Sign up to receive our latest offers by email
Helen Edward-Davies from Yee & Turner Travel Associates share her experiences on-board a luxury Haumana cruise of Tahiti's Rangiroa Lagoon.
For those who have already been to Tahiti, and want to go and find out a little more about the more remote areas, then a cruise out at Rangiroa lagoon may be just what you are looking for. The Lagoon is one of the largest in the world, and offers the unique pink sand beaches, found nowhere else in Tahiti. The area, largely due to it's remoteness, is pristine, and untouched by large tourist developments, making it a very special corner of Tahiti.
A flight from Bora Bora to Rangiroa takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes, and as soon as you land, you are taken back 50 years or so, when people wear their Sunday Best to meet guests at the Airport, and security is refreshingly relaxed. We were collected by Haumana Cruises, who looked after us for the next few days.
The cruise catamaran was actually built in Australia, and is as comfortable as you could ask for: compact but functional and comfortable cabins with plenty of storage space and natural light, a Lounge deck full of comfy spots with cushions, and a dining room capable of seating all guests at the same time. A highlight for me was to snatch some peaceful moments after dinner on the sunloungers on the front deck, stargazing and taking time for reflection on my good fortune.
Our days were filled with trips to various Motus, villages and snorkelling areas, and our nights were taken up by the kind of home grown entertainment that money can't buy. We learnt to dance the Tahitian way ( or at least they tried to teach us), we fished, and once we accepted that "Island Time" is a reality in these remote areas the three days on board felt like the most relaxing cruise ever.
