Bart Bear's Blog

The highlight of our day at Bora Bora was a visit to Bloody Mary's bar and restaurant (I have finally learned how to spell that). This is built of jungle timber, bamboo and palm thatch to look like the old Polynesian buildings described in so many stories about the South Pacific. In fact, it is named after the character in Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific" and the movie "South Pacific" based on the book. The bar was built in 1979 by a guy called Baron George and has become one of the "must visit" places on Bora Bora. It has been visited by lots of international politicians, astronauts, celebrities and bands and they are listed on panels on either side of the entry; they should add my name as well now. Inside it is like something from a movie about the old days in the Pacific. The floor is sand, the seats are cut from logs and windows are just open areas that can be closed by thatch flaps. I found some strange totem poles in the courtyard, you can tell the size by comparing with the small bear (me) at the base of this one. I also found a rather disturbing element. In the picnic area just across the road there are lots of large crab holes. I tried to lure one out by tossing gravel down the hole and I had a big rock to bash it with if it came out, but it didn't so Mum didn't have crab cakes that night. Something new to me is the number of pairs of wheels on the sides of frames in the edge of the lagoon. These are winding wheels for lifts that raise fishing boats clear of the water so that marine bugs and borers can't attach themselves to the hull. There is always something interesting to see on the Pacific islands.

Labels: crabs, cruising, South Pacific, Tahiti

At the moment a vast area of Australia is burning. So far Canberra has escaped the fires, but we have had really bad smoke in the air for over a month; for the past week we have had the most dangerous air quality in the world. Hard to recall that just a couple of months ago we were on Moorea with air as clear and clean as it ever gets. We spent a day on one of the tours offered by the ship. It circumnavigated the island and stopped at the best scenic places. Here are  3 stops. The first row is at Belvedere Lookout, 900 m up on Mt Tohivea, the tallest of Moorea's peaks (it is 1207 m high). The road up to the lookout is one of the scariest I have ever been on, maybe because I was in a big bus instead of a small car. The road is narrow and has several hairpin bends which I would never have believed the bus could navigate. The view from the top is magnificent, looking out over the forest and the 2 large bays, Oponohu on the left and Cook's on the right. Our ship is that tiny white speck at the right side entrance to Oponohu Bay. There are a series of 6 ruined marae (temples) that the road passes close to. The bus stops at Titiroa marae, about half-way up the road. The remains are a large stone platform surrounded by a path and stone wall. I didn't have time to walk right around it, but was told that there were upright "god stones" at the other end. There are lots of wild chickens roaming the area. Later on the bus stopped at Tiki Village where there is a small model marae; I acted as gate guide while the tour group was there. Another photo stop was at Toatea lookout, above the Sofitel Ora Moorea Beach Resort. You get a good view of the coastline and lagoon from here, as well as the over-water bungalows. Tahiti can be seen on the horizon. A long day, but a good one to remember.

Labels: cruising, South Pacific, Tahiti

The most picturesque island we visited on the way back from Hawaii is Moorea. The name means Island of Yellow Lizards. I have visited another island with a similar name, Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef. Moorea is much bigger and higher than the Australian one. Our ship anchored in Opunohu Bay, the closer of the two large bays to the small harbour at Papetoai. The other large bay is named after my hero, Captain James Cook. The most obvious features you see as the ship arrives are the high, jagged mountain peaks. The island is an extinct volcano and these peaks are the eroded remnants of the lava plugs of the original craters. The harbour is tiny and far too small and shallow for a cruise ship, so the ship's tenders run a shuttle service from ship to shore. There were great views of the ship from the beach where local kids were swimming and fishing. We were greeted by a group of local dancers, all of whom were very glad to welcome this small bear to their island. I was invited to join the next dance, but had to decline because there were crab holes in the dance area and I hate those critters.

