Day 1 · Papeete and the Aranui 3 · 7 April 2007

There is a dangerous moment at the beginning of every voyage when everyone is still awake enough to believe they are in control.

We were not.

Our day began in Bora Bora at 4:30 in the morning, which is not so much a wake-up time as it is a small personal tragedy. To catch the 7:00 AM flight to Papeete, we had to take the shuttle boat from town to the Bora Bora airport island. The boat was supposed to leave at 5:45, which in Polynesian travel math meant closer to 6:00. Somehow, despite seven people, tired children, luggage, and my own pre-coffee brain, we made it.

After a short flight to Papeete, a friend kindly met us, drove us to the bank, and then delivered us to the port where the Aranui 3 was waiting.

And there she was: half cargo ship, half cruise ship, and completely fascinating.

A Cruise Ship With Cranes

The Aranui 3 was not pretending to be a floating hotel. The front half was serious business, with two massive cranes loading cargo for the Marquesas Islands. The back half welcomed passengers like us, who apparently thought the best family vacation involved cargo containers, sea spray, and five children sharing three cabins.

The ship carried up to 4,000 tons of cargo and delivered essential goods to remote islands. It would return mostly with copra, noni, other goods, and about 3,000 tons of seawater for ballast.

That is right. We were taking a cruise on a ship that came home partly filled with ocean.

I admired the honesty.

Welcome Aboard, Please Accept Juice and Air Conditioning

After boarding, we had a welcome cocktail at 10:00 AM. The adults had rum punch. The children discovered Tahitian mango, banana, pineapple, and grapefruit juices.

I discovered air conditioning.

After weeks in 28 to 34 degree heat, sitting in cool air felt like a religious experience. I may have loved the air conditioning too much. I regret nothing.

The children immediately wanted to explore the ship. This did not take long. The Aranui was compact enough that within a short time they knew where the pool, video room, dining room, lounge, library, laundry, and probably the captain’s emergency chocolate supply were located.

Three Cabins and One Porthole Aquarium

Because we had five children and two adults, we needed three cabins side by side on the lower B deck. This deck sat just above the waterline, which meant our porthole had a front-row seat to the ocean.

As we left Papeete, the waves splashed so hard against the window that our four-year-old could not nap. He was mesmerized. So were the rest of us.

It looked like we were inside a washing machine looking out.

This is not normally considered relaxing.

The children loved it.

The Pool Becomes a Wave Machine

The pool was another discovery. It had high sides to contain the water as the ship rolled. One shallow section became a waterfall whenever the ship moved. Water sloshed out, rolled back in, and turned the whole thing into a tiny onboard wave pool.

For the children, this was paradise.

For the adults, this was an early warning that the ship intended to move in more directions than we had planned.

Lunch felt like dinner. Dinner felt like a banquet. By evening, the children were finished. Orin fell asleep at the dinner table. Dailin skipped dinner entirely and went to bed feeling unwell.

The rest of us followed shortly after.

The Aranui had not even reached the Marquesas yet, and already it had rocked us, fed us, cooled us, and gently defeated us.

Not a bad first day.