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Tahiti to the Marquesas Excerpts from Maris magazine, May '08 The lush, jagged volcanic islands of the Marquesas are French Polynesia’s most spectacular island chain - yet few tourists have experienced them. You can learn about their beauty, welcoming people, and their mysterious stone tikis by reading the adventures of Paul Gaugin, Herman Melville, Jack London, Robert Lewis Stevenson and Thor Heyerdahl. Even today, the best way to explore these enchanting islands continues to be by freighter. |
| While the Aranui 3 makes two stops in the Tuamotu Islands and approx. a dozen in the Marquesas, your days on land will be filled with adventure. Led by well-trained guides, you can hike to ancient archeological sites, swim, snorkel, scuba dive and go horseback riding. You’ll also visit charming villages where visitors are rare but very welcome. Thanks largely to the passengers of the Aranui, Marquesan artists are reviving the traditional crafts. Talented craftspeople will open their home studios to you and display their intricately carved wooden bowls, war clubs and tapa, a traditional bark cloth. |
| The custom-built Aranui 3 of CPTM (Compagnie Polynesienne de Transport Maritime), a specially-designed cargo liner built with passenger comfort in mind, offers tasteful, spacious accommodations, sweeping decks, an outdoor swimming pool, and gym as well as facilities for ocean swimming, fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving. |
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| The service is renowned for its friendly atmosphere, fine French and Polynesian cuisine, informative onboard lectures and for the raw beauty of its destination, the spectacular Marquesas islands. |
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Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, is where you’ll begin your Aranui adventure - a charming bit of France in the middle of the South Pacific. Spending a day or two in Papeete offers you an opportunity to start absorbing the friendly, leisurely Polynesian way of life, which you’ll experience to the fullest on your voyage. Fakarava is the second largest atoll in the Tuamotu. Your day ashore includes a Paumotu style picnic on a coral beach with fresh lagoon fish on the grill and a buffet catered by the ship’s chef. There is snorkeling and scuba diving for people of all levels of expertise. You can swim and snorkel in the translucent lagoon and watch the colorful ballet of tropical lagoon fish. The local dive operation can provide the more experienced scuba divers with sensational world-class diving, which allows them to see a prolific assortment of deep-sea marine life. |
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You can relax with a book on one of the sun decks, swim in the small pool, or enjoy the beauty of the immense South Pacific. Balmy evenings mean reading in the lounge or chatting with an authority on Marquesan culture or archeology. You’ll probably spend many evenings socializing with your fellow adventurers from all around the world at the open deck bar. The spirited Polynesian crew will treat you like a welcomed guest and proudly introduce you to their rich culture. Almost every night, they sing and strum hypnotic Polynesian rhythms on their ukuleles while teaching you to move your hips to the hypnotic beat of the tamure. A few picturesque photos, on the right and below, from a “very successfull voyage”, courtesy of Mr. Greg Bathon and his wife Heidi. |
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From the deck, you’ll be able to see the soaring mountain spires of Ua Pou. Wherever the Aranui stops, villagers greet her. While the muscular crew is unloading supplies - from cement to sugar - and loading sacks of copra (dried coconut meat), you’ll be able to explore the tiny town of Hakahau including its church that has a hand-carved wooden dais. You can meet some talented wood-carvers and hike up a hill for a breathtaking view of the distant cloud-covered mountains. At Rosalie’s Restaurant, you’ll taste your first Marquesan lunch: breadfruit, a Marquesan staple, along with curried goat, barbecued rock lobster, poisson cru (raw fish marinated in lime juice and soaked in coconut milk), taro and sweet red bananas. You’ll sail into Taolhae’s spectacular bay, a giant volcanic amphitheater dominated by towering cliffs, and streaked with waterfalls. As the Aranui unloads, you can explore Taiohae, the tiny administrative capital of the Marquesas. You can also go scuba diving with PADI-certified instructors, who will take you to dramatic, undiscovered world class dive sites that have an outstanding variety of marine life. Taiohae Bay is where a 23-year-old sailor, Herman