We crossed the equator which is an imaginary line that divides the Earth into the North Hemisphere and the South Hemisphere.  The latitude of the equator is by definition “0”. Seamen participate in a time honored tradition as far back as the Vikings, a ceremony in which King Neptune and ruler of the seas, transforms Polliwogs (soft, gushy sailors who have never crossed the equator) into a secret society of Shellbacks (hard, tough sailors that have crossed the equator).  There was a big party on the cruise ship with passengers lining up to kiss the fish and have a large laddle of ice water poured over their head to be transformed from Polliwogs to Shellbacks.

We have six ports in French Polynesia: Nuku Hiva, Rangiroa, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Samao and Suva.

Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands is our first French Polynesia port.  Vaipo Waterfalls is one of the world’s tallest falls at over 1,100 feet.

There are beautiful black sand beaches. I took a 4WD vehicles around Taipivai Valley and went to the base camp for the Survivor TV show filmed in 2001, season four.  Author Herman Melville also stayed here for a short time living amoung the Typee people inspiring two novels, “Typee” and its sequal “Omoo”.

 I visited the Notre Dame Cathedral with original remains from the 19th century. Highlights include ironwood carvings of biblical stories that were beautiful.

The fish was on our dinner buffet “Chef’s Special”.  The chef shops  for local fish, fruits and vegetables to prepare our meals after each port. Those are two large tunas not just one. The other fish is a Opa (red snapper).

The artists who created the Easter Island statues created statues for Nuku Hiva.

In Rangiroa, we rented a little electric car where I sat in the back seat and Lisa drove in the seat in front of me. It felt like I was riding in our old three wheel motorcycle.

We visited the pearl farm to learn about their black pearl cultivation and Lisa bought the pearls she has been wanting.  I was good and bought nothing. Black pearls are abundant in French Polynesia with a strong impact on their ecomony.  Rangiroa is a string of coral encirculing a tourquoise and jade-green lagoon creating a natural aquarium and one of the world’s greatest diving and snorkling destinations. I do not dive and we are snorkling on another island. We had a great time driving around and having a beautiful lunch at their best rated hotel with Tiki houses on the island.

Papeete is Tahiti’s capital and economic center of French Polynesia with shopping, surfers on long boards,  black sand beaches, waterfalls and Fern Grottos. Tahiti is the largest in a chain of 118 islands.  The island is halfway between Los Angeles, California and Sidney, Austrailia and just south of the equator.  We went to local shops and the major market in the center of town.  A high school teacher brought her 3rd year English students to our port to interact with passengers so they could practice their English.  They made maps and answered any questions we had as well as welcomed us with  a large table of local fruit. It was a great experience for students and passengers.

The water in these islands is beyond description. Tiki hut hotels very popular.

Bora Bora is known as the most romantic island in the world. We took Patrick’s Machi Nui private tour which included a  locally prepared lunch, snorkling, swiming with the sharks and stingrays. A BEAUTIFUL DAY!