nautica – Just Pete Hiking

G’day, fellow adventurers! Buckle up for a tale of high seas and missed inspections. We made it to Australia but not without some drama.

Australian Immigration requires a face-to-face inspection at the first port you arrive in on a cruise ship. Seems fair, right? That was supposed to happen for us in Tasmania, but the devils wouldn’t let us enter port due to rough seas. Missed that one. Eden, our next scheduled port, wasn’t equipped to do face-to-face. Missed that one, too. After 4+ days at sea, we arrived in Sydney…shaken but not stirred.

Sydney is on Australia’s southeastern coast and surrounds Sydney Harbour. The city is famous for a couple of iconic landmarks: the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We got up close and personal with each as we passed through the harbour.

We kicked off our time in Sydney celebrating Kris’ birthday. Few people can celebrate a birthday like Kris.

We strolled around the Opera House and the Botanical Gardens. Then, we hopped on a ferry to Manly Beach. No, it’s not a beach filled with macho dudes. It’s a vibrant little beach town with a jaw-dropping walking path along its pristine shore.

We snagged a reservation at Polo, our favorite onboard restaurant, to cap off Kris’ special day. It’s booked for reservations before the ship sets sail. We had two reservations before sailing. We only got this one because of the birthday girl’s special day! Sydney even topped off the evening with a fireworks display.

We bid farewell to the Nautica in the morning. But fear not, mates! We’ve got four more days of Aussie adventure ahead of us before heading home.

Our itinerary promises some cool things, and I’m excited to share the antics with you. G’night mates. May your dreams be filled with kangaroos and Vegemite sandwiches.

We traveled a whopping 31 miles northeast from Raiatea to Bora Bora, the true pinnacle of tropical nirvana.

Bora Bora is often called the “Island of Romance” due to its natural beauty, secluded beaches, luxurious overwater bungalows, and tranquil turquoise lagoon.

Bora Bora isn’t exactly a sprawling metropolis. It consists of a cozy twelve square miles and around 10,000 inhabitants.

Mount Otemanu is the towering sentinel of Bora Bora, an extinct volcano 2,385 feet above sea level. It can be climbed but the six hour up and back was more time than we could commit…plus there’s zero chance I could have talked Kris into that.

The island is surrounded by several small islands known as motus. These motus encircle the main island and help to create the beautiful lagoon that Bora Bora is famous for.

We spent our time in Bora Bora on a boat circling the lagoon and motus.

We also spent some time “snorkeling”. You really didn’t have to snorkel as the water was perfectly clear, only 3-4 feet deep, and the black-tipped sharks and stingrays swam right up to you! Thrilling? Absolutely. A bit freaky? You betcha.