Going to Tahiti!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

In August, my wife and I will be taking a needed respite from our crazed lives for a 10-day vacation to Tahiti. Because she couldn’t get her vacation schedule to work exactly right for our needs, we will be staying on the island of Oahu in Hawaii for two days before continuing on to Tahiti. We went to Oahu a few years ago so we know what there is to do there. This will give us an opportunity to do some of the things we didn’t get to the last trip.

This is our current flight itinerary:

4 August - Depart 10:00 AM from JFK New York
4 August - Arrive 3:00 PM HNL Oahu
6 August - Depart 3:35 PM HNL Oahu
6 August - Arrive 9:30 PM PPT Tahiti
9 August - Depart 2:15 PM PPT Tahiti
9 August - Arrive 3:05 PM BOB Bora Bora
13 August - Depart 1:25 PM BOB Bora Bora
13 August - Arrive 2:15 PM PPT Tahiti
13 August - Depart 11:30 PM PPT Tahiti
14 August - Arrive 5:20 AM HNL Oahu
14 August - Depart 3:10 PM HNL Oahu
15 August - Arrive 6:55 AM JFK New York

We’d originally planned to spend all our time in Tahiti and Bora Bora. The reason we have to stay in Oahu for 2 days is because Hawaiian Airlines on Oahu travels to and from Tahiti 1 day per week only, Saturday. We could have flown from JFK to LAX and then taken a connecting flight to Tahiti, but the total cost of our flights would have been $2000 more, plus there is a ridiculous 11 hour layover in LA that makes no sense to me, so through Hawaii we go.

Here are our accommodations plans:

When we arrive in Hawaii on Thursday, 4 August, we will stay at the Rainbow Tower at Hilton Hawaiian village. We stayed at the Rainbow Tower the last time we were in Hawaii and loved everything about it. There are fireworks every Friday night that are so close to the hotel you can watch them from your balcony.

When we arrive in Tahiti on Saturday, 6 August, we will stay in an overwater bungalow at the Intercontinental Tahiti. This will be our home for the next 3 days. We will take in some sights, some snorkeling, jet-skiing, paddle-boarding, and do some shopping in the market area of Tahiti’s capital Papeete (pronounced Pa-pe-eh-te).

When we arrive in Bora Bora on Tuesday, 9 August, we will stay in another overwater bungalow at the Intercontinental Le Moana Bora Bora for the next 4 days. We will probably do the same things we will have done at the previous resort, just more of it. :slight_smile:

When we get back to Oahu on Saturday, 13 August, we will probably spend the time before our flight home hiking Diamond Head’s Summit Trail.

With all the traveling and time zone changes, overall we will lose a day so our ten-day vacation will actually be just 9 days of actual vacationing.

Our Tahiti vacation will be an adventure for us. We don’t know anyone who has been there, so we are greatly looking forward to it.

I am trying my best to pick-up as much of the Tahitian language as I can before my trip but I can fall back to French if my attempts at Tahitian don’t go over very well with the locals. :slight_smile:

I would love to hear feedback from anyone who has been to Tahiti or Bora Bora on must-sees and must-avoids.

Also, if you have any questions about my plans, please don’t hesitate to ask.

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It’s a magical place.

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Now that’s just cruel. Details. I needs 'em. :slight_smile:

ETA: Nevermind. I figured it out, Agent Colson. :smiley:

4

Papeeti is crowded and dirty and frankly not that interesting. Get out of town if you can, or go to Moorea, it’s a lot closer than Bora Bora (which is beautiful), and it is very laid back.

It will be very warm and humid. When you are out of the water or the air conditioned hotels, a good way to cool off is renting motor scooters for a ride around the island.

5

Yep, we will definitely spend some time in Moorea. Getting there from Papeete is just a 15 minute ride on the high-speed Verevau ferry. The regular ferry, run by Aremiti, takes approximately 45 minutes for the Papeete-Moorea run. Price for the regular ferry is approximately $14 per person whereas the price for the high-speed ferry is just $11 per person. I thought the hi-speed ferry would be more expensive.

