Raietea
Today orignally would have been our stop in Bora Bora, one of the reasons we booked this cruise, but that island has banned large cruise ships so we were sent instead to neighboring Raietea. We would not see much of this island either as we booked an excursion to Taha'a, which is between Bora Bora and Raietea. First we had to deal with the tender experience again, waiting in the theater then being led through the crew corridors and crowded into a hot tender. Definitely the least enjoyable part of the cruise experience. We arrived in Raietea and were led to a outrigger boat for our journey to Taha'a. Our guide talked to us about the islands as we sailed to the shore.
Black Pearl Farm
We climbed into a 4x4 with two other couples and chatted as we made our way to the Black Pearl farm on the island. There, one of the owners explained the process of pearl farming, including how they insert the core into the oysters and extract the pearls. Then another woman explained the grading process and offered us the opportunity to purchase their jewelry. Janie was glad she had purchased hers earlier in the week as the prices here were much higher (although the quality was probably better). Learning the grading process was interesting though as later in the week we would see misshapen pearls on sale in Hawai'i for lower prices and now we understand those are very low quality.
Overlook and Snack
Our driver took us to an overlook where we could look back at Raietea and the beautiful scenery of Taha'a. They served us a snack of pineapple, banana and coconut, all grown on the islands, and taught us a dance designed to keep the rain that had started on our way to the overlook at bay.
Vanilla
Next up on our tour was a vanilla plantation where one of the owners explained the process of growing and harvesting vanilla. The fields looked a little muddy so we didn't go off through the plantation but instead visited the store and purchased some vanilla extract to use when we got home.
Motu Swim
We stopped near a motu on the way back where we could get into the water and swim or snorkel. Janie didn't see much worth bothering with snorkeling gear but we did cool off in the ocean for awhile.
Back on the Eclipse
The lines for the tender were short and once back on the Eclipse, we headed up to the Mast Grill again for burgers and fries. Then we made a stop at the martini bar for a few drinks before the show. Tonight's artist was James Cielen, a famed illusionist. He was very funny and we enjoyed his act, although there were a few moments where we could see he was setting something up by the way he held his hands, especially during one of the large card tricks.
We were back in Blu again for dinner. Janie enjoyed the duck breast salad and J. R. had some prime rib.
After dinner, we went to the Queen Sing-A-Long Party but were disappointed at the snippets of songs they played, as opposed to the Abba, where they played full songs. We danced for a little while afterward then retired to the World Class Bar for a nightcap.
