Blogs from Moorea, French Polynesia, Oceania

The following morning we took the ferry to the island of Moorea, a short 45 minute ride across the channel. By all accounts Moorea is just as beautiful, if not moreso than Bora Bora, but for a fraction of the cost and only an inexpensive ferry away. We thought the mountains plunged straight into the sea on Tahiti, well the landscape was even more extreme here. Sheer jagged peaks and spires leap vertically from the lagoons here in a postcard perfect landscape. We stayed at Residence Vainau ($83), one of the last beds on the island despite my booking months in advance. Not necessarily out of popularity but just because there is not much tourism here at all either. In the 1960s there was less than a dozen hotel rooms on the entire island, and by ... read more

This might be our last post. As we sit quietly on our little deck munching away on our cereal it’s a bit hard not to notice a guy marching around the garden with a serious looking tank on his back, spraying anything that looks like it might be even vaguely green. This wouldn’t normally be worthy of comment, but he’s wearing a suit that wouldn’t look out of place on an astronaut, so we’re starting to suspect that whatever’s in the tank's probably not going to do much to improve your day if you happen to breathe any of it in. The breeze springs up and it’s now wafting in our direction, so we beat a hasty retreat inside and seal up all the doors and windows. It must be a slow acting poison. It’s now ... read more

We were all feeling like zombies when we arrived here yesterday so we sleep in ‘til about lunchtime. We think we remember through our zombiness walking a few hundred metres to the supermarket in the pitch blackness last night to stock up on some supplies for breakfast. If I’m remembering correctly it was a terrifying expedition that we were probably lucky to survive in our near comatose states - total darkness, no streetlights, no footpath and a heavily trafficked main road. And as if to prove how stupid we were being we then ventured out along the same road again to get pizza. And very nice pizza it was too. The young lady who served us apologised for the quality of her English, which made it about half a dozen times yesterday that this had happened. ... read more

The next morning, we skipped breakfast and headed to the market in Papeete instead. We checked out of the hotel and headed down the mountain one last time. Papeete is the capital of Tahiti. Much like Hawaii, they pronounce all the vowels. So it's pronounced Papay-EETEE. The market there reminded me of a few others I've been to - some local fruits and vegetables, but mostly stuff for tourists. There may be sections that we missed that would have been more used by locals, but I didn't get the sense that this was set up for locals. It was just as well that we didn't spend much time, because we had a ferry to catch! We stopped for a quick but nice bite to eat before heading to the ferry. It was so hot, at 1030am, ... read more

I would suggest it's almost every traveller's dream to visit French Polynesia. The stunning images of five star resorts perched on pylons over the water with private aquariums underfoot teeming with marine life fulfills our wildest dreams ... and hopes for that perfect honeymoon! For as long as I can remember I've shared in the dream of visiting this polynesian paradise, and after many years exploring other travel destinations I have to pinch myself to realise I'm finally here! I hope all has been well with you, dear reader, and that you will enjoy the next three weeks of adventures in French Polynesia. The islands are famous for their pristine marine environment, and it's a genuine pleasure to embark on this once in a lifetime trip! From Sydney it's three hours flight time across the ditch ... read more