Wednesday 16th January – Exploring Tahiti’s Urban Jungle

Arriving in the busy port of Papeete is sometimes a bit of a shock to people who are expecting to find the place that seduced Fletcher Christian and his Bounty mutineers, or the island that inspired Paul Gauguin to come to the South Pacific in search of paradise. Of course, Tahiti can still provide the picture perfect beaches and lush mountains that people associate with the island, but modern Papeete provides an urban dimension that sets it apart from the rest of French Polynesia.

We were sharing Papeete's harbour with some container vessels, a French warship, another (much bigger) cruise ship, and a private mega yacht belonging to Microsoft billionaire, Paul Allen, that wasn't much smaller than the Silver Whisper – so it was obvious that the town wasn't going to be a sleepy little place to visit.

So far on this cruise, the biggest town we've come to has had a population of no more than 1,500 people, so Papeete with its population of 25,000 (plus a greater urban area of around 100,000 people), seemed like New York. The town has plenty of traffic congestion, lots of people on its busy streets, and a collection of bars and restaurants around its waterfront that wouldn't look out of place on the French Riviera – a bit of a shock to the system.

As a result, most people tend to see Papeete as a place to avoid, so instead we decided to see if there was more to the town than just concrete and traffic. What we found was a vibrant (if not necessarily totally charming) place that had something of the feel of a tropical French provincial town. We first went to the market (probably Papeete's number one sight) in search of a pareo (one of the colourful sarongs that can be tied in about 100 different ways). As ever in French Polynesia, there weren't really any bargains to be had, but Tracy found one that should look good at the ship's "Island Night" barbeque next week.

The town is largely made up of less-than-attractive post war concrete developments, but we followed a path round all of Papeete's historic and significant buildings (there were more than you might expect). We visited the Cathedral (looking a bit like a rocket on a launch pad), the attractive colonial buildings of the Catholic Mission, and the many impressive French government buildings that are a sign that the French have invested heavily in the town over the last few decades. Just to remind us that the Polynesian spirit persists in this mini-urban jungle, the people we met on the way were almost all very jolly and friendly

In the interests of pursuing my Cruise Retail Price Index of wine and breakfast cereals, we visited the town's Casino Supermarket (which wasn't very big, but in the context of French Polynesia was like a hypermarket). The wine was a couple of dollars cheaper than in our previous stops, but even though there were still no Frosties on sale, there were some more affordable "own label" cereals – the Casino version of Corn Flakes came in at around $3.00.

So, Papeete is a much nicer place than first appearances might suggest, but if you want to appreciate the soul of Tahiti, you'll probably want to get out of town for at least some of your time on the island.

Tuesday 15th January – Magical Moorea

There can't be many more beautiful locations around the world to weigh anchor in than Cook's Bay in Moorea. You pass through a break in the coral reef that surrounds the island, and you enter into a fjord-like bay enclosed by steep green hills and jagged mountains on all sides. With the steamy tropical atmosphere and the relative lack of development, the place can't look much different from when Captain Cook sailed to the island in 1777. Actually, despite it being named Cook's Bay, the good Captain never actually sailed in here – instead he called into the neighbouring (and equally stunning) Opunohu Bay, just round the corner.

The Frommers Guides rate Moorea as the most beautiful island in the world, and from the first impressions of its bay, to its stunning blue lagoon, to its amazingly lush mountain scenery, it's difficult to argue with that judgement. I did a trip in a 4x4 jeep to explore this legendary scenery, and it didn't disappoint.

As we drove along the smooth coastal road, a few people were thinking that the 4x4 part of the trip might be overhyped, but then we turned off the main road and started climbing the vertiginous tracks that lead up into the mountainous centre of the island. As we bounced around the rutted paths and forded the many streams up there, the trip turned into a roller-coaster ride of bumps, thrills and spills.

All the time, the scenery got ever more spectacular. The centre of the island is an old volcanic crater that, over the millennia, has been eroded into all kinds of violent, craggy shapes that look like something from Jurassic Park or the Land That Time Forgot. We passed up the fertile Opunohu Valley, passing field after field of pineapples, before arriving at the Belvedere look out point. The view from up here is one of the classic vistas of the Pacific Islands – with the mountains and the twin bays stretching out below us, it felt like we'd reached the tropical paradise of the films and books.

