DAY 42 DAY 31 SERENITY

WECLOME TO RAIATEA

NOTE: We are experiencing  some problems with the internet on-board the ship which makes it challenging to update our blog.

As a  result we are publishing today's Blog much earlier than usual.  It is possible from time-to-time we might not be able  to do daily updates.  If for whatever reason you don't see an update this is why.  

Let's begin with last evening.

We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the Crystal Cove.  Ana  & Humberto performed as  soon as the muster drill completed.

These are the dinner menus from Waterside where we enjoyed dinner.  We are dining at Waterside for three consecutive nights.

We enjoyed dinner.  Our Senior Waiter and Waiter remain Kirsten and Fernando and our Sommelier is Amela.  We've had Amela as a Sommelier on previous cruises  along with her Sister who is a Senior Waiter.

Head Waiter Augusto.

Our dinner  Included  Beet Root &  Vodka Cured Salmon Appetizer for Keith and Jumbo  Shrimp Cocktail for  Anne Marie followed by dinner salads.  We both had the Local Fresh Wahoo Fillet which was a Yahoo.  LOL.  

We were not familiar with Wahoo and selected it based on the recommendation of August and Kirsten.  On this voyage there will be several opportunities to try the local fish and this will continue as we sail  New Zealand and  Australia.

The featured entertainment was Crystal in Motion which showcases the  Crystal Ensemble of Dancers and Singers, Dance Stars Curtis and Beverly who returned back to Serenity and the Crystal Showband, Violinist Irina and Vocalist Karin.

We  slept well as  we sailed to our next port of call in Raiatea.  This island is the  second largest of the Society Islands after Tahiti.  It is considered to be the center of the Eastern Islands in ancient Polynesia.  It is believed the organized migrations to the Hawaiian Islands, New Zealand and other part of Eastern Polynesia began at Raiatea.  

The traditional name for the island is Havai, which is homeland for the Maori people.

Major  attractions  include:

Marae Taputapuatea which features a number of marae and other stone structures.

Marche Uturoa which is a local town market.

Taha's Island which has a population of  5,000 people and is 35 square miles.

Faaroa River which is the only navigable rinver in French Polynesia.

Four Islands Virew which is the mountain that dominated the northern part of the island.  It offers spectacular views.

We will arrive to Raiatea in less than  two hours.  We will be docked and our plan is to walk from the pier over to Uturoa which is the island's capital.   The walk  is 1/2 mile.  

We hope to post photos tomorrow.

Following is the daily Reflections Program.

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith