Aranui 5 Day 4: The Principal Who Saved My Drone
Day 4 · Nuku Hiva · 1 March 2016 Travel teaches many lessons. Bring rain gear. Carry water. Keep your passport safe. Double-check your camera batteries. What travel rarely teaches…
Aranui 5 Day 3: A Ship Full of Stories
Day 3 · South Pacific Ocean · 29 February 2016 Every traveller talks about destinations. The islands. The beaches. The mountains. The famous places. What nobody tells you is that…
Aranui 5 Day 2: I Missed Breakfast Before It Started
Day 2 · Takapoto Atoll · 28 February 2016 I have missed breakfast before. I've overslept. I've been late. I've even arrived just as someone was putting away the last…
Aranui 5 Day 1: Welcome Back to the Marquesas
Day 1 · Papeete, Tahiti · 27 February 2016 There are few things more dangerous than arriving at a cruise ship after three days of very little sleep. Actually, there…
Aranui 3 Day 14: Leaving the Aranui One Day Early, With Seven People and Too Much Luggage
Day 14 · Rangiroa, Tuamotu Islands · 20 April 2007 Packing seven people out of three cabins should be an Olympic event. There should be medals. Possibly counselling. Our final…
Aranui 3 Day 13: The Day at Sea When the Staff Adopted Our Family
Day 13 · At Sea · 19 April 2007 A day at sea can sound boring until you realize boring is exactly what you need. After nine straight days of…
Aranui 3 Day 12: Saying Goodbye to the Marquesas, One Flower Stone at a Time
Day 12 · Nuku Hiva and Ua Pou: Taiohae and Hakahau · 18 April 2007 Returning to a place is different from arriving the first time. The first time, you…
Aranui 3 Day 11: The Pig Dance, the Giant Tree, and the Beach That Fought Back
Day 11 · Nuku Hiva: Hatiheu · 17 April 2007 There are beaches that invite you in gently. And then there are beaches that say, “Let’s see what you’ve got.”…
Aranui 3 Day 10: Ua Huka Tried to Impress Us With Horses, Cliffs, and Mosquitoes
Day 10 · Ua Huka: Vaipaee, Hokatu, and Hane · 16 April 2007 The Aranui’s arrival in Vaipaee looked like something a ship should not be able to do. Which,…
Aranui 3 Day 9: The Church Where Everyone Sang Like They Meant It
Day 9 · Tahuata: Hapatoni · 15 April 2007 Some churches are remembered for stained glass. This one I remember for drums, harmony, and a four-year-old throwing his welcome crown…