Logica - Tahiti Private Expeditions

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Fall in Love
A BOAT INTERNATIONAL MEDIA PUBLICATION
The seductive Society Islands
MORE FIRSTS & FLAGSHIPS
Italian Sea Group’s Entourage
Viking’s 92 crossover sportfish
Baglietto’s new-generation 46m
50
HUES
of BLUE
A TASTE OF FRENCH POLYNESIA, THE SOCIETY ISLANDS ARE
ACCESSIBLE AND SEDUCTIVE. GO AT YOUR OWN RISK;
YOU MAY FALL IN LOVE FOREVER.
PHOTO BY RODOLPHE HOLLER
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CECILE GAUERT
One of the mountains overlooking Cook’s Bay in
Moorea has a hole in it. Askari’s captain points to the top of
Mount Mou’a Puta, several hundred feet above the yacht,
as he recounts a local legend. I try to make out the landmark
while sipping chilled coconut water out of a humongous
coconut shell. The story goes something like this: On a
moonless night, Hiro, the god of thieves, tried to steal one
of Moorea’s mountains, now called Mount Rotui. The mighty
warrior Pai came to the rescue and threw his spear from
Tahiti. Pai’s spear made a hole in one of the mountaintops
and stirred the island’s roosters. The ensuing cacophony
duped Hiro, who thought dawn was near. He and his band
of thieves absconded with only the top of Mount Rotui, now
resting on the island of Raiatea (another of the Society
Islands some 118 miles away).
The legend explains the gap at the top of Mount Rotui,
which is flanked by two bays, and the big hole through Mou’a
Puta, both popular destinations with hikers. Moorea, a
trident-shaped emerald jewel whose peaks pluck ribbons
of clouds right out of the sky, is a long way for a spear but
an easy ferry ride away from Papeete, Tahiti’s busy city and
French Polynesia’s capital. An ancient river created a natural
pass through the coral reef between Moorea and Tahiti, and
it only takes 40 minutes to make the crossing in all comfort.
Onto Moorea’s foothills in Vaiare, the ferry Aremiti 5
disgorges a mound of luggage and groceries and a throng
of islanders and visitors, among them me and a group of
charter brokers on our way to meet up with the yacht Askari.
A quick ascent along the winding coastal road toward Cook’s
Bay reveals a panorama of unrealistic blues that scream
photo op. Less than a half hour later, the yellow bus comes
to a stop near a sandy parking area on the edge of the bay.
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beginners. “By the end of the charter, everyone is hooked
on kiting,” Akers says.
Stewardess Moevai Tearoha, a native of the Marquesas,
is a professional dancer with Les Grands Ballets de Tahiti.
On our first evening on board, she’s traded her crew uniform
for an expertly knotted pareo and let her hair loose. She
sings softly while her arms, hips and feet move as naturally
and easily as flowing water. A few hours into our trip, the
enchantment is complete.
That evening Askari relocates to neighboring Opunohu
Bay after a short cruise outside the reef. The anchorage is
so peaceful that the steel yacht barely moves during the
night. At dawn, dew covers the sun deck and an improbable
chill is in the air. As the deck crew prepares for the day,
occasional headlights pierce the darkness and the sound of
dogs and roosters ricochet across the bay. It does not seem
like it, but civilization is quite close.
The crowing roosters remind me of the legend of Hiro
heard just yesterday, although it seems like days ago. The
feisty fowl are believed to be descendants of birds the first
Polynesians brought on board their pirogues from Southeast
Asia around 200 B.C., and they are thriving. Small, colorful
roosters peck the ground around visitors’ feet at the Belvedere, a lookout with stunning views of Moorea’s two bays.
It’s a popular stop on guided tours through the island’s
plateaus and villages.
A Moorea island tour inevitably includes the pineapple
fields, one of French Polynesia’s resources. The bluish plants
cover acres of rolling red hills between rows of lush trees.
The sweet fruit is a chef’s best friend. The pineapple’s enticing smell fills the yacht’s large galley and juicy slices turn
up on our breakfast plates. Askari’s chef, however, has other
weapons in his vast cooking arsenal and access to plentiful
ingredients—that is the upside of being close to civilization—
and his omelet with aged gruyere and poached eggs Benedict with smoked wahoo are a hit.