The challenge for island hopping is the only way to get to and from Bora Bora is by plane which, at $400 to $500 per person for a 45-minute flight seems ridiculously high to me. We have no choice so obviously we will pay it, but we won’t be hopping back and forth from Moorea to Bora Bora, or Bora Bora to Papeete. We will probably do the Moorea-Papeete ferry run a couple of times though.

We are going to rent ATVs when on Moorea, possibly a car, depending on how far out we want to explore. I don’t know how practical renting a car is in Bora Bora, but I am still researching.

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How long has it been since you were there?

Did you experience any challenges communicating? My wife and I are the kind of people who dive headlong in to the unknown and plan to check out the less-inhabited areas of the islands. We have been advised to expect fewer encounters with folks who speak French (and forget about English) the further off the beaten path we go. Is this your experience as well?

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Papeete has become another big city. It has some beautiful scenery but it is very crowded and others have mentioned, it has the typical problems of a big city.

However, it has the only major hospital in the entire Polynesian area.

I do recommend going to either Moorea or Bora Bora if you want to get away from the big city. However, both places as well as Papeete can be very expensive very quickly.

Quite a few people will know some English or know somebody who knows some English, but don’t expect much fluency.

The French they speak is quite a bit different than the Canadian or France dialects. They had great difficulty in understanding my Canadian French although I will admit that I was out of practice.

One other thing to note, is that most people there are related to each other. So the taxi driver will be related to the mechanic who will be related to a tourist guide who will be related to the hotel clerk, etc. So if get into an argument with one person, expect others to come to his aid.

Don’t expect too many rental cars to be available in either Moorea or Bora Bora as there are only a few of them available and they are usually booked up.

Yes, you should be able to rent a Quad or a Motorbike but be aware that about insurance liabilities as you will be responsible for any damages.

There are very few ATM’s around so either US Dollars or the local currency is king. They will be a few vendors (more all the time, that will take credit cards to my surprise) - but that would be more common in Papeete rather than Bora Bora or Moorea.

There is usually some people around who have a 4 X 4 for exploring some of the mountain regions but the rent of those can be very expensive but the guides will know the area and can be invaluable if you want to go exploring as they will know many of the routes into the mountains.

Also, expect that many these guides have no interest in being available 24 hours a day so for any tour, it is best to get there early in the day.

The residents there can be very warm and generous but they can be very guarded of their own personal life and they can pick out the tourists quite easily.

It is very warm and humid there. The humidity is the worst part which makes it seem warmer than the actual temperature. Remember to pace one’s self if going on a hike. What seems easy at first can be a lot harder than it seems.

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I see that you are from New York.

It will be lot more humid than New York even though the temperatures will be similar to New York in the summer so keep that in mind with any of the activities.

Also, (I know that I am Stereotyping New Yorkers) don’t try do the typical New York thing and do the New York very fast style of speaking which I know is hard to get away from.

Also, note that with these Markets in Papette, many of the things for sale were made by the people there, especially the clothing.

If I remember right, there are some Jet ski’s and ATV’s for rental in Bora Bora (not sure about Moorea) but not that many and they may be booked up as well so it is buyer beware.

From what I remember, there is one road around Bora Bora so it is difficult to get lost there if you stay on that Road but if you go off that Road, all bets are off.

Moorea, only has a few roads there so it is difficult to get lost there IF you stay on those roads.

The beaches in Bora Bora are among the best in the world (so I am told) but be aware that the warm water can be very exhausting if you try a long swim

That is all that I can think of right now.

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Actually, I am not from New York. I am just flying out of New York. :slight_smile: But thanks for the tip to speak slowly and clearly.

I will start out with English. If that doesn’t go well, I will switch to French. If I remain incomprehensible, I guess I will just have to whip out my ia orana, Maita’i, Maururu, Aita papu, and a flurry of hand signals. :smiley:

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I was told not to expect much English at all outside the city.

