Favorite PG excursions?

What have been your favorite excursions while sailing on the PG?

I would love to hear experiences of both official PG excursion or others you booked independently and what is an absolute must do or see.

I'm sailing on the June 30, 2012 Cook and Society Islands. (Papeete, Huhaine, Aitutaki, Rarotonga, Bora Bora, Taha'a, (Motu Mahana), Moorea)

Huahine - Marc's excursion - Huahine Nautique

Aitutaki Lagoon Cruise I went with the ship but the Lagoon is great with anyone

Bora Bora - safari and do not miss the ship's Motu

Moorea - rent a car and drive around the island and stop at the Hilton for lunch and snorkelling

Marc's on Huahine

Patrick's or Reef Discovery on Bora Bora

Bruno's on Raiatea/Tahaa

Teking's on Aitutaki

Rent a car on Rarotona & Moorea

We buy bicycles in Papeete (at Pacific Bikes) and bring them on the ship. The cost is about $250 each (the cost of an excursion) and we use them at most stops. At the end of the crew, we donate them to the crew fund (we have given them 8 of the current 12 in their bike pool). A great way to see the islands and get exercise at the same time. In addition, we always get Waverunners in Bora Bora and Moorea. Went on a horseback ride in Huahine and it was fun (but a little slow for an experienced rider). The Sunset Cruise in Bora Bora is also nice.

We loved renting bikes on Bora Bora and rode around the island. It took us under 4 hours and we stopped at several places to sightsee. We tried in Moorea but found the traffic too heavy to comfortably ride. I would rate it as one of the best "excursions" and the least expensive one.

We have done the waverunners around Bora Bora on each of our 5 PG cruises so I gues we would say that is our favorite. Mark Eddowes Walk of the Ancients and Dr. Poole's Dolphin Watching tours are memorable. The Walk to the Three Coconut is also memorable for other reasons. The only excusion we ever took that we wish we hadn't was the Catajets on Moorea, bad experience.

Would you tell us about this walk? Is it difficult? Wet?

We loved Teking in Aututaki (lagoon tour) and will do that again in February. The 4x4 tour in Rarotonga was not very good.

Diving with the PG dive team was great.

Maybe someone with more current experience will chime in on the walk to the three coconut. This is a hike through through the jungle on Moorea. I think it was about 5 or 6 km round trip. The walk is on an unimproved trail up to the ridge dividing the island where there used to be three coconut trees standing alone on the ridge. Apparently, in pre Captain Cook time different clans controlled different areas and the Three Coconut Trees were the dividing line. A severe storm wiped out two of the trees some time ago. The guide leads the walk with several stops to allow the hikers to catch their breath. During the breaks he talks about Tahitian Culture, both yesterday and today. Here also talks about the flora and fauna of Moorea. We had some rain when we did the walk so we came back to the ship somewhat soiled and bedraggled. I regretted not taking the walking stick that they offered at the start of the hike. I would not recommend this excursion to anyone with any mobility issues.

We buy bicycles in Papeete (at Pacific Bikes) and bring them on the ship. The cost is about $250 each (the cost of an excursion) and we use them at most stops. At the end of the crew, we donate them to the crew fund (we have given them 8 of the current 12 in their bike pool).

What a GREAT idea! Next time (#7!), I think we'll do that!

We have done the waverunners around Bora Bora on each of our 5 PG cruises so I gues we would say that is our favorite.

Did you do the waverunners through the ship or through a private tour company?

I have been on 20 cruises over the past 30 years and by far the best tour I've ever been on was with Christophe in Bora Bora. I can't remember how many snorkel tours we have been on. You circle the island with 3-5 stops offered. We were in a group of 8 which is his max I think. Unbelievable snorkeling including a nine foot manta ray on the day we did the tour. I would do this again in a heartbeat. We also enjoyed Mark Eddows Trail of the Ancients in Morea.

Did you see any wildlife? Our experience with these kind of hikes is that they offer a lot more wildlife than they deliver. It's usually a matter of luck.

We buy bicycles in Papeete (at Pacific Bikes) and bring them on the ship. The cost is about $250 each (the cost of an excursion) and we use them at most stops. At the end of the crew, we donate them to the crew fund (we have given them 8 of the current 12 in their bike pool). A great way to see the islands and get exercise at the same time. In addition, we always get Waverunners in Bora Bora and Moorea. Went on a horseback ride in Huahine and it was fun (but a little slow for an experienced rider). The Sunset Cruise in Bora Bora is also nice.

