Aranui added an extra night to the cruise because of technical problems. We learned later it was due to regularly scheduled maintenance. It saved us a night in a hotel but a lot of people were upset because they had to reschedule airplane reservations.
We docked at the Aranui cargo wharf, a much different view than from the cruise ship dock.
We headed to the airport and flew to Rangiroa.
Rangiroa is the second largest atoll in the Pacific. The island of Tahiti will fit in the lagoon. It is one of the most premier scuba diving destinations in the world, famous for rays and sharks, especially hammerheads.
Unfortunately , I had not fully recovered from pneumonia, so I couldn’t go diving. I was very disappointed because we chose this atoll for that reason. We stayed on the island of Avatoru. It’s 11 km long. The major attractions are the Blue Lagoon, Reef Island and Pink Sands. Each is at least an hour ride by boat from Avatoru, Pink Sand two hours.
We were welcomed at the airport with a lei by the Kia Ora staff and bused to the hotel.it is a beautiful resort. We had a beach front villa.
We walked in and….
The outdoor bathtub! Barb actually had a bath under the stars after Michael got the gecko out.
What really blew us away was the view from the bed.
We had a private pool.
Our deck. Here is a view from the hotel pool down the beach to our room
We decided to celebrate with a drink.
The resort is beautiful. Here is the view from the restaurant at dinner with a peek of the hotel pool.
Of course, we had a Polynesian show after dinner.
a great day of travel and a chance to relax before two action packed days of touring.