(August 17 to 30, 2023) Our 90-day French Polynesia visa just ended. We picked up our departure documents and had our passports exit-stamped at the Bora Bora Office of Gendarmerie (French Polynesia Law Enforcement). Our next destination is Pago Pago, American Samoa. En route, we plan to stop by Suwarrow Atoll of Cook Islands, if permitted.
Bora Bora Island is a dream destination for many. We visited here mainly because of its fame and its location along our route to American Samoa. Even just gazing at the shades of water, I found myself in a Zen moment created by the turquoise water in Bora Bora.
We had read that anchoring is not allowed on Bora Bora Island. Instead, we used a mooring ball each night. (37USD/night, including Garbage Pickup) It is pricey for a mooring ball but it allowed me to be free of worries about coral heads and deep water anchoring. The mooring balls seemed to be well-maintained, but we noticed that our neighboring catamaran (Big) was dragged with its mooring ball into the channel one night. Fortunately, the catamaran didn’t collide with any other boats and was able to settle by the channel.
We loved the weather in French Polynesia with temperatures ranging between a high of 82f (=28c) and a low of 72f (=22c) during our stay. Prices are expensive in French Polynesia, even more so in Bora Bora. When I asked a tour guide how the locals in Bora Bora can afford to live, he simply replied, “by the grace of God”.