Melville and his buddy jumped a whaling ship in 1842. You’ll follow their escape route by jeep along steep, winding dirt mountain roads to Taipivai (Typee) Valley. In his autobiographical first novel, Typee, Melville described his capture and idyllic sojourn among the hospitable cannibals, the Taipi. Hidden amidst the bamboo and vanilla vines are undiscovered archeological treasures. The area is dotted with stone tiki gods and sacred ritual sites (me’ae) and immense stone platforms (paepae) where the Taipi built their houses. Enigmatic petroglyphs of birds, sacred turtles and fish are carved on huge boulders. The Aranui’s two whaleboats will sail down the river to return you to the Aranui, which is anchored in the bay. |
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This is where Paul Gaugin lived and did some of his best work. You can visit the colonial store where Gaugin shopped and go into a replica of the Impressionist’s infamous “House of Pleasure”. As you walk up a hill to the cemetery, you’ll have sweeping views of the harbor. Beneath a huge frangipani tree is a tombstone with the simple words: Paul Gaugin 1903. Nearby is the grave site of another famous European who also was seduced by Hiva Oa: Belgian singer-composer Jacques Brel, who died in 1978. You’ll also enjoy another lavish Marquesan lunch, at Hoa Nui restaurant. You’ll have plenty of time to explore Atuona, the second largest village in the Marquesas. |
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This is the most lush and remote island of the Marquesas. It’s also the center of Marquesan crafts. As the guides lead you through the village of Omoa, you can see women hammering mulberry, banyan or breadfruit bark on logs. Next, they dry it and then paint ancient Marquesan designs on their famous tapa cloth. Fatu Hiva is also well-known for its hand-painted pareus (sarongs) and monoi, a perfumed coconut oil scented with tiare blossoms and sandalwood. Skilled wood-carvers will invite you into their home studios. The grandchildren of former chief, Willie Grellet, have opened their home to Aranui passengers and proudly show his rare collection of ancient Marquesan woodcarvings. You’ll sail into the Bay of Virgins, which is one of the world’s most beautiful bays. The more athletic passengers may choose to make the trip by foot. On this ten-mile hike you’ll have unforgettable views of towering cliffs and majestic waterfalls. |
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You’ll travel by foot or by jeep to the most important archeological sites for tikis (ancient, humanlike religious sculptures) other than those found on Easter Island. The trained guides will show you the mysterious jungle ruins of Puamau and relate stories of these haunting statues of an ancient civilization. Be sure to bring your camera along. |
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On this leaf-shaped island, the air is thick with the fragrant scents of tiare, frangipani and history. In the tiny village of Vaitahu, Spanish explorers had landed in 1595 and opened fire on a crowd of the curious islanders, killing about 200. When the first missionaries came in 1797, the generous local chief left his wife with the missionary John Harris, and left instructions that he treat her as his own wife. Harris fled the next day. Tahuata also is the site of the first French settlement in the Marquesas in 1842. The huge church, built by the Vatican, is decorated with beautiful Marquesan carvings. On a nearby beach, you’ll be able to swim, snorkel and picnic. |
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You’ll visit a museum with exquisite replicas of Marquesan art. Some Aranui passengers will choose to explore the island by four-wheel drive; others will ride the famed Marquesan horses. For three hours, they will explore the mountain landscape, with heart stopping views of the Pacific. Wild horses (brought from Chile in 1856) thrive here, outnumbering the island’s 476 residents. You’ll enjoy a Marquesan lunch at a local restaurant and still have plenty of time to visit the studios of wood carvers. Back on the Aranui, it is Polynesian night with dancing and a buffet dinner out on the decks. |
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The beautiful sea-walled village of Hatiheu has a wonderfully restored ancient archeological site (tohua) - where the famed local dance troupe will perform traditional Marquesan dances specially for Aranui passengers. The guides will lead you through the jungle to an ancient Marquesan temple where you’ll see ancient petroglyphs. Afterwards, have lunch at Yvonne’s Restaurant, one of the best restaurants in the Marquesas where the specialty is pig baked in an underground oven. You’ll meet the owner-chef, Yvonne, who also happens to be the town’s energetic mayor. You will return to your first stop in the Marquesas, Hakahau. This is your last chance to buy Marquesan crafts. |
