Friday, September 18, 2009

Four weeks of fun in the sun (part 1)




We had a ball!!



No cooking, no housework it was an absolutely fabulous four weeks on the cruise.



First stop was Noumea. Since it was Sunday, and very little was open, we took the HOP-ON-HOP-OFF bus around town. When we reached the aquarium, we couldn't resist a visit.

The corals and fish displays were superb, and the time went quickly.




Continuing the ride we ended up back in the centre of town and close to the our ship (Pacific Dawn) in time for a late lunch. There was just enough time after lunch to finish the bus route, before sailing on towards Tonga.



A couple of days at sea, saw us land at Nuakolofa (never can get that spelling). We'd prebooked a tour of the island that would include some snorkelling, blowholes, historic sites and some general sightseeing.

After a wonderful day of sightseeing it was back to the ship and set sail to another Tongan port of Va'vau. This time we simply wandered around the town, taking in the sites, including the local Catholic Church, nestled high on the hill above the town.




Next stop (and a couple of days of rough weather at sea) was Rarotonga and the Cook Islands. Rugged mountains occuppying the centre of the island made for some spectacular scenery. Unfortunately, the stormy seas meant we were way behind schedule and only had 4 hours to explore and take in the island.




Moving right along, and a couple of more days at sea saw us reach French Polynesia - Tahiti, Raiatea, Moorea and Bora Bora .....paradise on earth!!! Never did I think I would ever swim with sharks, nor feed stingrays, but we had the opportunity and privilege to do both - truly amazing and humbling.


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