SOUTH PACIFIC cruise - Aranui 3, 09 October, 2010

13 night cruise
Accommodation in cabins with private facilities
All main meals onboard
Wine with dinner
Onboard activities and entertainment
Select Shore activities - subject to port time requiements
Port Taxes/fees
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You’ll board the Aranui III in Tahiti and sail almost 800
miles to the most spectacular and remote islands in French Polynesia. The first stop on this 11 day voyage starts with the Tuamotu islands, where you’ll see pearl farmers harvest rare black pearls from giant oysters.

The Marquesas’ six inhabited islands are so remote that the Aranui III is their lifeline to the outside world, bringing supplies and picking up copra, dried coconut and noni fruit. We make 15 stops, so we have plenty of time to explore. Little has changed in these untouched islands, which have few roads or cars. Visitors are very rare and very welcome.

The first view of the Marquesas are the mountain spires of Ua Pou, "volcanic needles like the pinnacles of some ornate church," as Robert Louis Stevenson wrote in 1880.
Whenever the Aranui III docks, villagers gather on the pier to greet us. As our muscular crew unloads supplies -- from cement to sugar -- and loads sacks of copra (dried coconut meat), our well-trained, multi-lingual guides bring you to meet traditional artists and take you on breathtaking hikes to hidden jungle ruins.

You'll never forget sailing into Nuku Hiva’s spectacular bay, a giant volcanic amphitheater dominated by towering cliffs streaked with majestic waterfalls. There are dramatic dive sites or heartstopping views by helicopter. A decade before he wrote Moby Dick, 23-year-old Herman Melville jumped his whaling ship here in 1842. We’ll retrace his escape route on a spectacular Jeep safari over the mountains to mysterious jungle river valley, still much the same as Melville described it in his autobiographical first novel -- Typee. Hidden amidst the bamboo and vanilla vines, you’ll see stone tiki gods, sacred ritual sites and enigmatic petroglyphs of birds, fish and sacred turtles and fish carved on boulders Hiva Oa is where Paul Gauguin’s search for an unspoiled island ended. This artist with a lust for life painted his final masterpieces here. In the hill top cemetery where Gauguin is buried is the gravestone of another European who also was seduced by these islands -- singer-composer Jacques Brel. Our guides will show you mysterious jungle ruins -- the largest tikis outside the Easter Islands. Once used for religious rites, these humanlike stone sculptures are reminders of that a great civilization flourished here before the Europeans invaded.

Even though Fatu Hiva is a center of Marquesian culture, Aranui passengers usually are the only visitors to this remote, verdant island. We’ll see artists painting ancient designs on tapa cloth, making pareos (sarongs) and monoi, coconut oil scented with tiare blossoms. We’ll see woodworkers carving intricate bowls and spears. After hiking past towering cliffs with dizzying views of majestic waterfalls, cool off with a plunge in a secluded river pool.

On Ua Huka, the wild horses outnumber the 300 residents. Explore by horse or by jeep -- either way, you'll have magnificent views. Along the way, you’ll enjoy bounteous Marquesan buffets: barbecued rock lobster, poisson cru (raw fish marinated in lime juice and soaked in coconut milk), curried goat, breadfruit, taro and sweet red bananas.
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The Aranui 3
There are many types of cruise ships, but only one Aranui III. Our passengers love our gracious staff who make them feel part of their extended family. The Aranui III maintains the warmth and intimacy of the old Aranui, with our high staff to passenger ratio.

Unlike larger boats, it’s easy to meet fellow guests. From dining room to stateroom, you’ll quickly feel the Aranui III is your floating home away from home. The spacious cabins are tastefully designed with windows, queen or twin beds, bathrooms with showers, personal safes, mini-bars and are fully air-conditioned. Deluxe cabins and suites are larger and feature additional amenities with picture windows. The suites have balconies with your own private panorama.

Our large, family-style dining room offers views as varied as the menus. Relish the ever-changing scenery and our imaginative chefs’ French and Polynesian cusine with new friends from all over the world. Dressing for dinner means a pareo (sarong-like wrap around skirt) or shorts, sandals and a white tiare (hibiscus blossom) behind the ear.

The swimming pool is the place for the perfect plunge. In our well-equipped gym, you can stretch your muscles while getting an ocean-view.

We have special marine facilities for fishing, swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. On board, time passes quickly. There are two charming bars, two lounges and a full program of activities. You’ll learn about Marquesan history, culture and art from our guest lecturers. And our spirited crew will teach you to weave hats, wear our national dress, the pareo and dance the tamure.

In our library you can read how Herman Melville, Robert Louis Stevenson and Thor Heyerdahl described these alluring islands. Their words and the Gauguin prints on the walls will spring to life when we dock.

Note - Itinerary times and order may vary due to weather conditions and port authorities.