4/11/18
Our flight to Faa'a, Tahiti was super nice. They served beer, wine, and food all with the push of a button. We crossed the International Date Line, so we lost a day. We arrived to Tahiti and were welcomed by polynesian dancers and music. We were picked up by our air bnb hosts, Nui and Tea. They had a nice little house. We chatted and then walked along the ocean to a park with roullettas (food trucks) where we shared some chinese food for cheap and listened to a polynesian band.
4/11/18
We had breakfast then headed to downtown Papeete to the market where we did some shopping and bough some baguette sandwiches (chowmein and one with chicken and sauce). We then took a lot of money out of atms because there would be no atms on the next island we were headed to. We got a big french baguette for the road and then headed to the airport at Faa'a to fly to the island of Maupiti. The flight had sweet views over Moorea. It was a short flight of 55 mins, on a small prop plane. We also had views of the islands of huahine, tahaa, raitea, and bora bora. We also saw the really cool heart atoll. As we approached Maupiti, we saw the little airstrip for Maupiti, which was situated on a motu (sand bar), and also partly extending on a man-made strip out into the ocean. After we landed, we saw that the airport was just one little shade stand and a fire truck. The one luggage guy, unloaded our bags and then we loaded a skiff to be taken to the island. We motored along the beautiful lagoon. Some boys in Kayaks rode our wake in, which was fun to watch. We were picked up at the dock and given a 'hei' (= lei) of gorgeous flowers. Phirmin was who picked us up. We loaded into a pickup truck and driven to Pension Orovaru where we were met with kisses by Rose. Two Brits (Louise and Vinny) and a french family of 4 were also staying at the pension. We all sat together for dinner. Phirmin led grace, and then we ate yummy chicken and a fresh and raw fish salad w/ carrots. Dessert was a pineapple pie. After dinner Phirmin played ukelele for us. The accommodation was a small house with 4 rooms, a living room, kitchen, and a more or less open dining room.
4/12/18
We had a breakfast of doughnuts and baguettes, then took a tour around the island given by Rose. It's about 6 miles in circumference, and surrounded by a most beautiful lagoon and then a reef on the outer edge with a few coral islands (motus). Then we biked (the guest house provided free beach cruisers) to the a trailhead and climbed to the top of Mt. Teurafaatiu (380 meters/1247 ft), for the most amazing views of the lagoon below. We got a bit lost at first finding the trail, but eventually found it. It's really impossible to describe how beautiful it is, and pictures don't do it justice either. The water color ranges from pure white over the sand to every shade of blue and aqua until the cerulean blue of the distant ocean. We could see Bora Bora in the far distance as well. After the hike, we had a beer down by the ocean, then biked to a beach where we explored and waded around in the warm (bath water warm) lagoon. We then did some biking around the island before dinner. Dinner was red tuna filets, rice and sauce, and raw tuna as well. Then icecream for dessert!
Friday the 13th... 4/13/18
I got up early and did some biking during the sunrise. After breakfast, we did a loop around the island. It's a narrow and flat paved road (except for one small pass). There's fruit and gorgeous flowers everywhere and one small village. We went for a snorkel at the stunning Tereia beach. We had some baguettes on the beach then waded across the lagoon (1/2 mile in waste deep water) to Motu Auira where we first walked through a coconut plantation. We then walked along the coral and sand beach. So many hermit crabs! On the back side of the motu, we got close to the reef and the large crashing waves. We went for a nice snorkel in the clear water. We saw a young sea snake on the walk back. At one of the little guesthouses we saw some baby turtles that they were taking care of before being released. Again, the water is just spectacularly beautiful! And the rugged island is also stunning! A true south pacific island paradise! They say that Maupiti is like how Bora Bora was 60 years ago. There are few cars, mostly bikes, and no resorts or hotels (only family run pensions). Everyone is so friendly and as you walk or bike along the island you are greeted with many ia orana (hellos). There are only a couple of restaurants and a couple of small shops (that are closed from 2pm to 6pm). No ATM, no banks, and no credit cards taken.
Phirmin and Rose have 4 daughters and 5 grandchildren. Tehaa is 12 and lives at home, one daughter lives on another island, and Teka and Rose Jr live on Maupiti as well. Phirmin is a boxer and is quite good. He showed us a gold medal he had one and he had some huge trophies.
4/14/18
Saturday and Polynesian Party Day! Only Louisa and Vinny were left at the pension besides us. We all got up at 5am with the family and took their boat along with a whole lot of stuff. We went to a motu where we helped the family prepare a big polynesian feast. Elisha and I made a pumpkin dessert. Rose and members of her family chopped up chicken, pork, and mussels. Phirmin worked on the fire. Vinny and Louisa added sauce to the meats. Someone cut up Uru (breadfruit). Rose also weaved palm baskets the night before, and we put the meat in them and veggies and plantains between them. We then put the baskets on the hot coals, covered them with a bunch of banana leaves, then sand, and then let it all sit for several hours to cook. We learned to husk a coconut and then split it in 1/2 using our hands!
