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We cruised the Islands on the recently renovated Star Breeze, a jewel in Windstar’s crown of ships. To say the renovation was extensive is an understatement—it included adding 20m to the length of the vessel. No wonder that Windstar President Chris Prelog wanted to share the transformation of Star Breeze during the special 35th anniversary cruise in French Polynesia.
Joining him was the President of French Polynesia, Eduardo Fritch, to help celebrate the spectacular ship transformation and anniversary.
We started the special itinerary in Papeete, the capital of Tahiti where the arrival of each passenger was heralded with Polynesian dancers. The seven-day cruise was to take us exploring, snorkeling, partying and eating our way through the Society Islands starting with Bora Bora. Celebratory events and cultural tours run by local experts were offered daily, culminating in a party at President Fritch’s Palace back on Tahiti.
The beauty of small ship cruising is that once you unpack into your comfortable suite, you are all set for the duration of the cruise. You breakfast at any restaurant you choose and gear up for your excursion where you have an incredible outdoor experience with other like- minded passengers.
You exchange stories over meals in a variety of onboard restaurants or over a drink in the bar. With onboard laundry and spa treatments there is plenty to keep you entertained. If its lounging with a good book that takes your fancy for a few hours, loungers are set up throughout the deck of the ship and you can be as sociable as you want. After familiarizing ourselves with the ship, we dined on fresh local seafood, had a good night’s sleep while underway, then readied ourselves for our first morning excursion. Good morning, Bora Bora or in Tahitian, la Orana (Yo rah nah).
Our ship approached another Windstar ship, Star Spirit for a sail past, both ships sounding their horns in the first celebratory moments of the trip.
Heading out on a snorkeling excursion to the waters surrounding Bora Bora, we were transferred by a small local boat to a shallow coral reef. I slipped into the legendary clear turquoise water filled with a mixture of fear and excitement knowing stingrays and black tipped sharks were waiting. Sun sparkled on the water and the crew of our small boat sang and one very talented woman played the ukulele.
It felt surreal and magical all at once. I floated on the water, flanked by up to three sharks at a time with enormous stingrays so close I could have touched them but chose not to. We walked in three feet of water spotting bright yellow fish shooting in between the many sharks, then moved to a deeper spot to snorkel through coral gardens with powerful currents. The crew continued to sing Polynesian songs while returning us to shore setting a magical backdrop to the scene.
Later that day we took a bus tour around Bora Bora to see how the locals live, to see the overwater tourist bungalows for which the island is famous and to learn some of the history of the tiny island. Bora Bora is the oldest of the Society Islands with a small population of around 10,000 people, mostly Polynesian with some Chinese and French. Many movie stars have visited the island including Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor and Sharon Stone.
Two mountains can be seen from different angles of the island, Mt. Olpea and Mt. Otemanu. They are smothered colorfully with bougainvillea and with hibiscus, which blooms yellow in the morning, orange in the afternoon and red to match the sunset. The entire island is circled by a protective barrier reef. In 1943, Americans built a little-used wartime airport which later helped build tourism on the island.
One of the stops we made was to visit an islander who makes pareos, flowing wraps that can be worn as a dress or skirt cover for men or women. The artist demonstrated dying cotton with botanical dyes adding handmade stencil designs of flowers, turtles or fish which then baked in the sun to make the stencil.
Within minutes the beautiful colors blended and the stenciled pattern was clear. He then demonstrated many different ways to wear the pareo which are an ideal inexpensive souvenir to buy for yourself or to take home for gifts.
Later the same day, Windstar hosted a party on a private island or motu. Catamarans delivered us along with passengers from Star Spirit, anchored nearby. Greeted by crew members draping leis on each passenger, we were led to a majestic feast.
Local musicians and fire dancers added to the magical evening with a backdrop of a purple-pink sunset. As fire dancers continued dancing, we cruised back into the night towards our waiting ship lit up beautifully in the Polynesian dark sky.
The next day we docked at the local pier in Raiatea and were greeted by musicians wearing floral crowns while a local woman and her tiny daughter handed out miniature flowers to adorn our own hair. Walking into the small village of Raiatea, there were shops selling handmade crafts, dresses and pareos as well as a local French grocery store and cafes. |
