Tahiti cruise to Austral Islands offers in-depth look at French Polynesia
Since the banning of mega cruise ships in parts of the South Pacific, a thrilling new way to see French Polynesia has surfaced. But beware: you may return tattooed.
As a young backpacker I used to daydream about hitching a ride on a cargo ship plying its way among the islands of the South Pacific. The opportunity never presented itself, or perhaps I just enjoyed my creature comforts. Now, slightly older but still possessing a spirit of adventure, I’m standing on a wharf in Papeete, capital of French Polynesia, gazing up at Aranui 5, a passenger-freighter hybrid that will be my home for the next 12 days.
The back half of the ship looks every bit the modern cruise liner, but the front is dominated by two huge cranes that lower cargo into cavernous holds capable of holding 3000 tonnes of freight. Aranui 5 carries everything from horses to helicopters. These supplies are the lifeblood of the Tahitian islands, scattered over 4 million sq km of the Pacific – an area larger than Europe. The family-owned ship is a regular visitor to four of the five archipelagos of French Polynesia, but the remote southernmost group, the Australs, has been out of reach even to most French Polynesians.
Now, 150 passengers have signed on for the first official voyage to all five of the inhabited Austral Islands. At least a third are French Polynesians, seizing a rare opportunity to see these national jewels for the first time. The sense of anticipation among the crew, too, is palpable. Many have never been to the archipelago; others are returning to see family and friends, some for the first time in years.’
My travelling companion and I are in a spacious (19sq m), tastefully appointed premium suite with a king bed, a snug but well-equipped bathroom, Nespresso machine and private balcony. As it turns out, we will keep the balcony door open almost every night, lulled to sleep by the soft breeze and the motion of the ship.
Our first stop is the island of Rurutu and it immediately delivers a highlight of our trip. I’m floating face-down in the ocean and I don’t think I could be happier. Five metres below me a humpback whale hangs like a tower of barnacles and silver, suspended in the ocean, head up, perfectly still. Sunlight filters down, playing across the leviathan’s white underbelly like a shaft of light streaming from a cathedral window. A little further away, another slightly smaller whale hovers in the same position. The people of Rurutu have a long-standing relationship with these animals, which return every winter to mate and give birth.
The second island on our journey is Rimatara, barely 8sq km, its highest peak rising to just 83m above sea level. After an enthusiastic welcome from locals, including a smoke purification ceremony, some passengers take a bus tour while others elect to join a hike inland in search of a rare parakeet, the Kuhl’s Lori (or Ura). With a couple of newfound friends from the ship, we decide to hire bikes to go exploring. There’s no such thing as a bike-rental place on Rimatara (population 800) but the locals have pitched in an assortment of their own. We all end up with something more or less rideable, but one of our group wobbles off on a particularly ancient specimen. A few minutes later a ute pulls up beside us with two more cycles in the tray. The word has gone out in the village and voila! We have two sturdy machines to choose from.
We circumnavigate the isle in a couple of hours, stopping often to explore and say hello as people call out greetings. At one point we pull up to rest beneath a giant tree and realise the birds flitting between the branches above us are a pair of bright red, green and yellow parakeets – the famed Ura. We arrive back in the village just in time for a lunch of barbecued fish with tomato salad, taro and roast chicken. In the afternoon we swim off the beach before returning to our floating home.
An overnight sailing brings us to Tubuai, where we swim in Bloody Bay, once the scene of a savage battle between islanders and the Bounty mutineers, now a picture-postcard scene of Tahitian serenity, all white sand and turquoise water. The nearby remains of Fort George, built by Fletcher Christian in 1789, bear witness to the mutineers’ failed bid to take possession of the island. The contrast to our own welcome could not be more stark. At each harbour, we are greeted with music, dancing and genuine warmth. The islanders are clearly keen for these visits to continue; the income from tourism may help to staunch the flow of young people leaving in search of work.
There’s a relaxing day at sea as we head to the island of Rapa, one of the most isolated places on Earth, more than 1200km from Tahiti itself, and with no airstrip. Will we see many other boats? I ask our captain, Arnaud Pichard. He laughs. “No one. There was one cargo ship but he will not go back for another month.”
Passengers eat together in the main dining room and all meals are included: a generous buffet breakfast, a three-course lunch and three-course dinner, with wine. Every table has a couple of bottles of very drinkable French reds and whites. A typical meal might be salad nicoise followed by a mouth-wateringly good roast swordfish with Provencale sauce or a perfectly cooked beef tenderloin washed down with a 2020 Chateau de Hartes Bordeaux. Dessert could be tiramisu or pistachio creme brulee. Food is taken seriously on Aranui; there are four pastry chefs on board.
It’s an older demographic on this voyage but clearly a group with a taste for adventure. There’s no complaining about rough seas or intermittent wi-fi. Three of my fellow passengers have already got into the spirit of things by getting tattoos on board courtesy of the ship’s restaurant manager and official tattooist, Moana Kohumoetini. These decorations are a rite of passage in French Polynesia, and 46-year-old Moana, who has been with the ship for 13 years, is covered with them, some self-administered. The story of his life is written on his skin, from a shark motif in memory of his grandfather to the symbol of love that represents his nine-year-old son.
The crew are the key to the success of Aranui 5. Many have been with the company for years. Unlike other cruises you’ll often find them, when they’re off-duty, in the bar having a (non-alcoholic) drink with the passengers and sharing their stories.
The 36-hour voyage from Tabuai to Rapa is marked by heavy swells and winds. I feel well but my companion is glad she picked up sea sickness tablets at Sydney airport. We wake at 6am to watch as the island rises out of the wild southern ocean, jagged mountains piercing the horizon, before sailing into a perfect natural harbour formed by the crater of the massive volcano that gave birth to the island.
I’d been pessimistic about this part of the cruise. The cool weather – about 19C during our visit in late September – hadn’t sounded like my idea of a South Seas paradise. It turns out to be my favourite part of the trip. After another enthusiastic welcome from what seems to be all 500 islanders, we set out on a hike into the mountains, traversing a series of ridge tops that provide breathtaking views into distant valleys and the sea beyond.
On the voyage back to Tahiti, we stop for a day at Raivavae, an island surrounded by a beautiful lagoon fringed by a series of small islands known as motus. The final leg of the trip includes legendary Bora Bora, famous for its luxury resorts and over-water bungalows. We are now in the Society Islands, not the Australs – but no one’s complaining. We spend our last full day on a sand-fringed motu, swimming and snorkelling in the crystal-clear waters of the lagoon.
Mega cruise ships have been banned from Bora Bora since last year at the request of the local population, with only vessels carrying fewer than 1500 passengers allowed. That’s fine with me. I’m not a cruise fanatic, but I’m now hooked on small, working ships like Aranui 5 that earn their place in island life. I’ve proudly joined the cargo cult.
IN THE KNOW
Aranui Cruises has two 11-day Austral Islands cruises departing Papeete on March 30 and November 2 next year, calling at all five inhabited isles in the group; from $8503 a person, twin-share, in a stateroom; $12,835 in a premium suite.
Air New Zealand flies to Papeete from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth
via Auckland.
In Papeete stay at the excellent Hilton Tahiti, five minutes’ drive from the airport and the port,
from $580 a night, or the equally luxurious Intercontinental Tahiti; $480 for a standard room or from $950 for an overwater bungalow.
Stephen Rice was a guest of Aranui 5, Tahiti Tourisme and Air New Zealand
