Last week I returned from one of the most iconic trips in French Polynesia, two weeks aboard the Aranui 5. This 126m-long passenger freighter does around 19 return trips a year from Papeete out to six inhabited islands of the far flung Marquesas group. Unlike most other cruise ships worldwide today which only disgorge alongside piers at tourist-worn hotspots, the Aranui 5 mostly relies on anchoring offshore. Back to the ship go big bales of copra, empty diesel drums, succulent fruit, freshly caught fish for the ship's table. And you never quite know when the Aranui crew band will strike up, the six person ensemble featuring the best lead ukulele I've ever heard.

Source: Stuff June 14, 2019 17:01 UTC