Our friends Rocco and Linda Piazza came for a short visit. Rocco and his mom, Linda stayed at Hotel Conrad for a few days before we picked them up. It was door to door service, we brought Sugar Shack to motu Toopuia where the hotel is located and picked them up in Sweetie. Matt flew our giant Texas flag just in case the Piazza’s were uncertain as to which sailboat was Sugar Shack.
Pick up the Piazza’s at Hotel Conrad
A trip to Bora Bora would not be complete without dinner at Bloody Mary’s. Lucky for us it was happy hour night as well (happy hour is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). When you are ready to eat, they take you to their “menu table” where the fresh selection is laid out for you. The host walks you through each selection of fresh meats and fish, how it is prepared and the cost. You place your order and are seated on beautiful, varnished tree stumps in a Robinson Crusoe style dining room.
Dinner at Bloody Mary’s
BORA BORA TO TAHA’A
We left the next morning for Taha’a. It was a beat into the wind and the waves making for an unpleasant first experience for our guests. But the Piazza’s were troopers and kept smiles on their faces. We raised the jib once we entered the lagoon for the short 2-mile jaunt to the Tautau motu and the coral gardens. It was really busy in front of the gardens, so we decided to anchor in front of the Taha’a Pearl Resort.
Rocco jumped in the gorgeous water immediately! It was time to wow them with the beauty of the coral gardens. We did a little walk about on the resort’s property which had a lovely little beach.
Taha’a Anchorage
We jumped in at the mooring entrance after securing Sweetie. There was no current which made our leisurely snorkel even more enjoyable. I am still working on the underwater camera settings and filters, so forgive the funky colors of the fish. Hopefully you still get a feeling for their true beauty and curious nature. The top photo was meant to be a stellar photo of Rocco, but a butterfly fish had different plans.
Coral Garden’s underwater photos
We found an area that was teaming with a wide variety of fish. They were incredibly friendly and inquisitive! My favorite is still “Nemo” playing with the sea anemone.
Coral Garden’s Underwater Photos
Little Shopping
The next day we made the short journey to Uturoa, the main village of Raiatea. We picked up a mooring from Dream Yacht Charter and headed into town. It was fun exploring a new island and markets with the Piazza’s. We did some provisioning and found some cool new plates for the boat!
New plates for Sugar Shack
Coming Up Next
Be sure to read our next blog where we hike to the top of Tapioi, hunt crabs, snorkel and travel to other Society Islands with Rocco and Linda.