Monday, May 10, 2010

We've found paradise!!

This is it. This is why people cruise. This place is a veritable paradise.

Yesterday, we awoke in this spectacular bay - Baie Hanamoenoa on Tahuatu, which cruiser/author Eric Hiscock rates as one of the three most beautiful anchorages in Polynesia - and could not believe our luck. Who could ask for better scenery for taking apart the heat exchanger!! John spent the morning removing and cleaning the heat exchanger, which is always a fun job. But when we got it reinstalled and went for a few laps of the anchorage, and nearby bays, we were pleased that we were back to normal operating temperatures.

After a quick dip, and a scrub of the bottom of the boat, we made our way to the beach, and went exploring the hillsides. There were no trails, and we were pretty scratched up after scrambling through the brush, but we managed to climb to a nice vantage point above the anchorage to snap a few photos, before making our way back down to the beach.

Back at the beach, John busied himself cracking open coconuts, while I took a dip in the refreshing water. Soon "A Small Nest" and "Elena" joined us for a swim, and we all enjoyed the cool water, and tried desperately to see the green flash as the sun dipped under the horizon. No luck tonight.

Today, we got an early start, and headed to the nearby village of Vaitauhu. "A Small Nest" and "Elena" joined us and we were able to buy fresh baquettes and a few provisions, and tour the local museum and townsite. It was a lovely town, and we recognised several of the women who were dancing in the festival earlier in the week at Hiva Oa!

By afternoon, we were back at Baie Hanamoenoa, enjoying the crystal clear water and white sandy beach. Once again, we plan to enjoy cocktails on the beach this afternoon, and tonight we've been invited to share in a lasagna feast aboard "Elena", with Alan and Leoni and their two kids from Holland.

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Hi - thanks for leaving a comment on the blog! Cheers - John and Naomi