Paradise found on a clipper among the Tahitian islands

Aug 15 2008 Travel by David Mastin

A crack of sail canvas filling in the trade winds of the South Pacific, the squeal of rope through the blocks, the recorded notes of a full orchestra sweeping the deck and the rushing sound of our ship cresting through turquoise seas to the next island.

We could only watch in awe, transfixed by the power and the beauty of our four-masted tall ship under its full 3,000 square feet of sail.
This cacophony of sound had become a real music of the sea, conducted by a captain and crew sailing these magical, sun-kissed waters with a captive audience of travellers from 16 nations.

'Make full sail' became our special moment, whenever a constant wind was in the right direction, as we sailed from Tahiti and explored her islands on Star Flyer, a modern version of the old tea-clippers that plied the oceans of the world, operated this time by holiday company Star Clippers.

You felt special on this ship, almost part of a large family, and this corner of our globe was rather special too - green and blue seas, romantic lagoons, the constant warmth, sunny skies and the garlanded welcome endemic in these islands of flowers.

Our voyage began and ended in Papeete, capital of Tahiti, the economic heart of the islands and harbour base for the Star Flyer for the next few years.

Shore time here offers an exotic taste of an extraordinary culture, the vibrant daily market, restored archaeological sites inland, hiking trails through the hills and Teahupoo, one of the best surf spots in the world.

Then we sailed to the neighbouring Society Islands of Moorea, Huahine, Ralatea, Tahaa and Bora Bora, each a gem with a mountainous jewel in the middle, set in drapes of lush green, home to rushing waterfalls, haven for wild boar in the deep valleys, and all ringed by necklaces of little coral atolls encircling the narrow sandy beaches.

Everywhere we went, an alluring scent of the tiny, white tiare flower (a type of Tahitian gardenia) filled the clear air and from visitors to locals, young girls to old men, everyone seemed to wear one of these white blossoms behind their ear.

There are social rules to this ritual: blossom to the front, behind the right ear, if you are available, and blossom to the front behind the left if you are spoken for.

And if the bloom on the left is turned to face the rear, you're spoken for but still open to offers!

These lovely islands - none far from each other - got their name when Captain Cook in 1769 said they were 'in close society'.

Today, it's a chic, exclusive French-speaking corner of the world, awash with celebrities. And you get the impression that developers, their glitterati guests and islanders want to keep it that way.

Where else in the world would shops close for Saturday half-day with a cruise ship anchored off-shore and dollars itching to be spent?

However, you would need an arm and a leg to go ashore on these islands anyway. Hotel prices are sky high: breakfast for two at a good hotel in Papeete came in at just over £50, a simple Caesar salad costs £15, a chocolate bar £7.50 and a beer about the same with little else to drink under a tenner.

So the only way to get a taste of paradise at a reasonable prices is aboard Star Flyer, with fully-inclusive five-star eating from a fabulous kitchen - and also free watersports wherever you dropped anchor, a comfortable cabin and none of those onshore costs.

And if that's not enough, and you always wanted to be a sailor, there's also a chance to climb the mast to the crow's nest (the lower one at least!), handle the ropes or steer the ship.

Prices outside the hotels as well were too ridiculous for our pockets. Supermarket t-shirts for example cost about £20 each, the same for a shaving set (our luggage went astray through Heathrow, but that's another story), about £20 for an ordinary baseball-type cap and the same for a short taxi trip.

The currency is Polynesian Francs but many prices are in Euros, as on the ship, and the US dollar is widely accepted in the islands.
So my advice is to forget spending altogether and experience the joys of nature instead.

On the lovely island of Bora Bora I found we had narrowly missed Nicole Kidman and husband Keith Urban, who sailed into the lagoon on the private motor yacht, Rising Sun, the fifth largest in the world. Other recent visitors included Eddie Murphy and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

The Star Flyer, with two small swimming pools on deck, hosts a maximum of 170 passengers with 70 crew. There's no formality in the dining room, no need for suits or ties, and smart casual is the rule for dinner.

Evening entertainment after the fabulous sunsets was largely self-made with a nucleus of the ship's crew and all the sports team throwing themselves enthusiastically into musical gyrations with energetic holidaymakers.

However, the night in port, when a professional Polynesian dance troupe came to entertain, rather put our ship's efforts into perspective.

By day, sports staff organise and supervise water activities - diving lessons, water-skiing, snorkelling and dinghy sailing with paid-for shore excursions available at each stop.

About 30 of us wanted to snorkel to see underwater marvels as magical as the islands themselves. Some brought their own gear but the ship fitted out those needing masks, flippers and snorkel - all free and you could keep them for the whole holiday.

The same sports staff offer to boat guests ashore to a 'desert' island, leaving them to share the day on the beach with fallen coconuts, sand crabs and the shade of the nodding palm trees.

Nothing can take away the awesome beauty of these green and welcoming islands - even in the rainy season from November to March. Palm trees rise majestically to the constant sun while the scent of growing vanilla mingles with the smells of the sea.

So we went back to Bora Bora, its lagoon made world-famous by films like 'Mutiny on the Bounty.'

After seeing it for myself, I think that if you painted the true colours of the waters you just would not be believed. Deep turquoise and lighter colours make up a patchwork of amazing blues and greens.

On smaller islands there is evidence of campfires, footprints of visitors in the sand (there is virtually no tidal rise and fall), and, in the water, sting rays are joined by octopus and occasionally the harmless black-tipped shark. A snorkeller's paradise.

We explored one of these little islands near Bora Bora, landing by small boat and edging our way across on a tunnel route between dense foliage, to emerge at the other side within 10 minutes of an underwater wonderland - where you can gently drift in the current between the corals and the shimmering shoals of fish.

We anchored off another, bigger, island where the cooks set up a barbeque under the trees and the local beauties and their fellas danced in their flowers, fern skirts and coconut bras. The ever-willing sports crew brought kayaks and sailing boats for those with the energy left to work off their lunch.

These are unspoilt islands and genuine, friendly folk. God willing, long may they stay that way.

FACTBOX
* David Mastin was a guest of Star Clippers which offers seven, ten and eleven-night voyages around Tahiti & Her Islands, with seven nights on Star Flyer from £880 per person (two sharing), including all meals and port taxes with flights extra. Early booking discount until October 31, 2008 applies to travel November 2, 2008 - April 23, 2009.
Reservations: 01473 292029 and www.starclippers.co.uk
* Turquoise Holidays has a seven night Star Clippers package from £2,850 per person, incl economy flights into Tahiti with BA and Air Tahiti Nui, Category 2 Cabin, all meals and transfers.
Turquoise Holidays: 01494 678 400 or www.turquoiseholidays.co.uk
* Tahiti & Her Islands information on 0207 202 6378 or www.tahiti-tourisme.co.uk