We flew to Tahiti from Los Angeles airport, but had a connecting flight from Las Vegas. And an anxious time it was, because our flight from Vegas was severely delayed due to Airforce One being on the runway! What a time for President Obama to visit! And although we did just make our connection, our luggage was delayed. Fortunately there was a later flight (which we didn't previously know about) and it arrived late that evening. We arrived at our Tahiti hotel with many other members of our group whom we met on the flight from L.A., and were given a traditional welcome. The hotel was beautifully situated, looking across the sea over the outdoor pool to the lovely island of Moorea (pronounced Mo'orea). And that evening was a gala night with performance of traditional dance by a local and very talented group.
The next day we had time to relax, but an early start the following morning with a predawn flight saw us on our way to Tatakoto Atoll to view the Eclipse, which was due to commence at 0845 local time. The remote atoll (thanks to Google Earth for these photos) is situated about 720 miles East of Tahiti, and is approximately 8 1/2 miles long by 2 miles wide. The principal industry is farming copra.
Air Tahiti provided the chartered plane, and the Tatakoto airport building has to be the smallest I've ever passed through! Again a traditional welcome with the obligatory leis (they scratched!) and a walk through the palm forest to the observing site, with a visit by a curious Frigate Bird. Thankfully local transport moved our cases with equipment from the airport to the observing site.
I had my Canon 350D camera with 400L lens and motorised EQ3-2 mount with me. A 'dummy' alignment of the Meade Autostar control system and a GOTO to the position of the Sun helped me align the mount to track the Sun correctly. Note the solar filters on lens and finder. Warning - NEVER look at the Sun through binoculars or a telescope without a proper filter. Partial or total blindness will almost certainly be the result!
There were some clouds around, and it seemed as though we might be disappointed. But fortunately for the crucial 4 1/2 minutes of totality the sky remained clear, and we were able to observe and photograph a superb eclipse. First contact was a bit cloudy, then they came and went during the partial phase. Then Baily's beads at second contact and a beautiful corona, with plenty of time to check the unfiltered image for focus, operate the camera and just enjoy the experience. No filters needed during Totality! The view across the lagoon was beautiful! Still clear for third contact and the diamond ring, but we only just made it - ten minutes after totality the Sun was completely obscured and only put in fleeting appearances through the clouds for the latter part of the eclipse. A few more details here.
Following the eclipse the beach soon cleared of visitors, then we enjoyed lunch and entertainment at the village. The coconut milk was refreshing and most welcome, the food wholesome and tasty and the village girls although shy at first, soon settled down to entertain us.
Back to Tahiti the same day with views of other lonely atolls through the 'plane window, and then we moved on for a relaxing holiday on the neighbouring island of Mo'orea
Mo'orea is a particularly beautiful island - A tropical paradise, dominated by a very distinctive mountain. The locals call it 'Bali Hai' mountain, and it is featured on the coins of the island. We travelled there by ferry from Papeete, and loading of our luggage was chaotic with fork lift trucks doing the shifting, mixing quite casually with the passengers. Definitely not Health and Safety friendly! But no incidents, and we soon arrived at the Intercontinental for our few days stay. Much of the accommodation is in the form of individual bungalows, fully furnished with all mod cons, and beautifully laid out in the lush grounds. Ours had its own splash pool - delightful on the warm nights. The local variety of mynah bird was very cheeky, often flying into the open plan restaurants!
As usual we found the best way to see the island during our short visit was to take one of the guided bus tours. And we visited several interesting and beautiful places. This church was quite modern and well kept, with breadfruit trees in abundance (this fruit was already on the ground!). We visited a teaching farm which interspersed vegetables with beautiful flowers and -er- other items....
Vanilla pods and pineapples are among the valuable exports. I'll never taste a fresher one! And the view from a high point of the road was absolutely stunning!
We also took a sea cruise. Very popular and 'touristy' but extremely well managed and most enjoyable. Again the views of the island bays were magnificent.
We snorkelled with Rays which were very tame and would eat from your hand. White tipped reef sharks hovered on the edge of the area but didn't bother us (the boat staff made sure we didn't stray!) After we'd worked up an appetite we landed at a small offshore island for a most welcome and tasty barbeque lunch.
But all too soon our visit to paradise was over and the Ferry took us back to Tahiti.
On our return from Mo'orea we took a tour of Tahiti, with photos through the minibus window and at some interesting stopping points. A beautiful waterfall at Tiarei, a blowhole at the side of the road caused by waves on the other side crashing against the cliff and a view of the bay towards Papeete with Mo'orea in the distance.
This South Pacific section of our trip was undoubtedly one of the highlights, but we weren't finished yet! Next stop New Zealand.