It is a bit cooler this morning only 15 degrees, not much wind but still dark until 8.30. We have anchored so it is looking good that we will go ashore. As it gets brighter we can see the island and it looks like it will be a lovely day. Some cloud but plenty of sunshine.
After gym, we get an announcement that tenders will go ashore, the swell is right on the limit for them to be used safely. It is advised that anybody unsteady on their feet should not use the tenders. As we watch people get on board the tenders, you can see the tender moving up and down some 3 feet on the swell. We are told it will be slow going as safety is paramount. We head off to breakfast, but pick up tender tickets on the way, we have number 16.
It is 11 am and so far only numbers 1 and 2 have been called. We have been sitting on deck 6 besides a window since 10.20 and have not seen a tender leave. There is a tender sitting off the ship and it is moving quite a bit in the swell. If nothing happens in the next hour I suspect it may be called off.
It is 11.45 and they have just called numbers 6 and 7. We now have a rain shower coming through. At 12.10 they are calling numbers 13 and 14. We are called at 12.20. The tender as we board is moving around 4 feet as the swell hits. The crew do a fantastic job getting everyone on board safely. It is a 15 to 20 minute ride to the landing area. The area is a quiet lagoon surrounded by rocky outcrops, but there is a breakwater so it is a lot easier to disembark.
We spend 90 minutes walking around looking at some Moai and other Polynesian statues. We head back to the ship and are back on board by 2.30 pm. It was quite rough back at the ship and the tender was bouncing around when back at the landing. Once again the crew were very careful getting everyone off. Time for a hamburger and beer!
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