Labels: Captain Cook, crabs, cruising, South Pacific, Tahiti

It is hard to realize that it is nearly 6 months since our Christmas-New year cruise on Radiance of the Seas. Dad is still processing and filing images from it. He had better get on with the job because in 4 months time we will be back onboard her; Dad is the enrichment speaker on the voyage this time. So, what do you do on the days at sea? There is always something to do. Several times the crew put on an event. This one is a parade of flags from all the nations of the crew members, over 20 of them on this cruise. As it was Christmas, the cooks had made lots of gingerbread houses. They survived the hungry eyes and grubby hands of passengers until the due date when all of us had a chance to sample some. As you roam around the ship you find all sorts of interesting stuff. This sculptured panther lounging near the adults' pool was just one of the many artworks around the decks. Of course, there is usually live music playing in one of the public areas. This duo was our favourite and we tried to get to as many of their sessions as we could. Then there's the balcony. It is really worth spending a bit extra to get a balcony cabin. We scored a cabin with a bigger balcony than some and spent much time out there with books, puzzles and music. It helps if you have a Dad who can point out birds, flying fish and imaginary whales (he says he saw them but they had presumably dived before Scruffy, Milkshake and I looked in the direction he was pointing). Ocean weather is always worth looking at as well. The Pacific is usually fairly calm, but you get very pretty ever-changing wave patterns of light and swell, and sunsets are often simply magical.

Labels: cruising, South Pacific

Labels: cruising, South Pacific

Labels: cruising, new Caledonia, South Pacific

An island which is like the romantic idea of south sea islands is Mystery Island. This is a small coral cay just off the coast of the large island of Aneityum in Vanuata. Its official name is Inyeug, which means "tiny island" in the native language. Nobody lives on the island, although you can overnight. There is an airstrip, built by the US military during WW2, serving as the airport for Aneityum which has no flat area big enough for an airstrip. When cruise boats call the local natives arrive and set up markets and guided tours. Cays are islands built by sand and seeds blowing onto reef tops and gradually building up low islands like Mystery. The beaches and the interior here are clean white sand, the water is clear and warm, the fish and coral are great and, provided visitors keep to the safe areas away from the reef channels, it is a good place to visit. Ships have to anchor well offshore in deep water, so you travel to the island in the ship's launches, which can be fun when there is a bit of wave action. I enjoyed my day there, particularly as there were no crabs waiting to nip small bears; the crowds had them hiding in their burrows.

Labels: cruising, South Pacific

One of the things that I like about cruising is that you never know what your fresh towels are going to look like when you go back to the cabin (oops... they are called staterooms now) after dinner. The cabin crew are all experts at towel origami. Every ship we have been on has delivered an amazing assortment of towel critters. Here's a few of the ones from our Christmas cruise. The first is a duck, quite pretty looking. Second is a pig. He kept hugging Milky, so I had to dismantle him as soon as the photo was taken. The elephant was fun, he was big and sturdy enough for us to take turns riding (us small critters that is, not the Oldies). Number four was a bit scary. It was a sort of dinosaur and we had just finished watching "Jurassic World: Lost Kingdom" so even a friendly dino was a bit worrying. The crew gave lessons in the art, and I managed to push through the crowd to get this photo of Josh (dance instructor, quiz master, general all-round fun guy) in the process of making a ballerina from 3 hand towels. Last photo is a penguin, alligator, frog and goldfish at the end of the demonstration. I have tried to fold handtowels into something but I can only produce messes.

Labels: cruising, South Pacific

What do small bears do during days at sea? We explore the ship. The Oldies' favourite place on "Radiance of the Seas" is the Schooner Bar. It has big windows, comfortable seats, there is often good live music playing, and the cocktails are the best on the ship (or so they Oldies say). The most interesting thing I found there was a huge Earth globe. Naturally, Milky and I had to try and climb it. It was tough work getting around the overhang, but the brass straps were thick enough to get a grip on. We were sitting up there singing "I'm sitting on top of the World" in our best Al Jolson voices when the barman, Linus, discovered us. He thought were great climbers, cute, and in tune as well. That didn't stop him from taking us down and delivering us back to the Oldies. We had to spend the rest of the time, until the Oldies finished their drinks, watching out the window for flying fish and whales.

Labels: cruising, South Pacific

What a Christmas - New Year break I have had. The Oldies took Scruffy, Milkshake and I on a cruise to the islands. The ship was my favourite, Radiance of the Seas. We left Sydney 3 days before Christmas and returned the day after New Year, so it was a party trip. The ship had a Christmas tree of course, but what it had extra was hundreds of balloons decorating the Centrum and public areas. Stars, Santas and snowmen for Christmas and for New Year they had PINK KOALAS and champagne bottles. If you click the photo you can see lots of balloons on the stair and balcony railings. At the end of the parties artificial snow (shaped confetti) and white balloons rained down from the roof. I really liked the idea of the Oldies having to see pink koalas in the bars, it is a great change from pink elephants in my opinion. We visited 6 islands, some of them new to us, and I will put up images later (when Dad gets everything uploaded and sorted). Of course Scruff, Milky and I celebrated appropriately and we wish all my readers all the best for 2019, and following years as well.