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On lovely Rangiroa, the largest atoll in the world, you’ll picnic on golden beach. Aranui passengers can swim and snorkel in a translucent lagoon. “Rangi” is an underwater jewel box with stunning colors of coral and clouds of tropical fishes. You’ll have the opportunity to purchase black pearls from local black pearl farmers. These rare black pearls are French Polynesia’s main economic resource. |
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Please click on the following links to check the 2009 schedule, rates and discounts (10% - 15%) on certain voyages: 2009 Schedule and Rates Deck Plan and General Information |
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Two Weeks Aboard the Aranui |
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“I’ve traveled to over 100 countries and flown 100,000 miles or more a year for the past decade. I’ve been railroading during the Malaysian monsoon season, and I’ve even been highjacked at Uzi machine gun point in Haiti. But no travel trip to date equals the two weeks I just spent aboard a freighter sailing through the Marquesas in French Polynesia. I always wondered if there were still any of those old tramp steamers plying the trade routes of the world to out-of-the way places without airports or roads like I read about in my misspent youth. Was there such a trip still available, or had I waited too long? The Aranui, meaning “The Great Highway” in Maori, operates under the French flag, and her crew are all Polynesian, primarily Marquesans. It serves as the primary transportation and supply link to the Marquesas Islands located north of Tahiti. This working freighter is the lifeline for these faraway islands. It accommodates about 200 passengers of all ages, backgrounds and nationalities while delivering cargo to some of the most remote islands on earth. Many passengers are islanders returning home by deck passage. While it is a very livable vessel, the experience is not for travelers looking for glamour or glitz. You go along for the ride to watch the tattooed crew sling sacks of copra (dried coconuts) and oil drums by day, and strum ukuleles on the port deck by night. The Aranui offers an authentic taste of Polynesian life at sea and the rare opportunity to visit these islands like a native. Despite no advertising budget, the Aranui is booked up long in advance due to the glowing write-ups it receives in the international press. It has been featured in South Seas documentaries as well as motion pictures, including Warren Beatty’s 1994 film ‘Love Affair’ and in the PBS travelogue ‘In Search of Paradise’.
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After two days sightseeing in Tahiti, we boarded this wonderful and colorful freighter. For the next three days, except for a stop at the Takapoto atoll, we sailed through the calm waters of the South Pacific to the Marquesas islands nearly a thousand sea miles north of Papeete, Tahiti. Our first port of call was Ua Pou where our initial view was clouds wreathing the peak of Oave. This volcano rises 4,000 feet above the sea and dominates the skyline as we explore the little village of Hakahau and eat a Marquesan lunch of breadfruit, rock lobster and native delicacies like raw fish marinated in lime juice and coconut milk. Next we hiked through the town to a lookout and visited the local grammar school on the way back down. The next port of call was Taiohae on Nuku Hiva, the administrative center of the Marquesas, where we were taken on a Land Rover jaunt through the mountains. This is the only island with any air connection from a tiny airport which is a one-hour, bone-jarring jeep ride through the mountains to the only spot flat enough for a small airstrip. The airport gets its fuel from the Aranui. Oil drums are ferried to shore in our ship’s small whale boats which later return to ferry us ashore as well. Approaching this island from downwind, the air is thick with fragrant scent of tiare and frangipani. It was here that a young Herman Melville, of New Bedford, MA, deserted his whaling ship, and fled to the Taipivai Valley. His stay with the cannibal Taipi tribe was the basis for his famous novel Typee, which was his misspelling of Taiohae. |
