watch out! "noseeums" in Motu Mahana!

[south seas sue]

Hey PG cruisers. You will REALLY NEED your insect repellant at the Motu Mahana on the PG cruise!. I had read that before, but I thought it would only be a problem if you were parked back in the trees, not close to the shoreline. So, silly me, we did not take our protection on the Motu Mahana day. For most of the day it was fine - insects no problem. But, I had a late massage on the beach, and hubby was waiting for me. Most people were gone by after 3:00, except for hubby and a few others. All of a sudden the "noseeums" descended on him en mass. :mad: He was bitten everywhere there was exposed skin - legs, arms, back, chest..........as you can imagine, that has led to excruciating itching ever since. He has hundreds of red bites. We've been back 2 days now, and its been 5-6 days since the motu, and his bites are as itchy as ever. He uses a hydrocorteson cream, but woke up again last night with the itching!.

Moral of the story - 1) take your repellant to the motu 2) don't stay past 3:00 in the afternoon!.

Other than that, it was a great day - good snorkling, and wonderful barbeque! (Massage on the beach was heavenly.):D

[AtA]

Geeze I'm sorry to hear that! If they don't go away by tomorrow you might want to see the dermatologist. In the meantime I found that a combo of caladryl and the cortesone creme worked fairly well. Tell him I hope he feels better soon. That's not the kind of souvenier you want to take home.

[azgkrudi]

So noted! Glad we already have our repellant packed. Just hoping it doesn't rain, but that's probably par for the course at this time of year.

[AtA]

So noted! Glad we already have our repellant packed. Just hoping it doesn't rain, but that's probably par for the course at this time of year.Unfortunately I found the repellant didn't help much. Nor did the monoi oil. I had repellant on and still got bit.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wow, how awful! I'm really sorry to hear that. I wonder if it's a seasonal thing--haven't been bothered after 4 trips in the spring.

Good moral to the story I guess, have it on hand, and use it immediately if you think you might need it.

I can't seem to buy Caladryl here in Canada any more, or at least can't find it. It's the best--combo of calamine and benadryl.

[DaytonGirl]

What a bummer!

It must be a seasonal thing. I've been there twice and haven't had a single bite. Both times I was on the last tender back to the ship with the crew and the garbage. :D

[windsurfer77058]

From my experience, some people are much more susceptible to them than others. In Belize, I had bites all over and itched like crazy while my spouse didn't have a bite. He gets eatten alive by mosquitoes but not affected at all by noseeums.

[DebbieH103]

I agree that some people get bit more than others. After bites, I like Lanocaine ointment and also Chiggerrid. I slather on that Caladryl clear, too, but it doesn't help much. Maybe only the ugly kind works, as I remember it always being a huge cure for my sister.

[CelticEyes]

South Seas Sue,

Would love to hear more about the beach massage. Was it sheltered for privacy? Did you book onboard? And, if you don't mind my asking, what was the cost?

[Dolebludger]

The insect problem is not a seasonal thing, as we would typically use the word "seasonal". Rather, in Polynesia, there is such an insect outbreak every couple of weeks or so. For these flying insects, this is the "adult" portion of their lives, which is also the final portion. They fly around, bite people, lay their eggs and die in a couple of days. So there is really no way to predict seasonality of this problem. When going to Polynesia, it is always a good idea to bring insect repellent that contains the highest concentration of Deet available.

[spookyzen]

CelticEyes--I had a 50 minute on beach Swedish massage. It was the best massage. They set up a tent right next to the water around the corner from the main beach area-- so there is privacy. You can choose to have the flaps that overlook the water up or down.

If I remember correctly, the cost was ~$125. I'm definitely going to repeat it when I return.

[CelticEyes]

Spookyzen,

Thanks for the information. I will have to book a massage for our PG cruise this Sept.

Happy Cruising,
CelticEyes