Blogs from French Polynesia, Oceania
May 18th 2012
I arrived in Moorea with such awe. I can't believe how gorgeous this island is. It is one of the many islands of the French Polynesian Islands (probably the most famous island is Bora Bora or Tahiti). Being here makes me realize the necesity of learning French. Granted, most people here speak a bit of English, but I think the reality is, it definitely would help me if I can learn how to speak french for my future visits to France to see Aurelie and of course, here! I came to my hotel and had the luxury of staying in a hut rather than a hotel building. The location of the hotel is very much surrounded by local people in the middle of nowhere next to the beach. The room was ok and definitely has many ... read more
My last day in Auckland and my first night in Papeete, Tahiti
Published: May 13th 2012Oceania » French Polynesia » Tahiti » Papeete
May 13th 2012
My last day in Auckland was pretty darn nice. I woke up after having a nice sleep in and ventured off to the waterfront to have a good ol' breakfast. It was absolutely lovely having a view of the harbour while eating my scrumptious eggs benedict. What more could you ask for? Afterwards, it was time to search for this 'hokey pokey' ice cream flavor that everyone insisted I have to try. I went up and down Queen Street and into the side streets, and found zero ice cream shops. Then...I see it: a chocolate shop with the flavor 'hokey pokey' with amongst six other flavors. I got a scoop of it and it was yummy in my tummy. Basically, vanilla mixed in with hints of caramel and honeycomb. In the afternoon, Daniel and Hannes (the ... read more
April 26th 2012
Rangiroa is the largest atoll in the Tuamotus, and the second largest atoll in the world. There are less than 1,500 permanent residents though. The major attraction to Rangiroa is the underwater life that is enhanced by the strong currents brought by the tides. There are only two main, large, passes (channels) for water to enter the lagoon. There are over a hundred small ones, but only two that you can dive in. Current is life, and no matter when the current is incoming or outgoing, the current is ripping through these passes. The best dives are supposed to be during the incoming tide at the Tiputa Pass, the largest pass on the island. Unfortunately, during our two days in Rangiroa, the incoming tide never came to fruition due to the large south swell that was ... read more
April 22nd 2012
Of all the things that my mother has 'instructed' me to do over the years, such as 'brush your teeth' 'comb your hair' 'wear a bicycle helmet', the one that reminded me of her today was the instruction 'don't go hiking alone'. It reminded me of her because it was good advice.....that I did not follow. Just like the messy haired kid popping wheelies on his BMX with no helmet many years ago, I decided to proceed on a solo hike, knowing full well that my mother would kill me, if the trail didn't. We came back to Moorea on the boat so that everyone could have a couple of days off on this beautiful island, before we head to the Tuamotus. The other day that I had off, I went kiteboarding, which was awesome. I ... read more
April 18th 2012
In the morning we rent a car for the day. We set out for a circumnavigation of Tahiiti Nui, the main part of the island, with a detour to Tahiti Iti, the small part of the island connected by an isthmus. Along the way we stop at a beautiful park with grottos, ferns, and lots of tropical plants. There’s another place with a fresh water swimming hole where the spring just bubbles up constantly. The water here is refreshingly cool and just across the road from the beach. On Tahiti Iti, we stop at a waterfront restaurant right on the beach for a hamburger lunch, then go swimming to cool off afterwards. The view is great. Further along, we stop and hike to an area with three tall waterfalls. It is the very picture of paradise, ... read more
April 17th 2012
Today we all go into Papeete to see what it’s all about. There are lots of shops (expensive ones!) and a great town market with tons of fresh fruits and vegetables (if only this wasn’t the end of the trip) plus good fresh feed. We have lunch here. Papeete has some beautiful parks with streams, fish, and tropical flowers. The waterfront is a nice park, but the view is ruined with a very industrial harbor right in front.... read more
March 26th 2012
First of all, I'm not really into heights. I used to like jumping off of cliffs, 50'-60' was the highest I'd go, but that all changed after I jumped off the roof of this sketchy house perched on some cliffs on the west side of Maui--I haven't really jumped off of anything since then. I just don't do it anymore. I won't even jump off the sundeck of the boat. So, pretty much needless to say, I didn't really want to go skydiving either. But, I'll tell you what, I'm soooooooo glad I did. It was the most amazing thing I've done in a long time. I wouldn't say I was scared to go, but I definitely dragged my feet in getting to the airport. They didn't think that I was going to show up. The ... read more
March 19th 2012
Raiatea is the second largest of the Society Islands (Tahiti is the largest), but only has about 12,000 residents. It is also thought that Raiatea was where the Polynesians that settled Hawaii and New Zealand originated. The traditional name for the island is Havai'i, which is spelled exactly how Hawaiians say 'Hawaii'. I did not have a lot of time to explore the island, but to make the most of it, I found a guide who takes people on stand-up paddleboard excursions up the Faaroa River, which is the only 'navigable' river in all of French Polynesia. I say 'navigable' because the river is very shallow, for the most part only a couple of feet deep. There is hardly any current, or rather, there was hardly any current--I imagine it could be quite different in a ... read more
March 18th 2012
Bora Bora. It is a place that I had always wanted to go, purely for the fact that it sounds like a faraway remote exotic tropical paradise. I can say that all of those adjectives describe it very accurately, except for 'exotic'. At one point in time, maybe 20-30 years ago it would have been exotic, but not anymore, not in a place that boasts Four Seasons and St. Regis-type high-end resorts, a runway that can land G550's, and an anchorage that welcomes cruise ships........nothing ruins 'exotic' better than a cruise ship. As we were taking the tender into shore one of the nights we were there, we heard the sound of the beating of a drum. As one of the guys put it, 'if you heard that sound in Papua, you wouldn't continue going to ... read more
March 1st 2012
For most of us it was probably an illustration in a book or perhaps a movie. A glimpse of a sandy beach, nodding palm trees and the surf crashing on a reef off shore. There might even have been a black hulled schooner bobbing at anchor…waiting for her next adventure. For the rest of our lives, especially on cold winter days, those images come flooding back when we hear the word “paradise”. Don't despair…I can safely tell you that paradise does exist. It isn’t pristine pure but it’s all here. The beautiful azure water, the surf pounding on the barrier reef, riots of colorful fish, powdery white sand, palm trees, and the scent of flowers in the air to name just a few of the pleasures. We have visited islands in the last couple... read more
