During the total eclipse the sky should look something similar to this
SOLAR ECLIPSE CRUISE JUNE 28-JULY 12, 2010
During the total eclipse the sky should look something similar to this
There is limited availability in French Polynesia for ship-borne sailings to the eclipse. We have been able
to book a few cabins on a ship sailing into the eclipse path on July 11 and are selling those to interested
eclipse enthusiasts due to the demand. Unfortunately, we are not in control of the ship as it is a
commercial vessel on a normal sailing and will coincidentally pass through the eclipse zone at the appointed
time. Also, although there are 200 cabins on the ship, we were only able to block a few of them for our
clients. All cabins are standard class with outside views and are on the A and B decks of the ship.
See deck plans at the bottom of this page.
This cruise will be led by Dr. Patricia Reiff, Professor of Space Physics at Rice University in Houston,
Texas and veteran escort of many of RING OF FIRE EXPEDITIONS solar eclipse tours.
Tahiti-based Aranui 3 carries freight and 200 passengers in cruise-line comfort to the remote Marquesas and
Tuamotu Islands of French Polynesia in the South Pacific.
Aranui 3.
To all experienced world travelers (armchair and otherwise) who wonder if there is any place left in this shrinking, strife-torn world that retains a good part of its storybook beauty and character, there is good news-that place is the outer islands of French Polynesia, the Tuamotus and Marquesas islands. Fortunately for modern-day explorers and soft-adventurers, these remote islands remain unspoiled, stunningly beautiful outposts of the South Seas paradise that since the nineteenth century attracted and sheltered such famed artists, writers and scientists as: Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse, Herman Melville, Jack London, Robert Lewis Stevenson, Nordoff and Hall, Thor Heyerdahl, internationally noted Belgian performer Jacques Brel and many others.
ECLIPSE OBSERVATION
Recognize that the ship is a moving platform and anyone contemplating serious photography will not be able to accomplish it. You can take short exposures using fast ASA (ISO) settings or can record camcorder videos, however. Observation will occur from the deck of the ship and you will have to locate a good spot on eclipse day with the proper viewing angle.
Map of the cruise region
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
Our Tahiti hotel with the view toward Moorea
Arrive in Tahiti on your own (or through air that can be arranged by Travel Leaders/Future Travel available beginning August 2009--see below for details). After completion of customs formalities, you will be met by a representative holding a sign reading "RING OF FIRE EXPEDTIONS". You will then be transferred to our hotel--the Sofitel Maeva Beach Resort. Our hotel is located on the west coast of Tahiti, on a charming beach surrounded by tropical gardens. The resort, recently renovated, features 216 stylish, light filled rooms, each with a private balcony and many with spectacularviews over the mountains or across the lagoon toward the island of Moorea. Facilities include two excellent restaurants, a bar, two tennis courts, a golf driving range and a freshwater swimming pool.
June 29 (Tuesday): PAPEETE DEPARTURE
Morning transfer to the ship Aranui 3. Depart Papeete harbour at 1030am. Begin the start of your two week voyage.
Only two days of the 16-day cruise are at sea with no land in sight as Aranui makes the long haul to and from the island of Tahiti to the Tuamotus, the first and last landfalls of every voyage. Each of the intervening days, the ship calls on a different port in the Marquesas Islands to deliver freight while passengers disembark to tour. Many of the islands do not have quays capable of docking Aranui, so she anchors off shore in sheltered bays, two whaleboats are unloaded from her cavernous interior, passengers are transferred to shore, where Aranui's husky crew provides muscular assists in "wet landings" of passengers on to rocky jetties or through gentle surf. At the same time, Aranui unloads her own cargo rafts and loads them up with supplies for transfer to the island.
Landing craft used in calm seas
Fakarava is the second largest atoll in the Tuamotu. There is snorkeling and scuba diving for people of all levels. You can swim and snorkel in the translucent lagoon to watch the colorful ballet of tropical lagoon fish. The entire morning will be spent on shore. Lunch will be served on board while you set sail for Marquesas.
Described by its operators as a "Freighter to Paradise", Aranui 3 is crewed by Polynesians, mainly Marquesans. It sails under the French flag, supplying the islands and picking up their export produce, including copra, dried coconut and the astounding noni fruit. The noni is used in China, Samoa, Japan and Tahiti to treat gum, throat, eye and skin problems, constipation, indigestion, stomach pain, sneezes, wheezes, nausea, colic, asthma, lumbago, rashes, dandruff and dysentery. Ripe noni fruit smells like pungent Limburger cheese.
