Part 3: March 8 - 21, 2007 - Two Weeks on the Island of Tahiti

First Week in Tahiti - March 8 - 14, 2007

Well the first week in Tahiti has come and gone in a flash. It has been full of excitement and adventure as expected, sometimes a bit too much. We have slept on cold tile floors, snorkelled, met past friends, swam by an enormous waterfall, visited the Hospital's emergency room and walked around the capital city of Papeete... but first things first.


A Quick Flight

The flight over to Papeete from Rarotonga was less than 2 hours. The difficult part about the flight was not the short duration but rather the late hour of the flight. We left just after 10 PM to arrive in Papeete around...

Norm

Part 4: March 22 - April 6, 2007 - Two Weeks in Bora Bora, Ra'iatea, Taha'a and Maupiti


24 March 2007 - Flight to Bora Bora

Well the time had come for our family to leave Tahiti for Bora Bora. We had attempted to make the voyage with a friend who's company runs a cargo ship but because we were travelling during the school holidays, the 12 spots available to passengers were all taken up. We were going to have to make the trip by airplane.

Fortunately we had obtained a family discount card with Air Tahiti when we first arrived and so we were able to get a 50% price reduction for the adults and our 12 year old daughter. All 4 of our children 11 and under received a generous 65% discount on their flights....

Norm

Part 5: April 7 - 13, 2007 - Voyage on the Aranui 3 to the Marquesas - Week 1


Day 1: April 7 - Depart Papeete

We had to wake up very early in the morning from Bora Bora (4:30 AM) in order to get to Papeete in time for the start of our trip to the Marquesas. Because we were to board the ship between 7:30 and 10 AM we scheduled ourselves to leave on the first 50 minute flight from Bora Bora at 7 AM. Since the airport in Bora Bora is on an island this meant the shuttle boat was to leave at 5:45 in the morning from the main town. Although the 20 minute shuttle didn't really leave until 6 AM we had plenty of time to check in for our flight and purchase a few postcards at the airport gift shop.

We...

Norm

Part 6: April 14 - 20, 2007 - The Aranui 3

Voyage on the Aranui 3 to the Marquesas - Week 2

Day 8: April 14 - Hiva Oa: Puamau and Hanaiapa

Our arrival in Hiva Oa was as beautiful as ever. Although the mountains were not towering over us in this little harbour, there was one unique feature in the pointed rock that jutted out of the water about one third of the distance across the entrance to the harbour. This pillar stood alone in the water behind where the Aranui was anchored by the time we woke up in the morning.

The true adventure however started when it came time for us to disembark the whaleboats when we arrived on shore. It was perhaps the most trecharous landing so far as the boat bounced...

Norm

Part 7: April 21 - 30, 2007 - Rangiroa and Tikehau

10 Days in the Tuamotu Islands


Coming Soon:

April 20 - 27, 2007: Rangiroa: Tuamotu Islands
The friendly town of Tiputa

April 27 - 30, 2007: Takarava, Tuamotu Islands
Relaxing in the Pearl Beach Resort Overwater Bungalows

Norm