We docked, actually docked, in Uturoa around mid-morning. It would be the only port with a dock during the entire cruise. Everywhere else would require tenders. I went ashore for my tour and was met by our guide, a young woman named Summer, from San Diego! I came all this way to be shown around Raiatea by a woman from San Diego. She actually had come here on vacation some years ago, met an islander, fell in love, came back, got married and now has several kids. And she guides tours! Small world….
This turned out to be your standard sightseeing tour with nothing remarkable to report. Our first stop was along the side of the road for some pretty views looking out over the water. Then to yet another marae (those things are everywhere) where we got the standard lecture about the sacred nature of the site. In other words, we were not supposed to walk around on the stones. After leaving the marae, we drove quite a while with no stops, just sightseeing from the bus. But I did enjoy the next stop, at the home of an island family, for
fresh fruits and a brief look around. As usual, the primary purpose of the visit was selling souvenirs and the house was full of shell necklaces, wood carvings, pareos, etc. I didn’t buy anything but the fruits and juices were a welcome treat. That’s something I loved about all the islands I visited on this trip. It’s amazing just how much better fruit tastes when it’s fresh off the tree or bush or vine. And this was served the island way, using a banana leaf as a plate. It’s surprising how sturdy a banana leaf actually is. You just hold them in your palm and they form a natural bowl. Kinda neat!
After leaving the home, we headed up over the mountains. We had traveled along the coast on the way out but were going to go back through the crater of the volcano. We climbed the mountain and, when we reached the top, stopped for a view over the crater valley. It was gorgeous, lush, green, scenic and exactly like a hundred other valleys I had seen during the past couple of months. I took a couple of obligatory pictures, just to prove I had been there, and re-boarded the bus. Can you tell that I’m ready to go home?We drove through the valley for a while and stopped at what was described
as a botanical garden. I believe it was actually an area where lots of plants, trees and flowers grew naturally in abundance. We started down a muddy path, steeply downhill, with lots of rocks and roots. This was certainly not a maintained garden of any kind, although there was lots of pretty foliage. We walked a long way down the path and it occurred to me that we were going to have to walk back up from wherever we stopped. Since I had seen all this 
before, I decided to make a leisurely walk back on my own. So I left the group and went back up the hill. That turned out to be the best move I made all day. I was standing at the road, next to the bus, when the skies opened up with the most intense tropical downpour I’ve ever seen. It was the type of storm they always show on “Survivor” episodes. The wind was blowing the rain sideways when the others started straggling up the path a few at a time. They were literally soaked to the skin. I was so proud of me…..By the time we got back to town, the rain had stopped. There were quite a few shops very close to the dock so I looked around for a few minutes. I didn’t see anything that I couldn’t live without so I made my way back onto the ship. I was ready to move on to the next island!
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