Labels: boats, cruising, South Pacific

Since the Oldies are not taking me traveling anywhere new for a few months, I will catch up on some past travel photos. Here is a different sort of place that I visited during our day on Ile des Pins during our New Caledonia cruise in 2015. It is a cave, or, more accurately, a grotto where a native queen called Hortense hid for several months during a tribal war in 1855. There is a track from the carpark  down through jungle to the grotto. A small stream runs through the grotto and the floor is muddy and slippery. I was glad that Dad was carrying me, because Mum would have had harsh words to say if I had come back with muddy fur. Deep into the cave you can find the flat rock where Queen Hortense slept. I found a smaller rock shelf higher off the floor where small bears could sleep if they ever needed to. It is not much of a cave as caves go, but worth a visit because of its history. Most tours of the Ile des Pins include a stop here.

Labels: cruising, new Caledonia, South Pacific

Labels: boats, climbing, cruising, South Pacific

Gosh, it has been a fortnight since my last post. Problem is that Dad is at the hospital every day for his radiation cancer treatment and I need him to check my spelling and grammar. So back to pictures from our last cruise. We usually use local tours rather than those organized by the ship. The standard of transport is not as good, but the local guides are usually very happy to show you their home turf and to tell you stories about it. At the Isle of Pines we took a round-the-island tour on this small bus. That's Mum in the seat by the door; the best views while traveling are from that seat if you can win the rush for it. Dad says that the most interesting thing about the bus, mechanically, was the way it managed with absolutely minimal suspension. Our guide/driver was Christopher, who has lived all his life on the island. He let me help start the bus and close the door before we started. He also has a small family of Aussie bears on the windscreen of the bus (OK, they are koalas, not real bears, but they do look similar to me and I am supposed to be a bear. The Oldies reckon there must be a fair bit of koala in my ancestry). We saw most of the special places on the island and I have some great photos to show you soon.

Labels: cars and trucks, cruising, Noumea, South Pacific

I always get my photo taken with something that names the ship I am on. Usually that comes down to a photo of me in the life-ring-thingy. These have the name of the ship and its port of registration on them. I am slowly getting a collection of photos of me in these rings, 6 at present. In the case of "Radiance of the Seas" there was an even better thing, the ship's badge. This is a big plaque with the Royal Caribbean crown and anchor flanked by what I think are sa eagles, flags and scrolls. And yes, if you look closely you can me in there as well. A good background is useful. Sometimes Mum won't let the photo be taken if there is even the slightest chance of me falling overboard, so that rules out the possible heroic ones where the waves are spectacular. However, in this case the calm water of the lagoon at Isle of Pines, near Noumea, makes a very acceptable backdrop.

Labels: boats, cruising, Noumea, South Pacific

Yay!!!!! The time has come for us to pack our bags and head off on another cruise. This weekend we join "Radiance of the Seas" in Sydney for a cruise to New Caledonia and back. Dad is the enrichment lecturer on the cruise. He will be giving talks on astronomy every day at sea. If you ever happen to be on a cruise where Dad is lecturing, go and hear him; he is actually pretty good (but never tell him that I told you so). I love the days at sea, particularly when the sea is calm and the Sun is shining. Mum and I always try to get a "Kate and Leo" picture on every ship we sail on. Even when the weather is a bit rough I like it, you can get really moody photos then. I can't decide if I like the tropical parts of the South Pacific better than the colder bit around New Zealand. The ports of call are always pretty and interesting. The photo here is of islands in the huge lagoon at Noumea. We will be back there on Wednesday and this time I will make sure that the Oldies take sand-fly and mozzie repellant with them.

