French Polynesia

Long, white sandy beaches lined with palm trees and aquamarine waters graced with soft music and a wooden bar serving umbrella drinks. That's what I thought Tahiti and Moorea would be like too. I suppose they would be during the dry season and not the rainy season, which is when we oh-so-smartly planned our trip to French Polynesia.

Tahiti is not known for its big beaches (it has one white sand beach and the rest are black sand). Comprising of Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti, the two islands are joined together by a bridge surrounded by the one road that goes around Tahiti Nui and a road halfway around Tahiti Iti, where not even 4 wheel drive will let anyone pass. Enormous volcanic mountains rise up above the shores topped with clouds. Weather is unpredictable with the standard response of "I don't know, we will see," and can be different on each side of the island. Raining one day in Papeete, we were blessed with clear blue skies on the opposite side of Tahiti Iti, where we were lucky enough to be snorkeling and speeding around in a friend's speedboat, going close to 50mph. We spent a weekend staying with friends of friends, who then became our friends, whose backyard, literally, is the lagoon leading to the ocean. This is not a stereotypical lagoon either. Surrounded by reef, the whole island's shores are calm with waves crashing, seemingly in the middle of water, at the edge of the lagoon meeting the ocean. Surfers ride their boats out to the edge of the reef to hop on their boards. This is where I saw Paradise. Though there was no soft music in the background or a streamline of Mai Tais, this was what everyone pictures when they think of Tahiti.

Only 30 kilometers away stands Moorea, the easiest and closest island to get to. Much like Tahiti in appearance, though a bit smaller, Moorea has only one road around the whole island and it too has volcanic peaks erupting from its center. Club Med, The Sheraton and Continental all have staked their claim for their resorts on the shore. Haapiti, where we stayed, is a small town, if it can even be called that, has restaurants lining the main road and a few shops displaying the traditional black pearls of the area. Scuba diving offers amazing clarity of 20 to 30 meters. Black Tipped Sharks, Giant Triggerfish, Rainbow Fish, Red Tooth Blue Triggerfish, Moray Eels and Sting Rays all coexist and hang out with divers like we are part of the family. Yellowfins even followed us and swam as though we were actual fish. Visibility underwater lasted long enough for us to complete the dive before we were once again welcomed with rain. This isn't just rain. This is downpour. On and off for three days it poured with our warning system consisting of the before-rain-winds and a little sprinkle. The sky cascaded blues of all different shades and when the sun would come out for a few minutes, the light and dark blue contrasts in the water complemented the sky beautifully.

A return to Tahiti met us with the sweetest and kindest hospitality. Our hosts are very generous and accommodating. Family friends of Christina have met us with a warmth that touches the heart after such a long trip. We have been taken in as though we have always been family. Pending vacations to the United States for both families we are visitng, will hopefully bear reunions. The generosity of those we have met has been overwhelming. I am grateful to those around us for all they have done to give us a complete, full-circle experience in French Polynesia but also to help us wind down such a long excursion. We could not have asked for a better end to our journey.