TAHITI TIMES

Ia Orana!

When you first picture the island of Tahiti you fantasize about the beautiful islands, crystal clear lagoons, and lush vegetation that is atypical of each of the islands in French Polynesia. Many fail to realize the rich cultural and artistic facets found in Tahiti and Her Islands. One of the most overlooked being the ancient art of Polynesian/Marquesan Tattoo. Polynesian style tattooing has been recorded since the 1500’s but the islands would only command attention from the world at large nearly two or three centuries later.

The widely popular tribal tattoo style of today can be traced back to the Pacific Rim and Southeast Asia. Even the word “tattoo” is said to have derived from that area. Polynesians used the word “tatao” meaning “to tap”. Tahitians used the word “tatu”, which means “to mark” something. Tattoo, the word most commonly used today, was said to have been penned by Caption Cook when he explored those same areas.

Fortunately, today things are much more relaxed, and the native culture of the French Polynesian islands is able to be expressed much more freely. Each year a festival of tattoo (Festival Tatau I Tahiti or Tattoonesia) is organized on the island of Tahiti. Tattoonesia is an annual cultural/tattoo festival in French Polynesia now supported by the President and the Culture Ministry and is open to every one. Already in its fifth year, Tattoonesia has garnered much attention from international media and local media alike.The event will be taking place this November 26th-29th with the best tattooers in Polynesia and many of the other Pacific island’s as well as the United States!

To experience tattoo in French Polynesia, please visit our website and look at our specials. Tahiti Legends has partnered with several tattooists in the islands and we are able to pre-book appointments for you during your vacation.

http://tahitilegends.com/specials/index.html

Or call: 800-200-1213

Atout France (France’s Tourism Development Agency) held its seventh annual French Affairs Conference in New York this week on October 25th and 26th. With more than 140 U.S. tour operators specializing in France and more than 60 French suppliers, this was the largest gathering in the annual event’s history.

In addition to a review of Atout France’s promotional activities to support the travel trade, the event also included several relevant seminars on topics like social networking, sustainable tourism and selling Tahiti. The highlight of the conference was undoubtedly the prestigious French Affairs Awards ceremony where eight lucky tour operators received recognition for their work in promoting and selling France and her overseas territories.

Tahiti Legends has been awarded by Atout France the Best Overseas Offer for 2009.The Southern California based tour operator has built a name as the premier tour operator for travel to Tahiti by offering unique destination expertise and unparalleled service. At the French Affairs Meeting, the French Government Tourist Office recognized the company’s dedication to excellence amongst all tour operators. The award was received by Alain Bernard, President of Tahiti Legends. This is the 7th award the company has received from the French Government Tourist Office within the last 6 years.

www.TahitiLegends.com
1-800-200-1213

During my stay in Qamea I visited a local village and met with the chief for a kava ceremony. In case you are not familiar, kava is a drink that is made from the root of the kava plant. This drink is used almost exclusively for social gatherings among the Fijians. After the ceremony, we toured the village and arrived at the local school. I enjoyed seeing that and all the children’s drawings around the room. I was also very impressed with how well they wrote in English! After we left the village, I decided to reward myself with a spa treatment at the Qamea Resort’s Jungle Spa. On my walk over to the spa, was where I started to notice the many different types of birds here in Fiji. I was lucky enough to spot a few orange doves, which are endemic to Fiji. Once I reached the spa, I had a full body massage that was the best that I have ever had. Besides the masseuse being fantastic, hearing all the noises of the rainforest from the spa was incredibly relaxing.

Be sure to come back tomorrow to hear about Horseback riding and bowling in Namale!

For more pictures click here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tahitilegends/sets/72157622317553849/

Vinaka,

Camille

For more information about our Fiji packages please call your Preferred Travel Agent or visit us on the web here:
http://legendsluxurytravel.com/

For further information/inquiries please call: 1-800-200-1213

One of the highlights of Le Méridien’s Bora Bora property is the unique sea-turtle sanctuary, where guests can explore marine life in a safe private lagoon environment and actually swim with the beautiful hawksbill and green turtles. In 2003, the resort was awarded the prestigious Green Award, and it now employs a “rescue team” that searches remote areas
Le Méridien Bora Bora has also furthered its environmental and natural awareness with the addition of a new Ecological Center, providing educational programs for guests and locals. The ecological center, located near the Turtle Sanctuary, is a joint effort with the island’s Ministry and Delegation of the Environment meant to assure a vibrant future for sea turtles.

To experience the Le Meridien Bora Bora call your Preferred Travel Agent or visit us on the web here: http://tahitilegends.com/specials/bora_bora_short.html#special1

For more information please call: 1-800-200-1213

Kryss Vairaaro, the bartender at the InterContinental Tahiti Resort’s TIKI BAR, has won the annual 2009 contest of the “Best Barmen of French Polynesia”. The Tiki Bar won for the third consecutive year this prestigious contest. This was the eighteenth edition of this competition, which is based on International Bar tender rules. The winning cocktail is the “White Pearl” - Rhum, Hazelnut liquor, fresh coconut milk, vanilla syrup and a zest of lemon and decorated with fresh fruit and vanilla stars.