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The sun sets over Moorea (top le.); the island is home to
pineapple plantations (above right and opposite top). MonoÏ
(above center) is another homegrown product, a fragrant
beauty oil found alongside tikis (above) at markets. Askari o.en
is in Moorea and her tenders know just where to go for diving.
The roosters rule the coop at the Belvedere (opposite bottom).
A local cruise ship is anchored in the bay and vendors have
set up a craft market on shore. The tables display Tahitian
pearls, tikis carved in rosewood, bottles of locally produced
vanilla and monoï, a fragrant beauty oil. An earlier trip to
the covered market in Papeete (Mapuru a Paraita) has fulfilled
the souvenirs obligation though, so we press on. The vendors
acknowledge our little group with the melodious Tahitian
greeting Ia Orana (iah-o-rah-nah), watch us reach the shoreline without stopping and resume their conversation. Unlike
some of the Caribbean islands, there are no high-pressure
sales tactics—people here tend to be refreshingly laid-back.
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Askari’s Captain Claud Akers and crew are already at
the dock. The engines rev up and the tenders soon reach the
yacht anchored in the middle of the green bay. A sturdy steel
fishing boat built in 1971 and converted for yacht use, she
has a rugged and retro white hull accented with green stripes
and seems right at home in Cook’s Bay. Askari has called
Moorea home for eight years, although her amazing range
(about 10,000 nautical miles) and big stabilizers allow her to
explore farther afield in French Polynesia, such as to the more
remote and adventure-filled Tuamotu atolls.
Akers, a cheerful South African, has spent 15 years as
captain and engineer of Askari. He and his French-born
wife and Askari’s chief stew, Emmanuelle, have made a home
in Tahiti. The Askari crew knows all the good spots, from
fishing holes to anchorages protected from the prevalent
winds. But they also know how to make the most of the wind;
adept at kitesurfing, they are more than willing to teach
A quick ascent along
the winding coastal
road toward Cook’s Bay
reveals a panorama of
unrealistic blues that
scream photo op.
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sharks ominously survey the scene. But by the time we
are in the water with the black-fin sharks encircling us,
no one cares. Small, beautiful and seemingly shy, they
are far less intrusive than the rays, which are inserting
themselves everywhere.
With underwater resources a big draw, conservation
has become more entrenched in the local culture. At the
InterContinental Resort & Spa’s site, a veterinarian has set
up a rescue center for sea turtles called Te Mana O Te Moana,
or “the spirit of the sea.” Here, a small staff patiently nurses
the turtles back to health and sometimes succeed in reintroducing them back into their natural environment. Nearby,
a dolphin center gives visitors a chance to interact with its
three Hawaiian-born boarders, bottlenose dolphins who live
in saltwater pools on the resort’s multi-acre site. These
attractions make the marine world accessible to anyone
who was not born part fish.
While a typical seven-day charter itinerary through the
Society Islands would include a cruise to Bora Bora, our tight
schedule mandates that we fly there instead. A late-night
arrival keeps the island’s enduring mystique intact for a while
longer. The ride aboard the St. Regis water shuttle from the
airport provides no clue—all is dark and sedate with nary a
PHOTOS BY RODOLPHE HOLLER !TOP LEFT"; ASIA PACIFIC SUPERYACHTS TAHITI !OPPOSITE, CENTER"
After breakfast, we suit up for the day’s adventures, which
include some diving. French Polynesian law requires that
a certified local dive guide accompany visiting divers on a
charter. Dive guide Rodolphe Holler, who lives on Moorea,
is a frequent addition to the yacht’s crew.
Most of the wildlife on this remote island—about 27
species of seabirds excepted—is below the surface, and
French Polynesia’s underwater wonders are one of its main
attractions. Hard-core divers will prefer the more challenging dives in the coral-rich Tuamotus. However, families and
beginners will find plenty of marine life to enjoy here, despite
the changes gluttonous starfish and a rare cyclone have
wrought on the corals.
