If you go to Tahiti from right way around the world YOU CAN!
We left New Zealand the Sunday 29th April in the afternoon and after 5hrs of flight we arrived in Tahiti Saturday 28th in the afternoon, so 22hrs jetlag or a chance to leave Saturday night a second time and Sunday aswell.
As soon as we went our to left the plane we knews we were in French Polynesia: A small band on the yukelelie flower necklaces girls in flower imprinted dresses dancing to the music. This all while were still queing for the pasport control. Luckily asits a part of France for the first time since starting our trip there was an EU passports que much faster than usual!
We spent the first 3 days in Tahit is not famous as perhaps Bora Bora or the other Islands with amazing lagoons. But the locals are warm and friendly and its easy to get away from the main toursit route here, as most tourists hi-tail it out of here straigh for the more iddylic Islands.
We went to the beach, the local market where you can find plenty of Monoi, flower covered headress, shells necklaces, famous black pearls of Tahiti,etc...
Everybody told us the Polynesian People are really nice but we were still surprised! Our second night we were walking back to our pension( there is no backpackers hostel and not backpackers on the island, so you sleep into familly house who rent a room for people on budget) and some Tahitien ean ask us to join them.
They give us the local beer to drink: the Hinano and were really happy to see tourist here.
They told us 100times " Welcome to our islands!"
Then they invited us to a birthday party in the montain, where we were more than welcome and well invited. They gave us food and beer until it was impossible to eat or drink a drop more!
They all asked us millions of questions about Europe and our trip and taught us a lot about the Polynesian way of life and culture.They also gave us Tahitian Vanilla as a gift .
We tried the local style of preparing fish: fresh tuna left in sea water for 4hrs and then served with fermented coconut milk..... the smell is really special.... Digby liked it but Sophie only a bit! (sophie was potlite and ate a bit but really wanted to vomit from the smell, Digby actually ate all of his and then to be polite tried to finish sophie's as well)
We were really happy to spend this time with them, in a tradional house with real Polynesian people!
We drove home with one of the guys totally pissed, luckily there is only one policeman who works at night on the Island. We also drove very slowly at one point it might have been faster to walk!
Considering 5 hours earlier we did not know these people and passed one of them in the street to be invited to a family gathering and eat and drink for free and be given gifts. This is some of the warmest hospitality in the world! After we left they all want to be our friends on facebook!
After Tahiti we went to Maupiti, the little sister Island of Bora Bora..
Bora Bora, yes it's famous for being the most beautiful place in French Polynesia because the lagon is absolutely stunning, but now in 2012 most of the lagon is occuped by expensive bungalows from the most famous hotels in the world, and obviously Bora is ridicusly expensive!!! Also there are helicopters flying around and jet ski's in the lagoon, not quite the idylic paradis we had in mind.
So we listend to what all the local said and went to Maupiti, the lagoon is as beautiful as Bora but no hotel, no tourist, only locals ! and you sleep in a real polynesian familly! This Island voted agains hotel developments, as a result the airportis a small runway and a hut.
So we took a small plane and landed on Maupiti, our local familly was waiting for us and we took a small boat to the main island .
The house is basic , typical a polynesian house and Maeva the wife is really nice. In the familly there is Maeva with her husband and 2 kids aged to 10 and 3 years olds, and the grand mother ( the Polynesian live all the familly together, if you explain the idea of an old peoples home they would not dare do that to there family)
We had the most amazing 4 days! we were absolutely alone all day long, we went to the beach were we walked to the motus in front of us as the sea was not deap at all. On the motus we were life Tom Hank in Cast Away, nothing else expect us, coconuts tree and the sea! ( and in the sea you can see big Sting Rays swiming next to us!)
We also took Kayaks and spent the day to paddle from motus to motus, still no other humans insight!
Digby went dving and dive with lot of Manta rys 2m/3m! it was incredible!!and also thousand of multicolors fishes! but he was just amazed about the Manta ray.
There is one beach snack bar open 2-3hours a day and one restaurant open at night. We were always alone here a few locals come by for a take away but we saw no other tourists. Except the last day at the beach snack, because the ferry had arrived there were other tousits. (We were quite upset by these univited intruders to OUR private Island!!!)
We were sad to leave this little paradise but exiting to see something different: an Atoll! so direction FAKARAVA! (via Tahiti as there never direcet flights between the Islands)
XX
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