couple of hours getting to know them before we headed ashore for dinner at the yacht club.
At the yacht club Sarah was waiting with my pearls which were stunning and I enjoyed wearing all night. After a yummy dinner we headed to Equinox. In 2006 Gordon had circum navigated Spitsbergen and made a film which they had invited us to watch. It was amazing and both of us left the boat saying we wanted to visit although it looked slightly colder than here!!

6th July, Bora Bora Yacht Club, Bora Bora

After sending a fax which will hopefully resolve the tax issue and get us some money back we left Tahaa to head to Bora Bora. As we approached the pass it didn't really look like there was a pass – there didn't seem to be a gap in the breaking waves but as we got closer it was clear.
We had a nice 25 mile sail across to the Bora Bora arriving just after lunch and where met by Andy waiting for us with a baguette!! We decided to stop at the yacht club for a couple of nights to do some washing before heading off to explore the island. Silk Sheets and Equinox were also at the yacht club.
We took the dinghy into the main town and had a fun afternoon walking round. We also went into some jewelers to look at getting some of the pearls I got given in Manihi set. We found a lovely jeweler south of the main town and are going back tomorrow with the pearls!
On the way back to Newt we stopped at an English OCC (Ocean Cruising Club, which we joined after crossing the Atlantic) boat based out of Blyth. They were a lovely couple (Andy and Linda) who have been cruising for 2 years and planning on circum navigating.
Andy (Calysta) had caught a big Mahi Mahi between Raiatea and Bora Bora so we were going ashore for tea to use the BBQ at the yacht club. Also joining in the bbq was Silk Sheets and a Danish boat called Amazing. We had a good night and the fish was yummy.

5th July, Taravana Yacht Club, Tahaa

In the morning we emptied our jerry jugs of diesel into the tanks (my least favourite job on Newt) and the headed to the marina to see if we could refill the jugs – the marina manager said they don't sell diesel, petrol, gas or have a washing machine so that wasn't very helpful!! Apparently we can get fuel in Bora Bora so that will be ok.
We decided to head back across the Yacht Club at Tahaa because we wanted to go ashore at 11pm to use the internet so Jonny could call the tax office with a good internet connection and the yacht club was the best option.
After lunch Jonny re connected our nav lights that had a loose connection at the bottom of the mast.
At 5.30 we headed ashore to pay for our morning buoy and met Lauren Grace (American catamaran) who seem really nice.

4th July, Apooiti Bay, Raiatea

We decided to head over to Raiatea today – a 3 mile sail from Tahaa!! We eventually found a nice spot to anchor (in 23m of water!!)
After lunch we headed ashore to the marina to find about getting fuel – whilst it is cheap Jonny wants to make sure we leave with full tanks which will hopefully get us to Sydney. The marina office was closed and when we asked in the Moorings office about opening times she said it just depended when the guy wanted to open!!
We had a walk around but there wasn't much to see so we headed back to the boat.
Around tea time we could here music from the shore so decided to go and check it out. The local dance group was practicing and said we could watch – the girls seemed to know what they were doing but the boys needed more practice!!

3rd July, Taravana Yacht Club, Tahaa

After an e mail from his Dad regarding his tax rebate Jonny spent the morning refilling in tax forms trying to sort out a year old claim!!
I went ashore to get bread for lunch and swap some books.
After lunch (and giving up on the tax forms!!) we went ashore for a walk. Also in the anchorage was a 50ft motor boat called Lisa Marie who we had seen in the anchorage at Nuku Hiva and in Tahiti so we decided to go and say hello. They were a lovely couple from Sweden who had done a circum navigation on a yacht and were now planning on heading to Alaska in their motor boat (via the Pacific to warm up!!)
At 5.30 we headed ashore to pay our mooring fees – Whisper had also arrived in the anchorage and we got to know Julia Max (George and Sue, American).
Andy had invited us over to Calysta for a banana and chocolate custard dessert so we decided to invite him over to Newt for tea and then have dessert.

