Tahiti

Day 56 - Thursday 30th March
The Facts:
Flight to Bora Bora
Shark and ray feeding
Grey sharks diving

The longer version:
An early start took us back to Papeete Airport where we had an Air Tahiti flight to Bora Bora via one of the smaller islands.
The views were spectacular with all islands having some beautiful green multi- coloured lagoons around them. Bora Bora itself was just as spectacular as it is in all the brochures, although some cloud covered the highest peak. Straight to the Hotel Maitai Polynesia, where after several reminders, we were picked up for our activity of Ray and Shark Feeding. This is generally pretty harmless except for when your guide wears outfits such as ours did as the photos demonstrate. We spent time in the water with the reef sharks and rays lapping up the supplied food (which somehow wasn’t the tourists), before a snorkel (with more fish heads to attract fish), before heading to the other side of the lagoon to a motu where there was turtles, sharks, more tropical fish and of course rays that loved coming up and saying hello, sliding their rubbery skin next to yours.
We checked back into the hotel and was able to go to our room, a bungalow overwater with a glass coffee table to see the fish all night!
Karen then went out for a scuba dive. The dive was with grey reef sharks, down to 22m, in lovely clear water. The dive was outside of the lagoon so the swell and waves were a bit rough, and Karens stomach didn’t take this so well. A beautiful evening dining by the water, and then going to sleep with the water lapping against the pylons, and the beach was nice (once Karen got over the seas sick feeling!)


Day 57 -Friday 31st March
The Facts:
Return to Papeete
Pearl Shopping

The longer version:
A very relaxing morning had as the last proper day of holiday. After breakfast a quick snorkel was had from the bungalow to some of the coral nearby and under the bungalow.
Back at Bora Bora airport the humidity started to increase, and it reminded us of what to expect back in Qld.
When we arrived back in Papeete and waited 45 mins for our luggage (that was the length of the flight too- baggage handlers are lazy in the pacific islands) we headed back into town.
Found a post office to post the final post cards ( a much less painful experience than in South America), and wandered past many shops and markets where several items of interest were purchased. But, as Bora Bora is known for its black pearl a trip to Tahiti would not have been complete without a trip to the Tahiti Pearl market. 3 levels of pearls ranging from $10 to several million was quite an experience. We eventually settled down to business and located a couple of pearls of interest and got them set in a pendant. Now just need to find the occasion in Sprinsgure to wear it!


Day 58 - Saturday 1st April
The Facts:
To Auckland

The longer version:
Flying lovely Air Tahiti Nui to Auckland. You are greeted with a Tiare flower on arrival (which they tell you to leave on the plane at the end for quarantine purposes), and great French Polynesian hospitality.

Day 59 - Sunday 2nd April
The Facts:
Auckland to Brisbane

The longer version:
A long wait in rainy Auckland (still being affected by TC Wati) was not every exciting, especially as we saw planes leaving to Sydney and Brisbane that we weren’t on, as our bags had been checked through.
Arrived back in Australia and settled in for good Qantas Hospitality- NOT.

Day 60 - Monday 3rd April
The facts:
The adventure is over
Rockhampton.

The longer version:
Flight back to Rocky, met up with the girls in the CRS Office and picked up the car. Stopped over for a brief visit to Blackwater where we were informed the Antarctica and Buenos Aires postcards arrived that morning, before resuming the long trip back to Springsure, the mail, memories of a great holiday and many weeks of photo editing!

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