Author: richwest3

August 7, 2012

One “must do” in Raiatea is a walk up Tapioi Hill, the hill behind the city. From here you can see sweeping views of the city of Utaroa, the island of Taha’a nearby and the reef that surrounds both Raiatea and Taha’a.

The walk up to the peak takes about 45 minutes is quite beautiful, but there are some special challenges.  By challenges I mean livestock that roams free.  The horses aren’t a concern, but the cows are another matter.  Normally cows are pretty gentle, but you have to be wary if they have calves, and bulls are always a big concern.  We were with friends, so we had some feeling of safety in numbers.  We cautiously passed the cows, and very cautiously passed a bull we saw along the way.

We reached the peak and a magnificent viewpoint that looks to the north and east. Seeing a couple of bulls on the path to the west view, we decided we didn’t really need to see it.  In fact, we decided it might be a good time to head back down the hill.  We had to pass more cows, speaking nicely to them as we went by as quickly as possible.

When people ask us what the scariest part of our ocean voyage was, we can say that so far, it was the cows (no bull!). -Cyndi

August 1 – 10, 2012

Utaroa (the main city on Raiatea) is a strange but interesting place.  It’s the second largest city in French Polynesia, but that said, it’s small, more of a town than a city, and rather . . . rustic.  You can walk from one end to the other in a few minutes.  Within this town, though, are three pretty good-size grocery stores, several small markets, and a central plaza area that sells produce and has some food stands.  There are scattered upscale gift shops for the passengers of the weekly cruise ship, and a couple of dusty hardware stores.

The most distinct thing about Utaroa is prevalence of Chinese food.  It may not be the biggest city, but it is definitely the Chinese food capital of French Polynesia.  It’s not the spicy Chinese food that’s become popular in the states, though, but the more old-fashioned Cantonese-style food. Still, it’s pretty good.

Our favorite dish to get was chow mein, which had a lot of meat and vegetables with the noodles. Of course, being French Polynesia, there is always a sliced baguette served with the meal. One of our favorite lunches combined the two: the chow mein sandwich (on a baguette). It was starch heaven!   -Cyndi

August 3 & 4, 2012

The reef off the west coast of Raiatea has a lot of land above water, creating islands, motus, and lagoons that gave it an otherworldly feel.  On the south side of the island, the reef is mostly underwater, creating a bright blue band in the darker off-shore water.  Few people live there, and it feels windswept and remote.

It was surprising to come across a pretty inn at the end of a bumpy turnoff leading to the ocean.  This island is off the beaten path as it is, and then this inn is such on a remote part of it.

We’d discovered this place the previous day (on our circle-island trip) and liked it so much we brought our friends here after our waterfall hike. We only came for coffee but were delighted when those drinks were accompanied by a selection of homemade cookies!

I have to say they are pretty nice here at the ends of the earth.  -Cyndi

 

August 04, 2012

We finally made it to a waterfall and pool that were quite lovely. It seemed like the obvious end of the trail, but Kathy knew better. Along the side of the hill hangs a rope, and you can use it to climb about 50 feet to another trail. From here, there are a series of ropes you can hang onto as you make your way up to the next waterfall.

About 30 minutes later, we arrived at the upper cascade and pool. We all sat to enjoy the scenery, and we ended up sharing whatever snacks we had. Rich suggested we might get lucky and spot an eel, but I’m not sure anyone believed him. Rich and I watched, and I finally spotted one. Someone had brought a baguette threw a piece in the water thinking the eel might like it. I have to say I was surprised when it actually worked! We ended up attracting a few eels and some large shrimp.

Raiatea; an island where you can hike into the forest, find unmarked, semi-secret waterfalls, and feed baguette-loving eels and giant shrimps. -Cyndi

August 04, 2012

Kathy and Marlies, two of our new friends from the marina, had talked about going to see the cascades, or waterfalls. Rich and I had rented a car for 2 days and offered that we could drive the four of us.

After morning yoga, we set off on our adventure. I’m glad Kathy was there as we never would have found it otherwise. There are practically no signs and it isn’t clear what’s private property and what isn’t. There’s a parking area, but you would need a 4-wheel drive vehicle to get to it. We went as far as we dared in our little car; then pulled over and walked the rest of the way to find the trail. Of course there were no signs but Kathy knew where to go. Along the way we met a young British couple who had tried unsuccessfully to find this place. We had them join us.

After locating the trail, Kathy led us on the hike. There were places the trail petered out, but we’d always managed to pick it up again. -Cyndi