I never imagined I’d become an official resident of French Polynesia. Albeit temporarily. But that’s what we’ve applied for at the High Commission to be able to stay here legally, above board with an official stamp for the next year. We’ve been through a modicum of bureaucracy to get to this point but not as much as Barbados which still takes the biscuit – in triplicate.

Papeete, on Tahiti, the capital of French Polynesia has been our home for the past two weeks. There are hills and ridges behind the city but so far we’ve been no where near them. Our days have been filled with getting organised for 6 months in the Tuamotus and Marquesas, which offer few services and facilities. Our shopping list has included super sexy things like pipe, a bilge pump, oxalic acid and engine oil.

We gave our 72 hours departure notice to the people who needed to know and then the fridge / freezer decided to stop working. The freezer was rammed full of food. We needed to find some kind person with available freezer space in super quick time. After unsuccessfully approaching a couple of locals that we know, thinking they may have large partially filled domestic freezers, we started round the marina randomly asking boaty people if they had any space in their freezer. When meeting new people, an opening gambit of, ‘can we put our food in your freezer” is an interesting opening line when starting a conversation with people you’ve never met. Perhaps dating sites can add it to their lists of what to say when meeting new people. I won’t charge much for the intellectual property. 

Happily, we found a solution and didn’t have to throw away lots of soggy inedible food. The boat next door is unoccupied as the owner is back in Europe. Some friends of ours, happened to have the keys so Dave and Charlie went on onboard, fired up the freezer and all is happy in frozen food world.

Three days later….. the freezer is back in the world of the living. There’s still some carpentry work to do then we will be able to move in the next day or so. 

Back in the real world, COVID is multiplying on Tahiti and from tonight, there’s a traffic curfew from 9pm to 6am. Pretty much everyone round town is wearing a mask. There are restriction on the number of people who can meet together. It’s time to get out to quieter less populated places.