Views of places around the ship
Your cabin type
Relax with a book on one of the sun decks, swim in the small pool, or enjoy the immense South Pacific. Balmy evenings mean reading in the lounge/library or chatting with an authority on Marquesan culture or archeology. You'll probably spend many evenings socializing on the upstairs deck/bar with your fellow adventurers from around the world. The spirited Polynesian crew treat you like welcomed guests and proudly introduce you to their rich culture. Almost every night, they sing and strum hypnotic Polynesian rhythms on their ukuleles.
Getting onto shore
From the deck, you'll see the soaring mountain spires of Ua Pou. Whenever the Aranui stops, villagers greet it. As the muscular crew unload supplies - from cements to sugar - and loads of copra (dried coconut meat), you'll enjoy the tiny town of Hakahau with its church with a hand-carved wooden dais. You can meet some talented woodcarvers and hike up a hill for a breathtaking view of the distant cloud-covered mountains. At Rosalie's Restaurant, you'll taste your first Marquesan lunch: breadfruit, a Marquesan staple, along with curried goat, barbecued rock lobster, poisson cru (raw fish marinated in lime juice and soaked in coconut milk), taro and sweet red bananas.
Aranui 3 docked at Ua Pou
Nuku Hiva Island, is the administrative center and the largest of the Marquesas Islands and is perhaps best known to the world as the island that Herman Melville wrote about in his novel, "Typee" and most recently as the easily accessible site of filming for the "Survivor Marquesas" television fiction.
Sail into Taoihae's spectacular bay, a giant volcanic amphitheater dominated by towering cliffs streaked with waterfalls. As the Aranui unloads, you can explore Taiohae. Taiohae Bay is where a 23-year-old sailor, Herman Melville and a buddy jumped a whaling ship in 1842. Follow their escape route by jeep along steep, winding dirt mountain roads to Taipivai (Typee) Valley. In his autobiographical first novel, Typee, Melville described his capture and idyllic sojourn among the hospitable cannibals, the Taipi. Hidden amidst the bamboo and vanilla vines are undiscovered archaeological treasures. The area is dotted with stone tiki gods and sacred ritual sites (me'ae) and immense stone platforms (paepae) where the Taipi built their houses. Enigmatic petroglyphs of birds, sacred turtles and fish are carved on huge boulders. The Aranui's two whaleboats sails down the river to return you to the Aranui, which is anchored in the bay.
At a parking place another short drive down the paved road from this headland, it is possible to look down on Hakapaa Bay where some of the filming of "Survivor" took place. Residents of the valley point out that, in reality, the biggest challenge participants in Survivor Marquesas had to face in this TV fiction was the bites of tiny No-No (No-Seeums) gnats. Aranui visitors are advised to arm themselves with off-the-shelf insect repellent.
Marquesas Island landscapes
You have plenty of time to explore Atuona, the second largest village in Marquesas. This is where Paul Gauguin lived and did some of his best work. You can visit the coloniaal store where Gauguin shopped and go into a replica of the Impressionist's infamous "House of Pleasure." As you walk up a hill to the cemetery, you'll have sweeping views of the harbor. Beneath a huge frangipani tree is a tombstone with the simple words: Paul Gauguin 1903. Nearby is the grave of another famous European who also was seduced by Hiva Oa: Belgian singer-composer Jacques Brel, who died in 1978. Enjoy another lavish Marquesan lunch at Hoa Nui restaurant.
July 5 (Monday): ARRIVAL AT HIVA OA (ATUONA), MARQUESAS ISLANDS
Travel by foot or jeep to the most important archeological sites for tikis (ancient, human-like religious sculptures) other than Easter Island. Trained guides will show you the mysterious jungle ruins of Puamau and tell the stories of these haunting statues of an ancient civilization.
