This was the first of two days in Bora Bora.
After we got up and organised, we decided to go to the small island that Windstar uses, Motu Tapu. Really just a sandy islet that is owned by the nearby Conrad Hotel. We walked about and snorkelled off a couple of points. The water was beautiful and turquoise – it seems that a lot of the lagoon is that colour because it’s only a meter deep, which is nice to splash around but not especially interesting. There are also dark patches, channels 10 meters or so deep, but these were a fair way off.
We went back to the ship, refreshed and had lunch, then early afternoon we went on an island tour, this time in a bus. Well, a wooden box made up as a bus on the back of a truck.
It turned out that it was a circumnavigation of the island on the coastal ring round, which is the standard feature of all these mountainous islands. This involved a place that made pareaus (the local sarong) and then a series of points with nice views, of the mountains, beaches, and often of expensive hotels with over-water bungalows. That pretty much summed up the island.
We got back to the boat around 3.30pm. This gave us another rest, and then at 5pm all the passengers were shuttled back to Motu Tapu where there was a barbeque and the Pacific island staples of Polynesian dancing and fire dancing. There was also a great sunset, and we were not out too late.