The White Pearl will be available soon in all the InterContinental properties in French Polynesia.

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

Tahiti Legends is proud to offer the ability to pre-book tattoo appointments with several different tattoo artists on the islands. This week we are featuring the artists at Mana’O Tattoo Studio in Papeete, Tahiti. Mana’O has been open and providing visitors and Tahitians alike with quality custom Polynesian, Marquesan and Maori tattoos. They also specialize in black and gray tattooing in Japanese, Traditional, Tribal and Realistic styles. They also love to do custom tattoos, so if you bring in your ideas and speak with a tattoo artist they will help you realize your dream tattoo into a permanent piece of body art.

Their hours are Monday through Saturday 10:00 AM through 6:00 PM (UTC-10:00).

Please remember to pre-book your appointment because they are a very busy tattoo studio and sometimes they may not be able to take walk in clients. Also, please don’t wait until your last day in Tahiti to book an appointment because they may not have the time to do a tattoo on short notice. For booking requests or any other information please contact the studio at the following information:

E-mail: info@manaotattoo.pf
Phone: (689) 42-45-00
Myspace: www.myspace.com/manutattoo

Bula everyone! Let’s get to talking about days 3 and 4 of my trip. I arrived at the Tokoriki Island Resort, greeted by 10 staff members each with instruments to sing me a welcome song. I was then shown to my beachfront bure which was very nicely decorated and clean. I had my very own hammock outside my bure with an amazing view of the water. From the resort you can see the island Monuriki which is the island where the movie “Castaway” was filmed. Tokoriki Island Resort is the only hotel to offer a trip to visit Monuriki. They have amazing snorkeling there with brightly colored fish and untouched coral beds. It was completely deserted besides the few of us that went over to visit, which gave the illusion that we had landed on our very own private piece of paradise. Back at the resort, the Fijian hospitality is what kept me smiling my entire stay. The staff made every effort to get to know me and made every effort to ensure that I was comfortable and happy. I wish service was this fantastic every where I went. That evening I had my dinner out by the pool where I had an amazing view of the sunset as well as the wonderful backdrop of Monuriki. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and when we come back on Monday I will write about my highlight of the trip- my time in Qamea.

-Candice

Good Afternoon! This is Candice again, here to tell you about Day 2 of my Fiji experience! The next day I arrived in Likuliku to stay at the Lagoon Resort. I was greeted with the same warmth as I had experienced on Castaway. In Fiji, it is the people that make it such an amazing and unforgettable destination. The Resort itself has very impressive grounds and is also quite modern and luxurious. I was advised by the hotel staff that the hobby catamarans (affectionately referred to as hobby cats) were available. I decided to take them up on this adventure and to my delight, if you don’t know how to operate them a guide will come out with you to show you how, free of charge. It was a blast! I also went on a short hike to the top of a lookout point on this day. My guides name was Simon and he was very informative about Fijian culture. He told me about how the mangroves on the resort were protected. They are considered sacred among Fijians and also help keep the water clear. This was also a free excursion and the view at the end of the hike was sensational. After all of that exercise, I was very sore and I felt like I was in desperate need (and want) of a deep tissue massage at the spa on the resort. The massage was fantastic, but it was the setting that made an everlasting impression on me. The room that I was in had two wooden doors that you could open and the tide was coming in while I was being massaged. All I could hear was the ocean splashing against the shore and it was beautiful. By this time, I had worked up a huge appetite and thank goodness I had because dinner was amazing. The waiter joked that in America we have big plates and small food and in Fiji they have small plates and big food. The resort also offers an authentic Fijian dining experience but if you do not want to participate they would certainly accommodate you. Tomorrow I will update about my two days that I got to spend in Tokoriki!

-Candice

(Tahitipresse) - Body Glove’s “Drop Zone: Tahiti” won the Golden Crescent Award for Best Documentary at the Charleston International Film Festival, last April, in the United States.

The Festival was held in Charleston, South Carolina, from April 23 to April 26.

Last year, in partnership with PADI, and two companies, Transworld SURF and Sport Diver, Body Glove sent three young surfers, Holly Beck, Cheyne Magnusson and Alex Gray, on a trip to Tahiti to dive and surf.

They chose “one of the most beautiful locations on the planet”, a Body Glove press release states.

“The Drop Zone Tahiti is an amazing, fun and adventurous film, set in the most beautiful and surreal backdrop of Tahiti. The energy of the shots, people and soundtrack, make it all come to life before you, feeling the adrenaline as if you are actually there underwater swimming with sharks, ripping waves, or jumping off cliffs,” said Brian Preacher, co-founder of the Charleston Film festival.

“Congratulations to all those involved in a most excellent film and on winning the Golden Crescent Award for Best Documentary at the Charleston International Film Festival!”, he added.

The Drop Zone: Tahiti was a very special project for Body Glove. With its rich history in both surfing and diving, they wanted to find a way to bring the two sports together and show a younger generation the world below the break, the press release states.