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I decided to split up the Aranui write-up because it was getting long.
We had a minor kerfuffle about the timing of our transfer from the Intercontinental to the dock for the Aranui, but it was easy enough to take a taxi. The boarding process was straightforward enough, and I was pleased to see that my cabin looked quite comfortable.
We had the obligatory safety drill, aka “how to put on your life jacket” before departure. After departure there was a meeting to tell us about life on board and about our first stop, which would be Fakarava. The Aranui carries about 200 passengers. A bit more than half were French. There about 35 English speakers and about 10 German speakers. The English speaking group was predominantly American, with a few Australians, but also included people from places ranging from Greece to Peru. Apparently, pre-COVID, it had been more evenly divided between Americans and French speakers and it isn’t clear why that changed. The ship also carries a lot of freight (which was its original raison d’etre) and it was interesting watching freight being unloaded at some ports.
This is as good a place as any for a word about meals. Breakfast was always a buffet,, which was pretty much the same, with fruit, eggs, breads, yogurt, etc. Lunch and Dinner were normally served in two seatings, which were separated only by half an hour, mostly as a way of managing service. These were generally three course meals and also included wine (which holds no interest for me). Sometimes there were buffets. Some lunches were buffets served on-shore and a few dinners were buffets served on the pool deck. In general, they did a particularly good job with fish. And the desserts were normally extremely good.
Our first stop was Fakarava, which is in the Tuamotu Archipelago. We transferred by barge to the shore. The seamen did an excellent job of hauling us onto and off of the 40 or so passenger barges.
Basically, we were set free in the village of Rotoava. There were a couple of crowded, not particularly appealing beaches one could go to. Sorry, but I prefer soft white sand. There is supposedly good diving and snorkeling, but further south than where we were anchored.
I opted for wandering around the town. I have a longstanding interest in religious architecture and the church in Fakarava is particularly interesting, with a lot of seashells in its interior decor.
There were also a few shops, but nothing I wanted. And lots of pretty flowers. Since I am person who can just barely tell a rosebush from a weeping willow, don’t ask me what they were.
Back on board, there was an interesting documentary about the revitilization of Marquesan language and culture.
The next day was at sea, as we headed north to the Marquesas. We had a talk about our two days at the festival on Nuku Hiva. There was also a presentation about poisson cru (raw marinated fish) and kaaku (pounded breadfruit with coconut milk). In the afternoon, there was a lecture by Keao Nesmith, a Hawaiian linguist, who talked about Marquesan Origins and Polynesian Languages. I found him to be an excellent and engaging speaker. There was also an early evening fashion show, which taught people a few ways to tie a pareu (local terminology for a sarong). I was happy to have time to read, do laundry, use the internet, and nap.
Nuku Hiva was a place I was particularly interested in, because, aside from the festival, it was where Herman Melville deserted the whale ship Acushnet in 1842. He spent a few weeks there, which led to him writing the novel Typee. Anther part of the back story there is that the Acushnet arrived about the same time as a group of French ships carrying missionaries, who had a large (mostly negative) influence on the Marquesan culture.
But, as I said, we were there for the festival, which happens every two years (previously, every four years), moving among the different islands of the archipelago. On the first day, we were at Taipivai during the day. It was an easy walk from the landing site to the festival site, where we had plenty of time to look around at drumming, cooking, people in elaborate costumes, etc. Also, because it was Sunday, there was a church service, which was held in French.
Here’s the walk to the site.
Drums come in sizes for all ages. The taller ones are played by adults on ladders.
Wondering what to wear? Grass is always in style.
Don’t forget the tattoos!
One of the things that impressed me the most about the Marquesan dancers was the acceptance of body diversity.
After eating lunch at the site, we returned to the Aranui, which relocated to Taiolhae. After dinner, we disembarked and went by bus to the archeological site of Temehea for the evening show.
I wish I’d gotten a better picture of this:
Here’s the Aranui at the dock:
The costumes were spectacular:
You may have to click through to flickr to watch this video. I like the you can tell that this guy is telling a story even without understanding a word of the language.
On the second day of the festival, we docked at Hatiheu and went to the Kamuhihei Archaeological site. There’s a big banyan tree, where we were welcomed to the site.
There was plenty of dancing to watch and plenty of interesting costumes to look at:
At night, we were back at Taiohae and the Temehea Archeological Site. I didn’t have quite as good a seat for picture taking, but here’s one decent shot.
Overall, the festival was definitely worth going to. However, I will note that neither of the two types of insect repellant I had with me had any effect whatsoever on what the Tahitians call “nunus” - sand flies, which ate me alive. I don’t think I had ever gotten an insect bite on an ear lobe before! And the shop on the ship did not have calamine lotion.