Labels: astronomy, boats, cruising, New Zealand, Noumea, South Pacific

Nothing of interest happened this past week, so here's a couple of photos from our Hawaii - Sydney cruise in 2013. The island is Moorea, near Thaiti. You can see other photos of it if you search the blog. I like the ruggedness of Moorea. It is mostly mountains with just a small flat strip around the coast. The peaks were mostly covered in cloud the day we were there. The ship has to moor in deep water, quite a way from the wharf, and we went ashore in the ship's lifeboats. Moorea is very beautiful (if you are into islands, like I am) and a place you should see if you get the chance. I am getting cruise fever again, as the Oldies and selected small critters are guest lecturers on "Radiance of the Seas" in a few weeks time.

Labels: boats, cruising, South Pacific, Tahiti

Papeete has a great mix of architectural styles. Most of the new buildings are rather uninteresting concrete and glass, but the older buildings are fascinating. Just across from the cruise terminal is what was obviously once a splendid hotel. Today it is closed up, the main door has been covered by a roller shutter and the only sign of its former glory is the staircase leading up to it. Even the fire escapes have class; no ugly ladders and landings, but recessed spiral staircases. It must have been an impressive hotel when it was in its prime.  I haven't been able to find out what it was called, Google is quiet on the subject. If anybody knows, please let me know too. Lots of the older buildings are very colourful. The red and yellow one in the photo is part of the market district. Papeete markets are well worth wandering around. All sorts of things on sale, but I really do wonder how all those millions of mangoes ever get sold. And of course the modern graffiti kids are active as well. Mind you, I think this wall in downtown Papeete is really a work of art and maybe will be kept and appreciated. The problem I had was that time was so short, there is lots more to see next time.

Labels: buildings, cruising, South Pacific, Tahiti

Vaitape, capital of Bora Bora, is a laid-back sort of town. No high rise buildings; the church towers are the tallest things. Every shop seems to be selling pearls, pareaus or souvenirs. Sometimes all of these in the same shop. The shops tend to be small and pokey. Actually I like investigating shops like that, you never know what strange curios may hide in far corner shelves. But it is the signs that I get a giggle from. Not so much the top one, it is a large map of the island that is located on the main wharf, just near where the local tours leave from. That's Mum standing there with me. She had been very sick on the ship and was enjoying a shore break. The bottom photo is a shop that sold just about everything a tourist could want. Just look at the sign above the entry (click on it for a bigger image). Not the Three Wise Monkeys; in Polynesia it is the Three Wise Tikis. The wooden statues by the posts are interesting examples of Pacific art as well. The multi-coloured things are pareaus, Tahitian sarongs. They are usually wearable works of art with beautiful colours and patterns. Yes, Mum bought several back with her and is having trouble deciding which ones to keep and which ones to give as presents to friends. No small bear sized ones of course.

Labels: boats, cruising, South Pacific

I guess that I can't complain about no variety in my life. Last November I was in the middle of the biggest ocean on Earth and last week I was in the centre of Australia. So, having gazillions of photos to show you, here's a couple of Papeete, capital of Tahiti. The top one was taken from the top deck of "Celebrity Millenium" at the wharf. It shows some of the town centre and private yachts. If you look closely you can see the red spire of Notre Dame Cathedral, and a houseboat that looks like a voyaging canoe. The mountain in the background is Orohena, 2,240m high. For most of the day we were there it had orographic cloud streaming from the summit. As I mentioned before, the traffic at any time of day is horrendous. It took us 10 minutes to cross this road between the port and the town, pedestrians evidently come cheap there. However, we had a great time exploring Papeete and it's mix of ancient and modern architecture.

Labels: boats, cruising, South Pacific, Tahiti

In my opinion, Bora Bora, 230 Km northwest of Tahiti, is the pick of the Pacific islands. It is two extinct volcanoes, Mt Pahia and Mt Otemanu, surrounded by a huge lagoon and barrier reef. The reef has one entrance channel. The main town, Vaitape, is opposite the entrance. Our ship, Celebrity Millenium, anchored in the channel on the side opposite Vaitape, near an island called Motu Toopua, and we were ferried ashore in the ship's lifeboats. The top photo is what we saw when the ship anchored, Mt Otemanu with Vaitape snuggled along the shore in front of it. Most of the time we were there Otemanu had clouds covering its top. The bottom photos are from the lifeboat on the way across to Vaitape. Vaitape is just how I imagined a south seas town to be and I will post more photos of it soon. In James Michener's book, Hawaii, he has a section on Americans posted to Bora Bora during WW2. He says that they will never forget the island, and you know what? Neither will I.

Labels: cruising, South Pacific