TAHITI TIMES

Ia Orana everyone,

As you may or may not know, my name is Jennifer Johnson (formerly Jennifer Coulter) and I am very often the voice behind Tahiti Legends’ blog and Facebook. I was recently married on November the 7th, 2010 and was very fortunate to spend my Honeymoon in Tahiti and Moorea.

This week I am going to write about a few of our trip highlights! I’ll begin today with our Lagoon Cruise excursion that we took.

We were picked up from our resort the beautiful Intercontinental Moorea Resort and Spa in the morning, and taken for a trip around the island by boat. Our wonderful guide Louis provided interesting information about the island of Moorea; from historical facts to the best surf spots on the island. It was windy during our tour which caused us to take a 15 minute detour which I am so thankful for. This detour afforded us the treat of seeing a pod of spinner dolphins- including a several month old calf. I was so glad to have my camera for this cruise, not only to capture the towering peaks of Mount Rotui and Mount Tohivea on film but to capture memories that will last us for a lifetime.

To view the video please click here.

Be sure to check back tomorrow where I will write about our 4×4 Jeep Safari experience that took us all around Moorea but namely to the top of “Magic Mountain”.

Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin traveled to the tropical shores of French Polynesia in 1894 to create some of his most renowned masterpieces. Today his namesake, the m/s Paul Gauguin, transports you to the same romantic Tahitian vacation paradise—to explore, experience and escape. With the freedom to discover the exotic ports of the South Pacific without limitations, your cruise aboard the m/s Paul Gauguin will fulfill your every dream and expectation.

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* Leather wallet/bag tags
* Welcome flower lei
* Ground transfers & baggage handling
*Room tax and VAT

Price per person, double cabin, based on availability for April 24, 2010 and May 1, 2010 sailings

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I left Papeete, on an early morning flight for Nuku Hiva. From the airport, I was taken via 4×4 to the Nuku Hiva Pearl Resort. My room was surrounded by beautiful trees and there was an amazing view of the bay from my deck. It was incredibly quiet and relaxing- all I heard were the sounds of birds in the trees and the lapping of the ocean onto the rocks below. Once I had settled in, I rented a bicycle to ride into the local town of Taiohae. The bike trail was pretty narrow, but it really didn’t matter to me because the scenery was just too incredible. The mountains were painted with clouds near their peaks, and the vegetation was a beautiful deep green. I passed by a few modest houses, some with their laundry hanging on a line outside to dry. Nuku Hiva really is a beautiful island and it appeared to be virtually untouched.

After my day of biking, I decided I wanted to go back to my room and just relax until the next morning when I would hiking to see a waterfall.

Make sure to check back on Monday when I write about my hike and seeing an eel in the water!

-Marisa

Hello everyone. Sadly, this is the last update I have for my trip to Fiji. After I left the island of Tokoriki I set off for Qamea. This was without a doubt the highlight of my trip. Not only is the island stunning but it’s lush with vegetation and beautiful flowers. When you arrive at the Qamea Resort and Spa you are given a personal water bottle to take with you and around the resort and there are filtered water stations where you can fill them up. This is one of the many ‘green’ and eco-friendly things that the resort takes great pride in doing. Rather than giving you plastic bottles of Fiji water every day, the personal water bottles do not create waste and thus are much better for the environment.

Each night when your bed is turned down you are left with a little ‘newspaper’ to tell you what activities will be happening the following day. It also teaches you a new Fijian word in every issue, which I thought was a very nice touch. Also, for every day that you are on the resort they will take you to a different snorkeling ‘hot spot’. Be mindful though that one day that I went out with them it was free and then the other time there was a small fee (about than $10 USD). My next day in Qamea I opted to hike and visit one of the local villages. The hike to the village took about two hours (not that I was complaining because it allowed me to see this beautiful landscape up close) until we arrived in the village. This is a memory that will stay with me for life. If only everyone in the world could be warm and kind like the Fijians. The children were so sweet and ran up to greet me! I brought my video camera on this day and when I flipped the view finder around they all crowded around to see themselves make funny faces, give the peace sign or wave. As I walked further through the village I arrived at a handicraft market with authentic Fijian crafts for sale. They had woven tapa cloths, fans made out of huge leaves found on the island, shells, necklaces and much more. Waving goodbye to my new friends I began the hike back to the resort. When I returned, I decided that I wanted (and needed) to get another massage. The Jungle Spa at the Qamea resort is sensational. Not only was the massage incredible but you are literally in the rainforest and you can hear all the noises of the birds and wildlife as you are relaxing. I have never experienced anything like it.

After an evening of relaxation, I decided to take part in another hike the following day to the waterfalls that I had heard about. This was a pretty intense hike (even though it was shorter than our trek to the village) it was a much steeper incline. After about 45 minutes we came to the first waterfall. We didn’t spend too much time there at that moment since the bigger waterfall lies beyond this point and the guide wanted to take us to that one first. Once we arrived at the second waterfall everyone dove in to freezing cold water. After a hot and strenuous day it was so refreshing! After everyone swam around a bit, we were ready to start heading back down to go visit the other waterfall. Once we had made it back to the first waterfall the Fijians (and whoever else was brave enough) jumped from the side of the waterfall down into the water below. I’m not much for heights, so I took a pass on that. Sadly, it was that night that it was time for me to say goodbye to the islands and head home to California. Although I was sad to leave Fiji, the memories I made and the spirit of the wonderful people I met will remain in my heart forever.

Thank you for reading everyone and be sure to come back next week when Marisa Molk from Tahiti Legends writes about her recent trip to Nuku Hiva, Moorea, and Bora Bora in the French Polynesia!

-Candice

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