Yes, I read Tahitians roll their r’s when speaking French instead of pronouncing them from the back of the throat, which I imagine could make some words a little more difficult to discern.

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There is a currency exchange office at Fa’a’a Airport that is open late, which is great as our flight is not expected to land until 9:30 PM.

I have a map of all the ATMs in Papeete, so I should be covered if ever I need additional cash during my stay.

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Yes, there are ATV rentals in Moorea. I am not sure about Jet skis. Good to know I can rent these in Bora Bora, too. Thanks!

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Sorry about the assumption that you were from New York.

Yes, there are lots of ATM’s in Papette (as well as in the airport - but expect to pay more of an exchange rate at the airport). Papeete will not be the problem in that respect for ATM’s.

Expect a lot less ATM’s in Moorea or Bora Bora. However, a surprising number of places will take credit cards including a lot of rental places.

If you can get to Moorea or Bora Bora - Go there!!! but be aware of the ferry times if you are going from Papette to Moorea.

They are much more secluded and somewhat less commercialized than Papette. Walking around Papette felt like walking in any big city and I suggest only spending a limited time there.

Family is huge in Polynesia and there is huge respect for the elders in their society. Remember that with any dealing with them. What I am getting at is that by asking a younger person for anything (such as a rental), they will often defer to their elder for approval before saying yes.

Also, there are No Wal-Marts and only 4 McDonalds in Papette. (and none in Bora Bora or Moorea)

Their grocery stories are very small compared to what most people in the US are used to.

They do get a lot of tourists there so they are familiar with tourists but beware that they will treat tourists different than the locals.

Power is 220V and be sure to have a universal adaptor for any electronic equipment.

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Also, when trying to speak Tahiti, expect yourself to totally flub it up and anticipate your natural reaction to go back to French or English.

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I lived in Tahiti from 1997 to 1999. One time some friends with a jeep took me way up a dirt road into the mountains. There were no other vehicles, no tourist traps, just the most amazing scenery you will ever see. I recommend renting a jeep.

The Moorea ferry is definitely worthwhile. Visit the pineapple farm and the lookout point with the view of both bays.

I’ve never been to Bora Bora except a stop at the runway on my way to the next island to the west. I’ve heard that Bora is covered in litter from tourists.

That next island, Maupiti, is another great destination if you’d like to get away from the tourist crowds. If I ever make it back to Polynesia, I’ll skip Bora Bora again and go back to Maupiti. There was only one B&B back in the '90s, but tripadvisor now shows a hotel and a few B&Bs.

And if you want a completely different cultural experience from the Society Islands (Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Maupiti, and everywhere in between), then try snorkeling in the Tuamotu Islands (reefs and lagoons, but no mountains) or horseback riding in the Marquesas Islands (mountains, but no reefs and lagoons).

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So exciting. Everybody in your head that’s making this trip must be taking along lots of chenille.

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Also, check out this site, it has some really good tips

http://wikitravel.org/en/Tahiti

Also look at the other islands listed

Yes, the drive up to Belvedere Point in Moorea is quite the trip. However, I would get a guide to make the trip rather than driving it myself as they will know the area better.

18

If you have some time on Tahiti, take the bus out to the Botanical Garden. The place is beautiful and you’ll get to see a few the HUGE Galapagos tortoises that apparently are over 200 years old and weigh well over 400 pounds.

I was told that these are a few the Galapagos tortoises Captain Cook captured in 1773 to be used as food on the long sea journey to Tahiti. And they are still alive today (if you believe the story). Over 243 years old?

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My wife is fascinated by tortoises (and turtles) so we will definitely stop there. Thanks for the tip!

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Speaking of grocery stores, will we be able to get normal items there such as toothpaste, shampoo, nail clippers, sewing kits, grooming supplies, First Aid items, etc…?

When my wife and I travel for pleasure, we typically go sans accoutrements, with just an empty backpack each to hold any loot we buy or pickup during our trip and only the clothes we are wearing, so it is would be nice if we can buy whatever we need at our destination, like underwear, dental floss and such necessities.