Day 10/51: Monday, February 24, 2020: At Sea

Lazy day at sea. We have a reservation at the Hot Rock this evening. Otherwise, its just a day of reading and watching the sea roll by.

 

 

Day 9/50: Sunday, February 23, 2020: Not Easter Island; Sea Day

When I awoke this morning, it seemed very much as it did yesterday morning with large swells which cause the ship to roll to some extreme. It was not long before the Captain came on the PA to announce that things did not look good for getting ashore today. Sure enough, we did not.

We finally weighed anchor and left around noon. We were to circle the island to see some of the Moai and other sights we had hoped to see ashore.

Rano Raraku volcano which was a main quarry for the Moai. While we could not see them from the ship, we were told there are around 400 Moai, in various stages of carving, around the base of the volcano. We could see the 15 Moai lined up along the shore.

 

Anakena Beach. The only white sand beach on the island. Sarah was scheduled to visit here on her excurison.

We are now to have two sea days before arriving at Adamstown, Pitcairn Island, home to the mutineers of the HMS Bounty. Hopefully, we will be able to land there.

We are to turn back our clocks another hour tonight which will put us equivalent with CST in the US.

Day 8/49: Saturday, February 22, 2020: Not Easter Island; Sea Day

Easter Island, a Chilean territory, is a remote volcanic island in Polynesia. Its native name is Rapa Nui. It’s famed for archaeological sites, including nearly 900 monumental statues called moai, created by inhabitants during the 13th–16th centuries. The moai are carved human figures with oversize heads, often resting on massive stone pedestals called ahus. Ahu Tongariki has the largest group of upright moai.

Currently, the island has a population of about 7,000. The name "Easter Island" was given by the island's first recorded European visitor, the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered it on Easter Sunday (5 April) in 1722.

Morning on Easter Island

The surf and waves are high enough that the Captain decided it was not safe to launch the tenders. So we will not be going to shore today. Hopefully, things will improve tomorrow.

While we could not get ashore, a group of about 18 local performers did come out to the ship and put on a show for us in the evening.

The band

The ladies

The group

Finally, they got the crowd up on stage.

It was a very enjoyable evening. The performance lasted an hour. So much energy!

Day 7/48: Friday, February 21, 2020: At Sea

The last of our four consecutive sea days before we reach Easter Island. We hopefully will have moderate winds and seas tomorrow and/or the following day, so we can land. The Destination Consultant, Jon Fleming, said he has been to Easter Island many times and, on average, he has successfully made it to shore about two-thirds of the time.

Maria and I have a 4 hour shore excursion scheduled called Hanga Roa Village & Moais. Sarah has booked a day-long excursion which includes the Rano Raraku volcano and a visit to the Anakena beach. I really would like to see the Rano Raraku volcano, which is the quarry of many of the island's Moais. I really don't want to spend a lot of time "relaxing" on the beach however. We'll try the half day first and then perhaps do something different on the second day. 

We turned back the clock another hour last night. We are now on US Eastern Time Zone! I went to the gym this morning. Not much of a sunrise to capture however.

I went to a lecture concerning the Pitcairn Islands we will be visiting soon. This is the island famed for hosting the mutineers from the HMS Bounty. The current population is 50. It is one of the most remote places on earth. More people visit the top of Mt. Everest each year than come ashore on Pitcairn Island. This is not only due to its remote location, but also the fact that it has few, if any good landing sites. The Destination Consultant said he has been here three times and only made it to shore once, due to the high winds and pounding surf. If we do make it ashore, we will be in the company of only a select few. If we don't make it ashore, we were assured the entire population of the island will come out to the ship to meet us.

Day 6/47: Thursday, February 20, 2020: At Sea

Another sea day. But also, this morning Maria and I have an 8:00 am massage reservation. It will be my first. A deep tissue 75 minute massage. Both Sarah and Maria assured me it would hurt but Sarah also reassured me that I would not die.

The massage went well. about half way through it I got so stuffed up, I could not breath. The massage lady said that was normal. Anyway, overall, I enjoyed it and it was not too painful...although some muscles did hurt.

I went to two lectures this morning. One on the birds we will encounter during our Polynesian visit and the other on coconuts, "Man's best friend". We will run into a bunch of those as well. I learned that, on average, 5 people die from shark attacks each year, but 150 people die from coconut attacks (coconuts falling from trees) each year.

This afternoon, I am going to a lecture on the best way to manage your photos on iPads and iPhones. Turns out I didn't learn much. It was really geared for those who are totally clueless.

Tomorrow is our last sea day before Easter Island. We will have two days on the island.

Day 5/46: Wednesday, February 19, 2020: At Sea

A relaxing day at sea. Quiet but rolling seas, partly cloudy but warm. Very pleasant. This afternoon, they invited everyone to attend a gathering at the Show Lounge so that the Captain could tell us about a change in the itinerary. The change was that they have been informed that the ship's draft is too much for us to enter the bay at Mangaeva, Gambier Islands. So, instead, we will go to a different island in the area.

A very quiet day. In the evening, we had reservations at La Dame, the French restaurant. The reservation was for 7:30 pm and we arrive shortly after 7:00 pm. No problem because we were the only ones with reservations. We had the entire restaurant to ourselves. I was very proud of my two ladies! It was delightfully quiet, the service was excellent and the food was good.