Inside the coral ring, the water is shallow and crystalline
and a mask and snorkel are enough to enjoy scenes of
clownfish playing among anemones—not to mention the
sharks. Holler had told us they’d be there.
The tender takes us next to “Stingray City,” another hot
spot that does not require any sort of diving experience. For
years, boats have dropped anchor here and fed stingrays
and sharks, which surround the boats as soon as they arrive.
The rays, their skin soft and Jell-O-like but their tail sharp,
are as familiar as excited puppies. A multitude of black-fin
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light. The sprawling St. Regis resort, set on a man-made islet,
boasts huge over-the-water bungalows and styling by Pierre
Lacombe inspired by traditional Polynesian architecture.
Likely the attraction for honeymooners the world over is
the feeling of isolation in each of the private bungalows that
overlook the private salt lagoon. The boardwalks and gardens
are scantily lit and all is quiet after the sun has set.
The dawn of the next day provides some of the answers
I seek. A tour of Bora Bora’s lagoon (three times as large as
the land mass itself) aboard a local boat outfitted with an
outrigger reveals blues so vivid they make the Bahamian
azures seem tame by comparison.
Our guide is a worldly, mustachioed French Polynesian
with a mane of gray hair named Marona. A few minutes into
the trip, he dives into liquid turquoise, grabs a fistful of white
sand and rubs it all over himself. He dubs it the ultimate spa
experience, a stab perhaps at the exquisite Clarins spa back
at the resort where exfoliation is also available…at a cost.
The day trip includes drift snorkeling, fish feeding and
culminates with a picnic lunch on a private motu, a coral islet
in sight of Bora Bora’s iconic Mount Otemanu whose unusual
rock formation seems to give the island a permanent thumbsup from this viewpoint. The spread includes local staples such
as lime- and coconut milk-marinated red tuna or poisson
cru, breadfruit, a traditional dessert called po’e and a coconut
bread so dense it feels like you’re biting into the coconut flesh
itself. The islet is bathed in sunlight and surrounded with
quiet limpid water. A thatched roof provides all the shade
needed. Marona lives nearby on a spit of rock and sand with
his extended family as neighbors and dogs he has rescued,
including the sweetest pitbull on earth.
His motu is a stone’s throw from another private island
(Motu Tane), which once belonged to adventurer Paul
Emile Victor and was purchased by cosmetic entrepreneur
François Nars. For decorating the private cottages and
landscaping the coconut-strewn islet, Nars worked with
famous designers, including Parisian designer Christian
Liaigre (see, for instance, the interior of the yacht Vertigo).
His paradise is for rent for about $200,000 to $300,000 a
week. It’s a favorite among celebrities. Eddie Murphy got
married there a few years ago.
The latest addition to luxurious eco-resorts in the Society
Islands is on the atoll of Tetiaroa, closer to Tahiti. A historic
destination for Polynesian royalty, the 12-island atoll once
belonged to actor Marlon Brando. Sold in 2005, it was
re-invented as an eco-friendly retreat with a coconut oilfueled power station, 35 villas, a spa and research lab.
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Diving off Moorea guarantees black-tip shark sightings
(opposite, top le.). A sea turtle rehabilitation center is at the
InterContinental Moorea (opposite, top right). Marona at home
in Bora Bora (opposite, bottom right) where the St. Regis resort
has opened a lovely spa (top). Dance is a big part of the culture
as is outrigger canoeing.
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U.S.A.
Hawaii
There is so much more to French Polynesia than we
have time to explore, even within the well-known and
densely populated Society Islands.
Akers’ enticing itinerary for a Society Island charter
includes kayaking among hibiscus flowers on Raiatea’s
freshwater river and diving the wreck of the schooner
Nordby or with lemon sharks in Moorea.
Etienne Boutin, a long-time resident and one of
several professional yacht agents based on Tahiti, says
the island of Maupiti, 30 miles west of Bora Bora, is
one of his favorites. The top of an eroded volcano, the
island is laid-back and authentic, like Bora Bora 40 years
ago, locals say.
And with French Polynesia stretching over an area
as wide as Western Europe, which includes five archipelagoes and 118 islands, the possibilities for discoveries are nearly endless. There is plenty here to create
your own rendition of paradise, with or without a hole
in your mountain.