2nd July, Taravana Yacht Club, Tahaa

After breakfast we left for the 20 mile sail from Huahine to the lagoon containing Tahaa and Raiatea. We were undecided which of the two islands we were heading for!! In the lagoon we looked at the town quay at the main town in Raiatea (we had heard that you could stay here for a couple of days for free) but the wind was blowing straight onto it which would have made it uncomfortable. After looking at the other possibilities on the north coast of Raiatea we decided to head to the Taravana Yacht Club on the south side of Tahaa because it was protected and we had heard that the mooring buoys were free if you bought a beer.
At the yacht club all the buoys had reserved signs on but as we were about to give up the manager of the club radioed to tell us that some of the buoys were available. We picked up a buoy, went ashore to say hello and then came back to the boat for lunch.
After a relaxing afternoon we headed ashore for a walk and then drinks in the bar – Calysta, Bagheera (Peter and Nikki, English), Rogue (Scottish) and Thumbs Up (Ivan and Cheryl, American) were also on mooring buoys and ashore for drinks.

1st July, Fare, Huahine, French Polynesia

We picked up the hire car again at 9am and drove to Fare to got o the supermarket and get fuel. In the Fare some of the locals had set up stalls selling fruit and veg so we managed to get some tomatoes, green peppers and a pineapple as well as a couple of supplies from the supermarket.

Back on the boat we decided to move the boat up to Fare ready to leave tomorrow (Fare is next to the pass to exit the lagoon) and now the wind had eased the town anchorage looked calm again.

We had a nice motor up the lagoon and found a nice spot to anchor, had lunch and then went ashore to do some jobs. Back in the supermarket (again!!) we met the couple from Whisper (Scoot and Mary, USA) who we had briefly met in the anchorage on Fri before we had all left to find more sheltered bays.

Back on Newt we had a swim and a shower and the people from Daydream (Wayne and Susan, Canada) came over to say hello and invited for drinks on the town pier. So we packed some wine and beer and headed to the town pier and had a lovely couple of hours meeting some new people.

30th June, Avea Bay, Huahine, French Polynesia

We arrived at the car hire place at 10 but were told that the car was only coming back at 11 so we went back to Newt for a drink.
Once we finally got the car we drove around Huahine Nui (big Huahine) and stopped at Fare for some lunch. We then carried on exploring Huahine Nui visiting the Marae (religious sites) and doing a walk. After the walk we needed to cool off and we had been told about some good snorkeling at a nearby hotel. We got to the hotel and it was all closed down with holes in the roofs of the bungalows. We had a good explore of the resort but couldn't see where the good snorkeling was.
The next stop was the Huahine Pearl Farm. They ran a complimentary boat out to the farm in the middle of the lagoon. Despite also visiting a pearl farm in Manihi this was really interesting and we learnt more about the pearl process.
Our final plans for Huahine Nui was to see the eels and visit Eden Park – unfortunatelky the eels were nowhere to be seen and we couldn't find Eden Park either!!
We headed back to Huahine Iti (little Huahine) to visit a vanilla plantation – there wasn't much to see they just had packets of vanilla pods for sale.
Finally we circum navigated Huahine Iti before heading abck to the car rental place.
We have the car until 11.30 tomorrow morning so we are going to collect it again in the morning and head back to Fare to do some shopping.

29th June, Avea Bay, Huahine, French Polynesia

We picked up Andy and took the dinghy over to the car rental place to try and sort out a car tomorrow. They had one available but only from 10am which we thought was abit late but would be ok.
After we dropped Andy back at Calysta we took the dinghy to the hotel to walk to the shop to try and get bread. The shop was closed so we decided to keep walking to the village and see if the shop was open on the way back. We had a lovely walk but the shop still wasn't open on the way back!!
Our walk obviously tired us out because we both fell asleep in the cockpit for a couple of hours!!
We had a nice swim in the afternoon and Jonny did some snorkeling.
At sunset Andy came over for a beer to try out our new cockpit light that Jonny had made out of a coconut shell – it works well and looks very pretty!!

28th June, Avea Bay, Huahine, French Polynesia

After a lazy morning doing internet jobs we decided to go for a walk ashore and to see if the shop was open for bread (although we thought this was probably unlikely on Sun). The shop was closed but we had a nice walk and then headed back to the hotel and had an ice cream.
We had a nice afternoon on the boat listening to the big gusts of wind and watching dvds before having an early tea and watching a movie.