Tiki statue on Hiva Oa
This is the most lush and remote island of the Marquesas. It's also a center of Marquesan crafts. Guides lead you through the village of Omoa; see women hammering mulberry, banyan or breadfruit bark on logs. They dry it, and then paint ancient Marquesan designs on their famous tapa cloth. Fatu Hiva is also well kown for its hand-painted pareus (sarongs) and monoi, a perfumed coconut oil scented with tiare blossoms and sandalwood. Skilled woodcarvers will invite you into their home/studios. The Aranui sails to the other inhabited village. Hanavave is on the Bay of the Virgins, which is one of the world's most beautiful bays. Some athletic passengers may choose to make the trip by foot. On this ten mile hike you'll have unforgettable views of towering cliffs and majestic waterfalls.
July 7 (Wednesday): ARRIVAL AT UA HUKA (VAIPAEE, HANE, HOKATU), MARQUESAS ISLANDS
Visit a museum with exquisite replicas of Marquesan art. Some will explore the island by four-wheel drive, others can ride the famed Marquesan horses. Explore the mountain landscape with heart-stopping views of the Pacific. Wild horses brought from Chile in 1856 thrive there, outnumbering the islands 476 residents. Have a Marquesan lunch at a local restaurant and visit studios of wood carvers. Back on the Aranui, it's Polynesian night with dancing and buffet dinner on the decks.
A variety of tikis can be seen
The beautiful sea-walled village of Hatiheu has a wonderfully restored ancient archeological site (tohua) where the famed local dance troupe will perform traditional Marquesan dances specially for Aranui passengers. Guides will lead you through the jungle to an ancient Marquesan temple to see ancient petroglyphs. Have lunch at Yvonne's Restaurant where the specialty is pig baked in an underground oven. Meet the owner-chef, Yvonne, who also happens to be the town's energetic mayor. Return to the first stop in the Marquesas, Hakahau. Last chance to buy Marquesan crafts.
July 9 (Friday): ARRIVAL AT NAPUKA, TUAMOTU ARCHIPELAGO (2PM-6PM)
Napuka atoll
Napuka consists of a well-developed reef rim, 10.5 km in length and 4 km in width, that encloses an 18 km² lagoon. The lagoon is shallow, particularly in the east; the western side of the lagoon contains many reticulate reef formations and some large patch reefs. Situated on the reef rim are around 30 islets, the largest of which occupies the entire northern rim of the atoll, wrapping around the lagoon for 13 km. Total land area is 8 km².
July 10 (Saturday): SAILING IN THE TUAMOTUS. ARRIVE ECLIPSE AREA AT 11:00PM
July 11 (Sunday): ECLIPSE DAY
Corona and planets during total eclipse. Taken with a 50mm lens and auto exposure.
This morning plan to observe or take photos of the total solar eclipse. The ship's path has not been announced
relative to where the eclipse will be observed. This will be determined by the ship's captain in real time.
Assuming the ship is near the center, totality will occur around 8:38am local time with the sun located about
30 degrees above the northeast horizon. First contact (when the moon just barely starts to encroach into the
solar disc) will be 7:22am and last contact (eclipse is over) at 10:07am. The ship will start its return to
Papeete after this time.
July 12 (Monday): ARRIVAL AT PAPEETE 8:00AM
Arrive back into Papeete harbour. Transfer from the ship to the Sofitel Hotel until your flight home.
Late afternoon transfer to the airport.
DECK PLAN
Deckplan
Boat Deck
Restaurant Deck
Main Deck
Deck A
Deck B
BASIC TOUR PRICE INCLUDES:
BASIC TOUR PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
OPTIONAL COST INTERNATIONAL AIR PACKAGE
An air package on Air Tahiti Nui will soon be offered for July 2010 between Los Angeles and Papeete. Prices will be based on departing Los Angeles June 28 and returning with the group on July 12:
Schedules for 2010 are not known at this time but are expected to be quite similar to those in effect in 2009. Note: if you arrive on your own and have not purchased the transfer package you are responsible for getting to the hotel on your own.
CANCELLATION FEES (per person)
Travel Leaders/Future Travel recommends that each client purchase adequate trip cancellation insurance, medical, baggage, accident and other personal effects insurance. Trip cancellation insurance must be purchased at time of initial deposit. Clients should be aware that we cannot guarantee the weather for this astronomical event or any other.
TO PURCHASE THE "CRUISE, TOUR AND TRAVEL" INSURANCE PACKAGE PERFORM THE FOLLOWING STEPS:
1) Read a description of the Travel Guard package: COVERAGE INCLUDES
2) Fill out the forms to buy the package here: TRAVEL GUARD INSURANCE LINK
