I learned about the cargo/passenger ship Aranui from a fellow traveler on our Eastern European trip. It turns out to be the perfect way to see the islands that spread far apart in a vast ocean in Polynesia. Aranui means the big pathway in Tahitian. This company has been delivering and picking up cargos for the Marquesas islands for decades. In 1983, it added passengers compartments to their cargo boats. This ship now can take 254 passengers with 103 crews.

The newest Aranui 5 was launched in 2016 . When we boarded the ship, we were quite surprised how luxurious and comfortable this boat is. The Majority of the passengers were French speaking, a small group of German and about 50 English speaking passengers from England, USA, Australia , New Zealand and Scandinavian countries. The meals were quite good, the lunch and dinner were all well prepared with fresh ingredients and in reasonable portions so we wouldn't feel guilty eating and enjoying all the delicious meals.

We were welcomed at the dock with Marquesian music and dances. Ray was invited to join and surprisingly he was able to move his hips quite a bit! We also took lessons in Marquesas language and dancing. Every gesture in the dance has some sort of meaning to it. It is sensual, beautiful and great exercise.

French Polynesia includes 118 islands, only about half are inhibited. The islands are grouped in archipelagos (succession of islands) which includes the Society, Tuamotu, Gambier, Austral and of course the Marquesas Islands . The Aranui tour includes two atolls in Tuamotu and six islands in Marquesas. At every port, the Aranui will unload cargo needed by the islanders and load agricultural products from the island. It was quite a logistic production to get all the goods and produce loaded and unloaded efficiently on each island where the ship was able to dock. It was very interesting to watch the seamen and the crane operator perform their jobs like a synchronized dance team. The Aranui crew is mostly native Polynesians from different islands. By law they were paid at least the minimum wage of $1600 a month. The works must be good since many employees have worked there as long as 30 years.

Within a few days we got to know many of the crew, especially those who served us in the dinning room and the three persons team Nui, NeHau and Teve who were responsible for onboard entertainment. They work hard and long hours to keep the passengers comfortable and occupied. There were many workshops where we learned to weave pandanus baskets and made flower leis. We also learned a few Tahitian words and songs. Onboard are two libraries, one lecture hall, a swimming pool and of course several bars to serve us drinks.

We were especially fortunate to have two French archeologists Marie Noelle Ottino and her husband onboard with us because they were the ones who restored many of the archeological sites we visited . Even though they had to struggle a little to explain their findings in English, it was still an enriching experience to hearing directly from the experts.

There were many extra activities passenger could signup. For $100 Ray went with 4 other passengers for half day fishing. In 3 hours, they came back with 10 Bonitas (bomb fish), one barracuda and two good sized yellow fin tuna. The chef prepared a big fishermen feast for us. We had HUGE plates of sashimi, grill tuna, raw fish in coconut milk, raw fish with chopped onion, tomatoes in olive oil and the last but not the least baked fish in cream sauce. I never had so much fresh fish in one meal and they all tasted great. The only regrets was that there was no wasabi mustard to be found on the ship or the islands. So for future passengers who plans on fishing, bring your own wasabi sauce!

Nui taught the lady passengers a beautiful Tahitian dance call Te Pua Noa Noa. NeHau and Teve taught the men a warrior dance. After practicing diligently for the whole week, we made our performance debut on Polynesia Night. All the ladies put on their Paros (Tahitian sarong) and flower crowns but the men got the biggest applause when they came out bare chested and wearing grass skirts. The crew also performed several much better native dances and what a fun night that was!

The excursion price Aranui charges includes all meals (wines were served with each lunch and dinner), land tours, programs and entertainment. They even do our laundry free of charge, now that was some good service! If you ever consider to visit Polynesia, definitely get onboard Aranui. I recommend them wholeheartedly.

Here is their website https://aranui.com/