Oh my gosh! You read my mind...we were away in the Caribbean last week and biked on Water Island USVI, and were discussing whether we could rent bikes in FP! Buying them is not a bad idea either...we just did this last week with beach chairs. We bought 2 for $20 each at Walgreens in Fort Lauderdale after our plane landed, for use on our balcony all week and then took them to both Orient beach and then to Hollywood Beach in FL. We couldn't fly them home, so we donated them to the Hollywood City community center to use for other fly in guests who might like to borrow a chair. The staff there were thrilled. We joked that we should have endowed the chairs;)

Since it's our first rodeo in FP, we may take a few more escorted excursions this trip, but I do like the idea of renting on Bora Bora. Cruise dreamer - do you know where you rented them? I'd like to look into it before we leave. TIA!

It is very easy to find. The rental place is just across the street from the docking area. Walk out to the main street and cross the street. The bikes are outside and can be seen.

It is very easy to find. The rental place is just across the street from the docking area. Walk out to the main street and cross the street. The bikes are outside and can be seen.

Thanks ...thats an easy one! We've often had to print a map to the nearest bike shop before we leave! I think we will definately do that on one of our days in Bora Bora.

Cruise Dreamer, can you stand another question? Did you write a review of your trip? I'd be curious about where you went on the bikes...if you found any special places off the beaten path. TIA!

It's been a couple of years so the memory is not as sharp. We rode along the highway(if you are looking staright at the bike shop go right on the roadway).We stopped at scenic spots for viewing and photos. We also stopped at a hotel and were allowed to use the restrooms and to view the over the water bungalows. After leaving the "downtown" area the traffic decreases greatly. There was only one hill that was a bit too steep and I walked it. At the time there was some gravel areas due to construction and I elected to walk it to avoid falling. Of course there is Bloody Mary's Bar and Restaurant for a visit(over rated at least during the day). It is a ride of mostly scenery and getting to see & greet the locals.

On Moorea you can rent a bike but we found it to have too much traffic and we did not enjoy that ride and actually cut it short due to the congestion.

It's been a couple of years so the memory is not as sharp. We rode along the highway(if you are looking staright at the bike shop go right on the roadway).We stopped at scenic spots for viewing and photos. We also stopped at a hotel and were allowed to use the restrooms and to view the over the water bungalows. After leaving the "downtown" area the traffic decreases greatly. There was only one hill that was a bit too steep and I walked it. At the time there was some gravel areas due to construction and I elected to walk it to avoid falling. Of course there is Bloody Mary's Bar and Restaurant for a visit(over rated at least during the day). It is a ride of mostly scenery and getting to see & greet the locals.

 

On Moorea you can rent a bike but we found it to have too much traffic and we did not enjoy that ride and actually cut it short due to the congestion.

Thanks, so much! Sounds easy enough and Im sure the bike shop will have advice too...

Not much wildlife in FP. Birders can complete their life lists there, but most animals are feral domestics.

The only wildlife we saw were birds, dogs and some chickens. But don't forget the fish on the snorkel tours. Everybody is in the water for a reason.

My wife and I just returned from the 12/3 sailing. We did the 3 coconuts hike and it was a great excursion. We were a group of 7 and the local guide, Eros. It is truly walking through the "jungle" and is somewhat difficult. The path can be wet in some areas. The guide did not offer a lot of conversation or local knowledge. Take extra water and a beach towel as it rained on us for most of the 1-1/2 hour return trek. A backpack and tennis shoes worked great. The view at the top and the feeling of accomplishing such a feat, leave you with a great memory. The view at the top was spectacular. One of the best excursions in over 30 cruises.

What have been your favorite excursions while sailing on the PG?

 

I would love to hear experiences of both official PG excursion or others you booked independently and what is an absolute must do or see.

In Moorea, we loved Dr. Poole's dolphin (and whale) watching tour. The conditions were perfect and we got to snorkel with 3 humpback whales! Experience of a lifetime. Ironically, we saw no dolphins :D

In Bora Bora, we did an off-road Jeep safari that was awesome! Truly off-road, leading to beautiful belvederes with the most incredible views, our guides singing to their ukuleles while we ate fresh fruit. We also visited a pearl farm where I learned why the Tahitian black pearl is so beautiful and so expensive! We did a few Jeep tours on our cruise (Huahine, Moorea) but Bora Bora was our favorite.

Hope this helps!