We had a minor kerfuffle about the timing of our transfer from the Intercontinental to the dock for the Aranui, but it was easy enough to take a taxi. The boarding process was straightforward enough, and I was pleased to see that my cabin looked quite comfortable.
We had the obligatory safety drill, aka “how to put on your life jacket” before departure. After departure there was a meeting to tell us about life on board and about our first stop, which would be Fakarava. The Aranui carries about 200 passengers. A bit more than half were French. There about 35 English speakers and about 10 German speakers. The English speaking group was predominantly American, with a few Australians, but also included people from places ranging from Greece to Peru. Apparently, pre-COVID, it had been more evenly divided between Americans and French speakers and it isn’t clear why that changed. The ship also carries a lot of freight (which was its original raison d’etre) and it was interesting watching freight being unloaded at some ports.
This is as good a place as any for a word about meals. Breakfast was always a buffet,, which was pretty much the same, with fruit, eggs, breads, yogurt, etc. Lunch and Dinner were normally served in two seatings, which were separated only by half an hour, mostly as a way of managing service. These were generally three course meals and also included wine (which holds no interest for me). Sometimes there were buffets. Some lunches were buffets served on-shore and a few dinners were buffets served on the pool deck. In general, they did a particularly good job with fish. And the desserts were normally extremely good.
Our first stop was Fakarava, which is in the Tuamotu Archipelago. We transferred by barge to the shore. The seamen did an excellent job of hauling us onto and off of the 40 or so passenger barges.
Basically, we were set free in the village of Rotoava. There were a couple of crowded, not particularly appealing beaches one could go to. Sorry, but I prefer soft white sand. There is supposedly good diving and snorkeling, but further south than where we were anchored.
I opted for wandering around the town. I have a longstanding interest in religious architecture and the church in Fakarava is particularly interesting, with a lot of seashells in its interior decor.
There were also a few shops, but nothing I wanted. And lots of pretty flowers. Since I am person who can just barely tell a rosebush from a weeping willow, don’t ask me what they were.
Back on board, there was an interesting documentary about the revitilization of Marquesan language and culture.
The next day was at sea, as we headed north to the Marquesas. We had a talk about our two days at the festival on Nuku Hiva. There was also a presentation about poisson cru (raw marinated fish) and kaaku (pounded breadfruit with coconut milk). In the afternoon, there was a lecture by Keao Nesmith, a Hawaiian linguist, who talked about Marquesan Origins and Polynesian Languages. I found him to be an excellent and engaging speaker. There was also an early evening fashion show, which taught people a few ways to tie a pareu (local terminology for a sarong). I was happy to have time to read, do laundry, use the internet, and nap.
Nuku Hiva was a place I was particularly interested in, because, aside from the festival, it was where Herman Melville deserted the whale ship Acushnet in 1842. He spent a few weeks there, which led to him writing the novel Typee. Anther part of the back story there is that the Acushnet arrived about the same time as a group of French ships carrying missionaries, who had a large (mostly negative) influence on the Marquesan culture.
But, as I said, we were there for the festival, which happens every two years (previously, every four years), moving among the different islands of the archipelago. On the first day, we were at Taipivai during the day. It was an easy walk from the landing site to the festival site, where we had plenty of time to look around at drumming, cooking, people in elaborate costumes, etc. Also, because it was Sunday, there was a church service, which was held in French.
Here’s the walk to the site.
Drums come in sizes for all ages. The taller ones are played by adults on ladders.
Wondering what to wear? Grass is always in style.
Don’t forget the tattoos!
One of the things that impressed me the most about the Marquesan dancers was the acceptance of body diversity.
After eating lunch at the site, we returned to the Aranui, which relocated to Taiolhae. After dinner, we disembarked and went by bus to the archeological site of Temehea for the evening show.
I wish I’d gotten a better picture of this:
Here’s the Aranui at the dock:
The costumes were spectacular:
You may have to click through to flickr to watch this video. I like the you can tell that this guy is telling a story even without understanding a word of the language.
On the second day of the festival, we docked at Hatiheu and went to the Kamuhihei Archaeological site. There’s a big banyan tree, where we were welcomed to the site.
There was plenty of dancing to watch and plenty of interesting costumes to look at:
At night, we were back at Taiohae and the Temehea Archeological Site. I didn’t have quite as good a seat for picture taking, but here’s one decent shot.
Overall, the festival was definitely worth going to. However, I will note that neither of the two types of insect repellant I had with me had any effect whatsoever on what the Tahitians call “nunus” - sand flies, which ate me alive. I don’t think I had ever gotten an insect bite on an ear lobe before! And the shop on the ship did not have calamine lotion.
