Bora Bora

 Hello everyone!

We had a nice time in Bora Bora. The weather was forecast to be rainy, but it turned out fairly nice. I was glad I used my sunscreen.

Because the lagoon at Bora Bora is shallow, we had to anchor just offshore in deeper water, then use tender boats to go ashore. These boats double as lifeboats and each hold about 100 people.

Tender Boat

Here's a picture of our tender coming up alongside the ship.

Tender alongside our ship

Inside the Tender

Tender at the port in Bora Bora

Just after arrival at the dock, our group of 12 assembled for a one-hour boat ride around the lagoon.

Our tour boat

Viking Sky, anchored just offshore

We soon came upon Raititi point. I just going to go with the assumption that Raititi is the way the locals spell Ratti. Prove me wrong!

As we rounded Raititi point, we saw numerous beach bungalows. There are several luxury resorts here (Conrad Hilton, Intercontinental, St. Regis, etc.) and we heard that some of them go for $3-4,000 a night. I assume breakfast is included... Makes cruising, even on Viking, look like a bargain!

Luxury bungalows

Our guide and boat captain, Palo

More bungalows

The entire lagoon is pretty shallow (about 5 meters, or 16 feet), but we soon came into some even shallower water where there were a number of fish. People (many from our ship) were out snorkeling and interacting with the reef sharks, rays, and tropical fish. The reef sharks are harmless to humans and were actually pretty skittish. Note how clear and beautiful the water is!

Manta Ray

The Bora Bora lagoon is actually the caldera of a long extinct volcano, dating back some seven million years. It is the oldest of all the Polynesian islands. I don't have a good picture showing it, but there are a number of smaller islands which form a ring around the main island. These would have been the outer edges of the volcano's cone.

Mt. Otemanu is on the main island and is the highest point in Bora Bora, standing nearly 2,400 feet above sea level.

Mt Otemanu, the highest point on the island

After our boat ride, I had some time to kill so I took a walk. Most shops were closed because it was Sunday, but I found an open supermarket and wandered inside. It's something I like to do when I'm in a new place, just to see what commonalities and differences there are.

I've noticed that Pringles (a potato chip flavored processed food product) are nearly ubiquitous but usually reflect local flavor preferences. Bora Bora was no different. The Smokey Grilled Steak Pringles sound OK, but I think I'll pass on the Nori Seaweed Burst:

Local Pringles varieties

Then I stopped at a local cafe and had a beer (actually two...) and a small bite to eat. Some other guests from our ship strolled by and joined me for a nice relaxing chat.

This is the local beer, brewed right on the island. It's quite good, and came in three varieties, blanche (or white, seen here), an IPA and a lager. 

Hinano Blanche beer, locally brewed

Local Cafe

Later in the afternoon a group of us boarded "Le Trucks" and went for a drive around the island. There's a ring road (built during WWII) that circles the island just inland of the beach. It's the only paved road on Bora Bora. We made a few stops along the way for scenic views and other touristy things.

The local ladies make a lot of handmade items and sell them to tourists. Tourism accounts for about 80% of local jobs. These ladies were making tie-dyed cotton wraps.

They are very colorful and our guide said there are about 150 ways to tie/wear one. Apparently, these came about when European missionaries came here and found the islanders nearly naked. 

A fellow Viking guest modeling the final product

We continued around the island, stopping at a few other viewing points along the way.

Then, it was back to the ship for a well-earned shower (it was in the high 80s with stifling humidity) and some dinner. 

We departed Bora Bora just as the sun was setting, and I got a few good shots of it.

I met up with some friends to enjoy another show by Terrell Edwards after dinner. He sang some more jazz and blues hits and really knocked it out of the park.

Tahiti

We sailed overnight and arrived in Tahiti early Monday morning (19 Jan 2026). It was overcast and rainy. Although we never saw any significant sunshine, the rain tapered off and pretty much stopped except for some small, brief showers. You didn't really need an umbrella.

While I was waiting for my group to depart on a walking tour of Papeete ("pa PEE tee" if you're American; "pa pa EE tee" if you're a local), I watched as our ship was refueled and resupplied. All the action took place just below my balcony.

Loading pallets of frozen food
and supplies onto the ship

Removing pallets from a
refrigerated shipping container

Viking provided coffee and snacks for
the dock workers - nice touch!

Loading up the garbage dumpster

Opening a case of frozen meat
for random inspection

Picking up the empty shipping container

They unloaded two large containers while I was watching and started on a third about the time I left to go sightseeing. I'm not sure how many there were altogether though.

They also refueled our ship, but this time used a pumper truck and underground hydrant system rather than a tanker truck.

Refueling from an in-ground hydrant

I saw them offloading what I believe was black water (sewage) into another large tank later in the afternoon.

Walking Tour of Papeete

A group of about 20 of us took a guided walking tour through the city late in the morning. Here are some pictures from that:

Marche' de Papeete (Market)

City Hall

Traditional Tiki

Catholic Church

Our ship, visible from downtown

Those of you who've sampled the Belgian chocolates I've brought home from past trips will recognize the Leonidas name. I was surprised to find a Belgian chocolatier here in Tahiti!

Leonidas Chocolate Shop

Here's one of many pretty flowers I saw today. Don't ask me what it is. I'd have to make something up like jolie fleur rouge.

A pretty red flower

So now it's off to dinner with some friends, and then a show later tonight featuring a local Polynesian dance troupe.

Until next time,

Jim