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The next day we arrived on Hiva Oa and explored Atuona, the second largest village in the Marquesas where Paul Gauguin lived and painted until his death in 1903. A short hike uphill leads to Gauguin’s grave which is next to that of Jacques Brel, the Belgium songwriter, who also lived on this island. Later the same day we set sail for the tiny village of Vaitahu, in Tahuata, where Spanish explorers first landed in 1595. Two centuries later came the missionary to whom the generous local chief gave his wife with instructions that he treats her as his own wife. The missionary fled the next day. |
By our eighth day we reached the lushest and most remote island, Fatu Hiva, which is formed from two extinct volcanoes. Our next stop was Omoa where Herman Melville also spent enough time to get the idea for his novel Omoo which was his phonetic spelling of the native word for this island. The next day the Aranui returned to the opposite side of Hiva Oa where we visited the most important archaeological site for tiki, statues representing ancestors. The only other place these tiki exist is on Easter Island. |
| Our next island, Ua Huka, has 2,000 wild horses. The locals round up one only when they need it. We were provided with wooden saddles and spent the day crossing this island’s mountains, including a stop at a horticultural institution. On our return voyage to Tahiti, we spent two full days at sea before reaching one of the world’s largest atolls, Rangiroa, where we took the whaleboats to a picnic on a golden beach and also swam and snorkeled. |  |
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It would be difficult for even as wide-eyed an enthusiast as myself to exaggerate the joys of this exotic voyage. The local guides aboard were brilliant and insightful while the crew made us feel like friends and neighbors. This is FRENCH Polynesia, so the food has a French Provincial influence. Every meal is a delight, running the gamut from haute cuisine to local Marquesan dishes. All were superb.
We flew nonstop from Boston on American Airlines, and hooked up with a new local Tahitian carrier, Air Tahiti Nui, which offers one trip daily from L.A. to Papeete, Tahiti, an eight-hour flight over the Pacific. We flew nearly halfway around the earth with only a 1/2 hour layover in L.A. Oh, I forgot to mention! The French serve endless bottles of wine at both lunch and dinner, all included in the fare which starts at $2,079 for a dorm to $5,445 for the best deluxe suites which even includes bathtub and a balcony. We settled for a standard A cabin at $3,675. The prices are per person, double occupancy and include 3 meals with wine, guided excursions, picnic and meals on shore”. |
| SEAWORTHY | SEAWORTHY | |
| NEWS | NEWS |
The Polynesia, 30-day voyages |
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 We are pleased to be able to offer you another voyage to the popular South Pacific area with the following itinerary. Los Angeles, Long Beach terminal (Day 1); San Francisco, Oakland terminal (3); Papeete, Tahiti (13); Apia, Western Samoa (16); Pago Pago, American Samoa (18); Los Angeles (30). |
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Passenger capacity: 4 Deadweight: 14,587 tons Length: 157 m Built: Germany, 1996 Owners: Tom Wörden, German Officers & Crew: International The Owner’s side-facing twin-bedded suite on the 2nd deck. €3,615 per person double, €4,175 single occupancy. One standard, side- and forward-facing twin-bedded suite on the 3rd deck. €3,195 pp double, €3,755 single occupancy. There is an additional charge of €265 pp for port and vessel fees. Each suite has private facilities with shower. The dining room is located on the Main Deck and a lounge, with a TV/VCR set, is located next to it. The indoor swimming pool is one deck below. There are no visa or vaccination requirements. The age limit is 79. |
 Singapore - Malaysia - India The City of London renamed Tiger Breeze, 14-day voyages |
| Singapore (Day 1); Port Kelang, Malaysia (2), Chennai, India (7-8); Port Kelang (13) and Singapore (14). | 
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Passenger capacity: 12 Deadweight: 23,800 tons Length: 188 m Built: Poland, 1997 Owners: Andrew Weir, British Officers & Crew: Russian Four twin-bedded suites and four single cabins, located on deck #s 3, 4 & 5, forward or aft facing, each with private facilities and shower. $1,950 pp, roundtrip voyage. Beside the dining room and lounge there is a recreation room and outdoor swimming pool. A visa for India is required, while vaccination against yellow fever is recommended. Ask your doctor’s advice for best type of pills against malaria. The age limit is 79. |
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| We are most grateful for the support, including comments such as the following, which we have been receiving from our valued customers and club members as well as from the steamship lines and media over the years: |
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