In the meantime, we went on a boat to Manta point where we snorkeled at a Manta ray cleaning station. We saw at least 4 individuals that were so big! We were really close and could just hover over them as they got cleaned by wrasses. We then boated to the other side of the lagoon, through the unreal and beautiful water to what they called the 'coral gardens' where we snorkeled and saw some lovely fish as well as 2 octopi! We then completed the circuit in the boat, seeing lots of stingrays and a school of eagle rays on the way back to the motu.
By this time, lots of people (locals and tourists) had arrived to the party. We had a cold beer and walked on the sand a bit. When the food was about to be brought out, they thanked Elisha, Louisa, Vinny, and me in front of everyone. Then it was time to dig into the delicious Polynesian feast. Super delicious pork curry, yummy chicken, a clam dish, raw fish salad, raw tuna with coconut sauce, taro, breadfruit, plantains, and our pumpkin dessert.
After the meal, we played a game with coconuts similar to cornhole, and then the boys and girls each did a fun polynesian dance let by Phirmin and Rose jr, respectively. We went swimming for a while in the warm lagoon. It then started downpouring, but we stayed in the water because it was warmer. Eventually we took the boat back. The locals on the boat were freezing in the rain! It was Saturday night relax night, so we had a fish and pork rice dish, and a really yummy pizza, along with Tahitian cola. And Phirmin and Rose also gave us beers. We were the only ones staying there now as Luisa and Vinny had taken a fisher boat to Bora Bora (they had made the mistake not to book a flight, and they were all booked up, but they got super lucky b/c Phirmin was able to arrange a fishing boat for them) and Phirmin and Rose were feeling very happy about a successful party. We know no French or Tahitian, and Phirmin and Rose's english isn't too great, but we still had a very nice dinner chat.
4/15/18
I started the day off with a pre-breakfast run around the island (5miles/40minutes). We hung out reading and swimming at the Tereia beach. We then got invited to a potluck lunch that some locals were having at the beach, put on I think by one of the island's churches. We then said goodbye to Phirmin and Rose. They gave us shell necklaces and kisses. We boarded the boat to the airstrip and boarded the 25 minute flight to Ra'itea. We had a few hour layover there, so we walked to a fancy yacht club and took a swim. We then had a 15 minute night flight to Bora Bora. The Bora airstrip was on a motu, so we took a ferry boat to the island.
Our flight to Faa'a, Tahiti was super nice. They served beer, wine, and food all with the push of a button. We crossed the International Date Line, so we lost a day. We arrived to Tahiti and were welcomed by polynesian dancers and music. We were picked up by our air bnb hosts, Nui and Tea. They had a nice little house. We chatted and then walked along the ocean to a park with roullettas (food trucks) where we shared some chinese food for cheap and listened to a polynesian band.
4/11/18
We had breakfast then headed to downtown Papeete to the market where we did some shopping and bough some baguette sandwiches (chowmein and one with chicken and sauce). We then took a lot of money out of atms because there would be no atms on the next island we were headed to. We got a big french baguette for the road and then headed to the airport at Faa'a to fly to the island of Maupiti. The flight had sweet views over Moorea. It was a short flight of 55 mins, on a small prop plane. We also had views of the islands of huahine, tahaa, raitea, and bora bora. We also saw the really cool heart atoll. As we approached Maupiti, we saw the little airstrip for Maupiti, which was situated on a motu (sand bar), and also partly extending on a man-made strip out into the ocean. After we landed, we saw that the airport was just one little shade stand and a fire truck. The one luggage guy, unloaded our bags and then we loaded a skiff to be taken to the island. We motored along the beautiful lagoon. Some boys in Kayaks rode our wake in, which was fun to watch. We were picked up at the dock and given a 'hei' (= lei) of gorgeous flowers. Phirmin was who picked us up. We loaded into a pickup truck and driven to Pension Orovaru where we were met with kisses by Rose. Two Brits (Louise and Vinny) and a french family of 4 were also staying at the pension. We all sat together for dinner. Phirmin led grace, and then we ate yummy chicken and a fresh and raw fish salad w/ carrots. Dessert was a pineapple pie. After dinner Phirmin played ukelele for us. The accommodation was a small house with 4 rooms, a living room, kitchen, and a more or less open dining room.
4/12/18
We had a breakfast of doughnuts and baguettes, then took a tour around the island given by Rose. It's about 6 miles in circumference, and surrounded by a most beautiful lagoon and then a reef on the outer edge with a few coral islands (motus). Then we biked (the guest house provided free beach cruisers) to the a trailhead and climbed to the top of Mt. Teurafaatiu (380 meters/1247 ft), for the most amazing views of the lagoon below. We got a bit lost at first finding the trail, but eventually found it. It's really impossible to describe how beautiful it is, and pictures don't do it justice either. The water color ranges from pure white over the sand to every shade of blue and aqua until the cerulean blue of the distant ocean. We could see Bora Bora in the far distance as well. After the hike, we had a beer down by the ocean, then biked to a beach where we explored and waded around in the warm (bath water warm) lagoon. We then did some biking around the island before dinner. Dinner was red tuna filets, rice and sauce, and raw tuna as well. Then icecream for dessert!
