We woke early again, and headed from Pape’ete Marina to Marina Taina on the west coast of Tahiti. The area is protected by reef and there are literally over two hundred boats anchored or moored in the area. Non-duty free fuel cost $4.98 US, so we were very happy for the $2.67 US duty free fuel price while taking on 116 gallons. We had only 10 gallons of fuel to spare since filling in Penrhyn. After filling up we squeezed into a free anchorage near the fuel dock and put away the fuel jugs as Just Drifting settled in the water an inch lower.
We lowered the dinghy and headed for the first and largest Carrefour we’ve seen on this trip. Carrefour is kind of like a Target store in the states, but with fancy French / Dutch cheeses and New Zealand meats. We were very impressed with the selection and filled our three freezers. We had thought we were going to load up in Huahine, but weren’t impressed with the prices. Just Drifting is ready to be off the grid again and another inch lower in the water.
We have heard that traveling around the east side of Tahiti is very pretty but not well traveled, so we plan to head south tomorrow and hopefully circumnavigate within a couple of weeks.
Cruiser Tip: Get your fuel early in the morning and pull along the west side of the fuel dock with the stern south and bow north. Trust us you’ll be in the shade and feel much more comfortable without the sun beating down.
Cheers!
Wade and Sara
