We woke and went up to breakfast at 7am; they called the first tender (ours) at 7.30 while be were still eating. We went down at 8 and got a tender then. We were given, of course, tiare Tahiti as we arrived on shore.
The weather was tropical. We got a ‘free’ ride into town – well, to Sabine’s Black Pearls shop. We went through this shop and another, then walked our way back along the coast towards Cook Bay, where the ship was anchored and the tenders landed. TS found lovely hibiscuses for her hair along the way. We stopped at a beach so we could all put our feet in the South Pacific, and as mum and dad were chatting to someone TS & I strolled on.
We looked at a shop or two on the way – getting nice cold liquid Cola Lite at one and me getting a swimming costume at another as I’d realised I left my cossie and swimming shirt in the lining of the baggage I’d left behind in California! 
Back near the tender landing, TS got a pillow for Ethan and I got shark tooth necklaces for the boys. Mo’orea had all the beauty of Tahiti but without the smells, etc of the larger city. It was rather a shame we hadn’t taken the ferry over while we were on Tahiti, however as it was the first stop on the cruise we hadn’t.
We boarded the ship fairly early. I went to the gym and enjoyed the views of Mo’orea moving past as we’d already weighed anchor and were headed back to Pape’ete to drop off the pilot. The gym is forward on one of the upper decks, so unfortunately is extremely hot near the windows and chilly in other areas! We all met on the Lido at 1pm for lunch.
In the afternoon I watched a film, then went back to the cabin to dress (casually) for dinner. Each evening on the cruise the ‘Discovery Daily’ for the next day is delivered to your pillow, with a chocolate, while you are at dinner. This newsletter details where we will be (at sea or the port), gives tender and tour disembarkation information if we will be in port, and if not gives the schedule of lectures, library openings, the cabin TV schedule, evening entertainments, etc. It also lists the ‘Suggested Dress Code’ for the evening – Casual (slacks and sport shirt for gentlemen and similar attire for ladies), Informal (Suit or jacket and tie for gentlemen, cocktail, dress, shirt, or trouser-suit for ladies), or Formal (Dinner jacket or dark suit for the gentlemen and evening or cocktail dress for the ladies). There are two sittings for dinner, the main sitting at 5.15pm and the late sitting at 7.30. We were in the late sitting.
This was our first night at what would be our usual table, so we met our waiter, Rogilio, and our busboy, Vener. We had purchased a phone card on Tahiti and hadn’t used much of it at all, so we gave it to Rogilio in the hope that he could use it next time he’s in French Polynesia to phone his wife and 2 children in Manilla.