Fare, Huahine to Faaroa, Raiatea

After 10 days on Huahine, we pulled the anchor and motor-sailed to our home island of Raiatea.  Our first goal was Faaroa, a bay that virtually bisects Raiatea.  At its head is the only navigable river in the country and we were set on finding the water landing to the Faaroa Botanical Garden that we had visited in 2020.  We found it!

I mentioned in a blog that Conni and I had enjoyed an afternoon beverage at the Mahana resort before we departed, and here we are.  Conni's got a Ricard, a pastis-like liquor to which one usually adds water.  Conni is happy.

Lovely Conni has become fascinated by rigging, so she has become our rigging specialist.  Here, she's adjusting the turnbuckles on the main shrouds.  This is the day prior to our departure from Fare.  That odd-looking device on the shroud over her head is a tension gauge that she uses to adjust and compare cable tension among the various shrouds.

With another stunning tropical sunset behind her, Lovely Conni begins her "cheeseburger frites".  I think that this is Jimmy Buffet's Cheeseburger in Paradise.

The morning of our departure from Fare, we made a deliberate trip into town to buy baguettes.  Nope.  As you can see, the cupboard was bare, and had been for 2 weeks.

As we passed the reef departing Fare, I snapped this photo of the surf break over the reef.  It's not a place I wish to be.

We're a mile out of so from Fare looking aft.

Raiatea looms ahead with Taha'a on the right.  Both are in the same lagoon.  This is a nice shot of Wings under sail.

Lovely Conni at the helm as we approach Raiatea.  Offshore, lifejackets are mandatory. 

This may not look like much, but this is the dock at the Faaroa Botanical Garden after we finally found it!  When we saw that dock last year, we wanted to see it again from the water side. 

This is a "Torch Ginger", a beautiful flower.

We're unsure of the name, but this gorgeous flower is related to a Bird of Paradise.  I do love the colors!

 

We would call these "Elephant Ears", and it seems a good name.  Each of those leaves is at least 3 feet high!

This is a Polynesian Chestnut, or Mape in the local language.  The ribbon-like roots fascinated us.  Cypress trees in the southern US have this kind of root and the "knees" as they're called, allow for roots to access air.

This is a small group of Mape, each with the intriguing roots.

Here's the sign explaining the Polynesian Chestnut.

Another of the beautiful flowers, this one in a yellow.

And here's another of these gorgeous flowers.  People often remark at the bright Polynesian colors and wonder how they come by them.  They see those colors everywhere!

As we headed back to the boat, Conni snapped this photo of a river scene.

We felt like were on the set of the African Queen at times.

With a cup of our cold instant coffee (who wants hot coffee here?), Conni steers us out of Faaroa Bay.

This is Uturoa, the major village on Raiatea as seen from the water.  It's small, of course, but the second largest "city" in the country.

Apu Bay, here, is open and has a lot of moorings.  If you wish to know what a good mooring looks like, this is one:  Strong rope, a solid stainless steel eye to prevent chafe with our line, although we use old fire hose as anti-chafe on our lines.

Conni was initially doubtful when I suggested Apu Bay for our overnight stay but quickly changed her mind.  That's Raiatea in the background, of course.  This odd vessel has a square rigged foremast and a fore-and-aft rig on the aft mast:  very unusual.  She's a salty-looking boat, but probably does not sail well.  A square rig is fine for downwind sailing and the fore-and-aft is fine for upwind, but a split doesn't do either point of sail well.  Her owners must know that since her name is "Patchwork".

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