Tahiti Vacation Offers Soft Adventure Cruise and Flights

Receive an onboard credit of up to 15,000XPF* per person (approx. AU $175) and be treated to a special dinner show, firework display and giveaways on the April 2015, Aranui 3's 14-day roundtrip cruise from Papeete.

Packages for the departure are priced from AU $8,899 per person twin share in a standard cabin including return economy airfares from Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne with Air Tahiti Nui, luxury car transfers to the nearest international airport, four nights’ accommodation at Manava Suite Tahiti with continental breakfast, taxes and all transfers in Tahiti.

The Aranui 3 accommodates 200 passengers in air-conditioned cabins including suites with private balconies and deluxe and standard twin rooms and the cruise will visit Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou, Tahuata, Fatu Hiva, Hiva Oa, Ua Huka in the Marquesas, Takapoto and Rangiroa in the Tuamotus and the famed Society Island of Bora Bora.

While passengers disembark and explore lush Garden of Eden landscapes on a range of complimentary excursions including hikes and 4WD tours the freighter line dispenses a lifeline of food, fuel and other staples to remote island ports. Throughout the journey, guests can enjoy the comforts of a cruise ship, from a spacious sundeck to a freshwater swimming pool, a gym and a library,

A little History:

Thirty years ago, Tahiti freighter Aranui 1 became the first modern ship to carry cruise passengers and cargo across the South Pacific marking the beginning of a long-running cruise operation which has seen 44,750 passengers and 484,900 tonnes of freight carried between Tahiti and the remote Tuamotu and Marquesas Islands.

The Wong family, which runs the Aranui freighters through Compagnie Polynesienne de Transport Maritime (CPTM), has offered a cargo service since 1954, occasionally providing passage to Tahitians who slept on the main cargo deck under the stars and sheltered under a tarpaulin during the day.

Sensing a market for a soft adventure cruise experience in the region, the company spent several years in the early 80s modifying its freighter to a mixed cargo and passenger vessel with the introduction of 12 cabins, a new galley, dining room, dormitory and other basic amenities.

On November 22, 1984, Aranui 1 made its first historic passenger cruise, departing from Papeete with 24 international and local passengers, and cargo, bound for the northern Tahiti archipelagoes.

Thirty years and three ships later, Aranui has announced it will celebrate the anniversary during Aranui 3’s April 25, 2015, departure, with passengers in cabins offered an onboard credit of up to 15,000XPF* per person (approx. A$175), and treated to a special dinner show, firework display and giveaways.

Future news:

In late 2015, the 256-passenger Aranui 5 is set to replace Aranui 3 which has been in service for more than a decade. (There won’t be an Aranui 4 as the number is considered bad luck by the Chinese-owned cruise company.)

For more information visit Aranui visit  or call 03 9449 3778. To book the package, call 1300 485 846.

Picture Credit: The original Aranui in the port of Papeete in 1959, and the current cruise freighter Aranui 3 at the Marquesas port of Fatu Hiva, Lional Gouverneur.

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