Australia
Bora Bora
Tahaa
Huahine
Raiatea
Moorea
Tahiti
fact file
GEOGRAPHY: French Polynesia, which is a
French territory, covers a territory as large as
Western Europe. The country comprises five
archipelagos with 118 islands: The Marquesas,
Tuamotu (home to a biosphere preserve),
Gambier Islands, Austral Islands and the wellknown Society Islands.
A chain of 14 high volcanic islands and
limestone atolls, the Society Islands stretch
across latitude 16° to 18° S and 148° to 154°
W longitude. The tallest peak at 7,350 feet is
Mount Orohena on the chain’s largest and
most populated island, Tahiti. The capital of
French Polynesia, Papeete, is also located on
Tahiti. Tahiti Iti, the less populated southern
part of the island, is home to the Billabong
Pro Tahiti surfing competition.
The Society Islands on the windward
side are: Mehetia, Tahiti, Tetiaroa, Moorea
and Maiao and on the Leeward side:
Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora, Tupai,
Maupiti, Mopelia, Motu One (Bellinghausen)
and Manuae.
CLIMATE: The climate is tropical with an
average temperature of 79°F. November
through April is the wet season, while the
rest of the year is drier and cooler. The best
time to travel is May to October, with the
period between July to September best for
whale watching.
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: French
CURRENCY: French Pacific Franc (XPF),
although the euro and dollar are widely
accepted. 100 Pacific Francs ≈ 1.05 USD.
IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS:
The official port of entry is Papeete. With
sufficient notice and for an additional
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charge, yacht agents can arrange to clear
visitors in an island other than Tahiti. If
arriving in Papeete, yachts must register
with the yachtmaster and provide a crew
list. If arriving elsewhere, you can send
documents ahead of arrival via email to
[email protected].
Arriving passengers must also report
to immigration. A passport with three- to
six-month validity is required for most
foreign nationals and a number of countries
require visas. A tourist visa is not required
for U.S. citizens for stays up to 90 days.
Pleasure vessels can stay in French
Polynesia up to 36 months without paying
import duties. Visiting yachts intending to
charter are subject to different rules and
must obtain a permit. A qualified yacht agent
can obtain the necessary permit in four to
six weeks.
DOCKAGE IN TAHITI: The main
yacht marina in Tahiti is Marina Taina
([email protected]), on the southwest
coast, which has limited slips for transient
yachts and quay dockage for larger yachts.
Papeete also has quay spaces available with
larger yachts able to dock near facilities close
to the center of town.
Moorings are regulated but widely available
throughout the islands. Consult your agent.
MORE INFORMATION: tahiti-tourisme.com
YACHT AGENTS:
Tahiti Yacht Services: tahiti-yacht-services.com
Asia Pacific Superyachts:
asia-pacific-superyachts.com
Tahiti Superyacht Support:
tahiti-super-yacht-support.com
CHARTERING ASKARI: Askari is managed by
Fraser Yachts and charters from $75,000 per
week. Fraser Yachts, Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
Tel: (954) 463-0600, email: florida@
fraseryachts.com; www.fraseryachts.com
LOCAL CREWED CHARTER YACHTS:
90' Ultimate Lady (ultimatelady.com)
74' Marlow Miss Kulani (misskulani.com)
For more options and reservation information,
contact your charter broker.
OUR HOST HOTELS:
The Manava Suite Resort Tahiti:
manava-suite-resort-tahiti.com
InterContinental Tahiti Resort:
tahiti.intercontinental.com
St. Regis Bora Bora:
starwoodhotels.com/stregis/borabora
FINE DINING WITH A VIEW:
Le Coco’s in Tahiti
UNDERWATER ADVENTURES:
Tahiti Private Expeditions:
tahiti-private-expeditions.com
AIRLINES:
Air Tahiti Nui (airtahitinui-usa.com) flies direct
from Los Angeles to Papeete with connecting
flights to other islands. Papeete is the main
international hub for Moorea, Bora Bora and
20 other smaller airports.
Faa’a airport in Papeete (tahiti-airport.com)
has modern facilities and concierge services
for private jets. A number of companies
operate private charters to various islands.