We then bumped and lurched our way through more mountain tracks, before reaching an ancient marae – one of the sacred burial grounds of the Polynesians that were so plentiful before the Christian Missionaries destroyed them, and banned virtually all elements of Polynesian culture (from their religion, to dancing, to tattooing).

Next we took a hair-raising climb up the so-called "Magic Mountain" (a climb that was more suited to a cable car rather than a struggling jeep), but the journey was worth it for the amazing views of the multi-hued lagoon below it.

After a trip to an obligatory pearl shop, and a visit to a fragrant pineapple factory, we returned to the tender pier just outside Maharepa, to rest our jolted posteriors, and marvel at the breathtaking views we'd just witnessed.

Tracy and I then ventured along the stunning waterfront into peaceful little Maharepa – this was one of the larger villages on the island – to see what it had to offer. Not a lot, to be honest, but it was a pleasant enough little place with a few souvenir shops for the tourists, and a few food shops for the locals. Although the small supermarket had a much wider choice of goods than Nuku Hiva (especially fresh fruit, veg, and meat), my scientific study of the prices of essential food items (wine and breakfast cereal) show that it's scarcely any cheaper than the much more remote Marquesas Islands.

Despite the lack of Frosties and the expensive wine, Moorea is without doubt one of the most visually stunning islands in the world – this is the Pacific Paradise of your dreams.

Monday 14th January – Rained Out in Rangiroa

On a sunny day, Rangiroa has got to be one of the most gorgeous islands in the Pacific – an atoll consisting of a ring of palm covered sand islands, surrounding a huge lagoon, packed full with colourful tropical fish. Sadly, today was not a sunny day - instead it rained torrentially for pretty much our entire stay here, which meant that the lagoon, which is normally all kinds of vibrant shades of blue, was a rather dull shade of grey.

Obviously the fish in the lagoon aren't bothered by the rain, so my snorkelling trip on the lagoon was nearly as spectacular as ever. We saw a wonderful array of kaleidoscopic sea life – huge numbers of exotically-shaped fish covered in stripes, in spots, in rainbows, and in electric blues. Luckily for a wimp like me, we didn't see any of the (supposedly harmless) sharks that are normally lurking around in the lagoon, although I did see a menacing-looking moray eel sticking his prehistoric head out of a rock, before slithering across the seabed like a great big anaconda.

Unfortunately I couldn't get my underwater camera to work, so you're just going to have to take my word for it that this was one of the best environments for snorkelling in that I've ever swum in. About 10 minutes into the trip, the heavens opened, the wind howled, and thunder and lightning echoed around the lagoon – which meant that it was much colder out of the bath-like waters than in them, so at the end of the trip, as we sailed back to the pier, we all wrapped ourselves in our towels, and tried to shelter from the rain driving sideways at us.

While I was snorkelling, Tracy was on a very enjoyable trip to an oyster farm, to see how the famous Tahiti Black Pearls, are grafted into the oyster, cultured in the lagoon for at least 2 years, and then harvested. Prices ranged from a pitted and deformed pearl for €10, to up to €3,000 for the really large ones. Seeing as Tracy had enough competence to actually get her camera to work, you'll see a few of her pictures rather than mine.

Our post-tour plan had been to hire a bike and explore the island before another swim; however, the rain refused to let up, so we returned to the ship to wait for a break in the storm. Sadly, it never came.

Considering that we didn't see Rangiroa at anything like its best, it was still an enjoyable stay here. But, it had better be sunny next time we come back!

Saturday 12th – Land Ahoy in Nuku Hiva

At last we have reached dry land – the remote little island of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands. As we arrived at lunch time, it meant that everyone had the chance to be on deck for our spectacular sail-in to Taiohae Bay. As we sailed around the island, the steep plunging cliffs were a fairly forbidding sight, and then a gap in the cliffs appeared, and we slowly inched into the sheltered bay.

