Heaven in Huahine

Hello Everyone,

A picture of our time with the sting rays in Moorea, diving to find the tikis, and our little Brown Boobie friend that stayed on our dinghy with us begging for food like a stray puppy.

Once again we are in screen saver mode.  We are loving the little island of Huahine for its tropical breezes, white sandy beaches, lush jungle and bamboo forests, and the turquoise waters.  We arrived here from Moorea a few days ago and have been enjoying every minute.  It is really nice to be inside the reef and anchored in lagoons.  Our first anchorage was actually a mooring ball that we picked up past the main town of Fare.  There were only 3 moorings for this little spot and it was heaven on earth.  When we got our boat tied up we looked over the side and saw 20 spotted eagle rays swimming under our boat.  They were there the entire 2 days we stayed.  I believe because it was a channel they were feeding on the plankton going through.  They just hovered there all together.  It was so cool.

The little beach that is next to the mooring site is maintained by Phillipe who has been there for over 20 years.  He is well known for his jewelry and maintaining the property that at one time was going to be a hotel site, but is now abandoned.  He is a very welcoming and generous man that offered all that he had including pamplemousse, bananas and coconuts.  We are now stocked up so to speak.  He also gave the girls a bracelet making lesson with the red seeds he makes his jewelry from.  We played on the beach, went for a panoramic walk up the hill and snorkeled with the eagle rays... I know what you are thinking, Life is rough!.

After spending a few days with Phillipe we decided to head on up to Avae Bay.  This is another postcard anchorage and the beauty of it is, it is like a cold-e-sac.  We are anchored at the end and have blown up the little girls paddle boards so they have been paddle boarding by themselves all over the lagoon.  It is amazing.  There is a completely shallow wall right in front of our boat of sand for a mile and then behind us a very nice hotel called Relais Mahana.  Monette (the owner of this hotel and Tahiti Yacht Charters) has been so welcoming to us cruisers and helpful with all our boating needs from Wifi to connections in Raiatea for repairs.. yet again.  (Pete and Gayle Chris did get a chance unfortunately to use your underwater epoxy!, thank you for insisting he had some! UGH!)  There is a dock going out from the hotel that has perfect coral heads for the girls to explore and swim on their own.  We found a Morey Eel, loads of fish and lots of different kinds of squishy sea cucumbers.  They have had a great time and then of course the jumping off the dock for more entertainment.  At the end of the day... Relaxation.  This should be a new spa therapy... the sense of floating...I need more of this.

Hugs and love to all,

Heather