Trip details: {or ------- to go directly to the pictures ------ click here!!}
Phoenix to LA to Papeete, Tahiti to Moorea - 15 hours total --> approx. 9.5 hrs in the air plus 6 hrs in various airports.
Tahiti lies approx. due south of Hawaii - almost the same distance south of the equator. The temperature is a balmy and humid 80F (27C) and the water temperature is about the same! Moorea lies to the west of Tahiti, within sight at about 12 miles distance. The islands of the archipeligo, like the Hawaiian islands, were formed as the pacific plate moved over a "hot spot" in the Earth's mantle. They are volcanic.
The islands were dubbed "The Society Islands" by the first Europeans, and were first accurately mapped by the English explorer Captain Cook (who also mapped the Hawaiian islands) and his very capable and infamous navigator, Bligh, who went on to command the English ship, Bounty.
The Tahitian islands were home to many famous artists and authors - especially between the years of 1880-1950. These included Tahiti's most renouwned artist, Paul Gaugin, and the authors, Melville, Robert Louis Stevenson, Somerset Maugham, and Zane Gray [who brought the first automobiles to the islands]. The first airport was built during World War II on Bora-Bora. The first airport built for jet aircraft was not built until the 1960's near the capital city of Papeete in Faaa [Fa-a-a]. We learned from friends that the Tahitians pronounce all of the vowels in their language - which is mostly vowels to begin with! Thus Papeete is pronounced pa-pay-AY-tay - or thereabouts ;-)
The Tahitian islands are mostly surrounded by coral reefs about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from shore. These reefs create lagoons that are protected from the ocean waves. The lagoons are beautifully clear, quite calm, and shallow enough to stand in some distance from shore. They are filled with schools of beautiful, colorful fish, stingrays, sea cucumbers and moray eels. Ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving.
We stayed 6 nights on Moorea and 3 nights on Tahiti. On Moorea we stayed in the hotel Les Tipaniers in a bungalow that had a small kitchenette and was about 100 feet from the beach. We seldom ate inrestaurants because food was very expensive. There was a small grocery store about 1KM from the hotel where we purchased groceries for several of our meals. We especially enjoyed the baguettes, butter and jams. We rented scooters for a day, a car for a day, snorkeled, swam, used the outriggers and sit-on-top kayaks on Moorea.
We stayed the last 3 nights at the Tahiti Beachcomber on Tahiti - just south of Papeete - with a great view of Moorea out our front door. The Beachcomber is a posh hotel - very beautiful. The girls enjoyed learning to scuba dive and swimming in the beautiful pool at the hotel. On Tahiti we also rented a car and toured the island. The museum had some of Gaugin's paintings on loan from the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and an excellent history of the islands. The botannical gardens were fascinating and had two giant tortoises from the Galapagos (brought there almost 60 years ago).
Tahitian people were very friendly. French and Tahitian are the major languages, but we got by with English and, occasionally, bad French. The Tahitians were very tolerant of our attempts at French.
Best impressions: Visually stunning - sea, sky, mountains, flora, beautiful lagoons.
Not so great?: A few mosquitos and expensive food