Friday the 13th... 4/13/18
I got up early and did some biking during the sunrise. After breakfast, we did a loop around the island. It's a narrow and flat paved road (except for one small pass). There's fruit and gorgeous flowers everywhere and one small village. We went for a snorkel at the stunning Tereia beach. We had some baguettes on the beach then waded across the lagoon (1/2 mile in waste deep water) to Motu Auira where we first walked through a coconut plantation. We then walked along the coral and sand beach. So many hermit crabs! On the back side of the motu, we got close to the reef and the large crashing waves. We went for a nice snorkel in the clear water. We saw a young sea snake on the walk back. At one of the little guesthouses we saw some baby turtles that they were taking care of before being released. Again, the water is just spectacularly beautiful! And the rugged island is also stunning! A true south pacific island paradise! They say that Maupiti is like how Bora Bora was 60 years ago. There are few cars, mostly bikes, and no resorts or hotels (only family run pensions). Everyone is so friendly and as you walk or bike along the island you are greeted with many ia orana (hellos). There are only a couple of restaurants and a couple of small shops (that are closed from 2pm to 6pm). No ATM, no banks, and no credit cards taken.
Phirmin and Rose have 4 daughters and 5 grandchildren. Tehaa is 12 and lives at home, one daughter lives on another island, and Teka and Rose Jr live on Maupiti as well. Phirmin is a boxer and is quite good. He showed us a gold medal he had one and he had some huge trophies.
4/14/18
Saturday and Polynesian Party Day! Only Louisa and Vinny were left at the pension besides us. We all got up at 5am with the family and took their boat along with a whole lot of stuff. We went to a motu where we helped the family prepare a big polynesian feast. Elisha and I made a pumpkin dessert. Rose and members of her family chopped up chicken, pork, and mussels. Phirmin worked on the fire. Vinny and Louisa added sauce to the meats. Someone cut up Uru (breadfruit). Rose also weaved palm baskets the night before, and we put the meat in them and veggies and plantains between them. We then put the baskets on the hot coals, covered them with a bunch of banana leaves, then sand, and then let it all sit for several hours to cook. We learned to husk a coconut and then split it in 1/2 using our hands!
In the meantime, we went on a boat to Manta point where we snorkeled at a Manta ray cleaning station. We saw at least 4 individuals that were so big! We were really close and could just hover over them as they got cleaned by wrasses. We then boated to the other side of the lagoon, through the unreal and beautiful water to what they called the 'coral gardens' where we snorkeled and saw some lovely fish as well as 2 octopi! We then completed the circuit in the boat, seeing lots of stingrays and a school of eagle rays on the way back to the motu.
By this time, lots of people (locals and tourists) had arrived to the party. We had a cold beer and walked on the sand a bit. When the food was about to be brought out, they thanked Elisha, Louisa, Vinny, and me in front of everyone. Then it was time to dig into the delicious Polynesian feast. Super delicious pork curry, yummy chicken, a clam dish, raw fish salad, raw tuna with coconut sauce, taro, breadfruit, plantains, and our pumpkin dessert.
After the meal, we played a game with coconuts similar to cornhole, and then the boys and girls each did a fun polynesian dance let by Phirmin and Rose jr, respectively. We went swimming for a while in the warm lagoon. It then started downpouring, but we stayed in the water because it was warmer. Eventually we took the boat back. The locals on the boat were freezing in the rain! It was Saturday night relax night, so we had a fish and pork rice dish, and a really yummy pizza, along with Tahitian cola. And Phirmin and Rose also gave us beers. We were the only ones staying there now as Luisa and Vinny had taken a fisher boat to Bora Bora (they had made the mistake not to book a flight, and they were all booked up, but they got super lucky b/c Phirmin was able to arrange a fishing boat for them) and Phirmin and Rose were feeling very happy about a successful party. We know no French or Tahitian, and Phirmin and Rose's english isn't too great, but we still had a very nice dinner chat.
4/15/18
I started the day off with a pre-breakfast run around the island (5miles/40minutes). We hung out reading and swimming at the Tereia beach. We then got invited to a potluck lunch that some locals were having at the beach, put on I think by one of the island's churches. We then said goodbye to Phirmin and Rose. They gave us shell necklaces and kisses. We boarded the boat to the airstrip and boarded the 25 minute flight to Ra'itea. We had a few hour layover there, so we walked to a fancy yacht club and took a swim. We then had a 15 minute night flight to Bora Bora. The Bora airstrip was on a motu, so we took a ferry boat to the island.
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