The bay is one half of an ancient volcanic crater that collapsed in on itself millions of years ago, leaving behind a bowl of rugged cliffs, with a narrow strip of coastline at the bottom. This was home to Taiohae, which is the biggest town in the Marquesas, which isn't saying much, since it's home to about 1,000 people.

The sleepy atmosphere in town was contributed to by the fact that it was a Saturday afternoon (when the few shops there are, are generally shut), and by the fact that the ship had commandeered virtually every 4x4 on the island (plus their owners) for the ship's tour of Nuku Hiva's rugged interior.

After stopping to admire the beautiful, but pricey Marquesan woodwork on sale in the craft centre, we walked around the bay to explore the town. The people here must live incredibly simple and uncomplicated lives – children are free to play on their own on the beach, showing off to us as they jumped in and out of the water, or to ride their horses bareback into the surf; while the adults played volleyball next to the sea, had barbeques on the waterfront, or played petanque (this is FRENCH Polynesia after all).

There was such a sleepy atmosphere that it felt like the pace of life had slowed down to a crawl, as we walked around the waterfront, dotted with interesting Polynesian statuary – plenty of squat "tiki"(humanoid carved stone figures) looking like visiting aliens, with helmets and big goggly eyes. Everyone we passed greeted us with a cheery "bonjour", and we were adopted by a friendly dog who decided to chaperone us for the day.

He shadowed us over to the town's one and only architectural set-piece, the Catholic Cathedral (it's the Cathedral for the whole of the Marquesas), which is an attractive modern building from the 1970s, that boasted some beautiful woodcarvings and an airy atmosphere - its open sides allowing in cooling breezes.

We popped into the general store to see what was on sale and what the prices were like – as you can imagine in a place as remote as this (over 3,000 miles from the nearest continental landmass), there was little in the way of fresh produce, and everything was extremely expensive. A bottle of French wine cost around $25, while a small packet of breakfast cereal (they didn't have Frosties, which is the main reason that I couldn't live here) was $7.50.

The abiding memory that I'll take away from our day here is that beautiful setting of the bay, lined with flame-red flamboyant trees under the towering cliffs, and the incredibly relaxed atmosphere – what a chilled out start to the World Cruise.

Thursday 10th January – Crossing the Equator

By our fifth sea day, the clouds had finally lifted, the sea got smoother, and the sun came out – we must have left the wintry northern hemisphere, and entered the summery southern hemisphere.

To mark our crossing the equator, there was the usual crossing the line ceremony hosted by King Neptune (looking suspiciously like Cruise Director Fernando with a crown on his head and a cushion up his robe). People who hadn't crossed the line before were given the standard nautical humiliations of having to kiss raw fishes and being covered in whipped cream, spaghetti and flour.

Pleased by the ridiculousness of these punishments, King Neptune graciously gave his permission for us to cross to the south, and has promised us plain sailing from now on. We trust he will be true to his word.

8th January – 6 days in the Pacific

Having left Los Angeles on the 5th, we're now 3 days into our journey down to the South Pacific for our first port of call, Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands. Fortunately, the often-capricious Pacific Ocean has been kind to us so far – just a bit choppy (long may that last), and it's getting warmer every day.

Even though there's 6 days at sea before we see dry land, there's no chance of getting bored – the other lecturers onboard are Terry Waite (the famous hostage negotiator/hostage), the BBC's Michael Buerk, and opera expert, Thomson Smillie. Throw in ice-carving, bridge, quizzes, gym sessions, cooking demonstrations and non-stop opportunities to eat and drink, then people scarcely have a free minute.

3 days down, 3 to go.

The World Cruise Starts

Happy New Year, and Happy New Cruise!

We flew to Los Angeles yesterday to join the Silver Whisper for the 2013 World Cruise.

My body has clearly not adjusted to the time difference, so I woke up at 3.30am this morning - hope I can get back on track soon.

So, today we set sail across the Pacific, and have 6 long days at sea before we get to Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia. Can't wait to get going!

http://www.silversea.com/world-cruise-2013/