She lay face down in the aquamarine water, slowly kicking her fins across the vivid colors of the coral garden. The sudden rumble of a boat's motor startled her. She pulled her masked face up quickly from the water. Her boatman waved and said a few words in French. Thinking that he must want her to get back into the boat, she kicked in that direction. When he gestured at the outrigger of the Polynesian-style canoe, a pirogue, she realized that he wanted her to hang on. She grabbed on, with some trepidation, as the boat lurched forward. Within seconds she relaxed and found that she could hang on with only one hand and look straight down while floating on the surface of the water. It was like flying! The bubbling warm water rushed past her body as she observed the spectacular sea life and coral below.
Anyone who's 40-something, loves to travel, and dreams of the tropics will remember how they felt when watching the television show of the early 60's, Adventures in Paradise. Each adventure brought French Polynesia into our homes with wonderful names that rolled off our tongues like Papeete, Bora Bora, and Raratonga. Now, years later, what hinders us from having those experiences and taking that journey? Could it be the reports of bad attitudes or accounts of sky-high prices? Could the stories about these drawbacks be true? We decided to venture forth and decide for ourselves.
We found that the rumored bad attitudes did not exist. The warmth of the Polynesians and the friendliness of the predominately French tourists made it easy to get acquainted and feel welcomed. English is widely spoken in the mainstream tourist areas. French and Tahitian are spoken everywhere. Outside the tourist areas little or no English is spoken. By quickly learning a few pleasantries in French and Tahitian and having a "have phrase-book, will travel" philosophy it's not difficult to communicate. As everywhere, getting off the beaten track is the best way to learn a place, get to know it's people, and often, save money.
The two biggest expenses, other than transportation, are food and lodging. We'd heard scary stories of $800 per night places that charged $3.50 just for a glass of water in the restaurant. According to the guidebooks, budget accommodations were available. We decided that we could probably fit paradise into our pocketbooks by adopting a camper's mentality: "So what if the bed is hard and there is an occasional bug?" We listened to the helpful advice of others by packing lots of food and plenty of travelers' checks. I am happy to report that we used all of the food, but not all of the travelers' checks!
Flights into Tahiti arrive in the middle of the night. Most travelers do not stay on the island of Tahiti for long, but are heading to other islands such as Moorea or Bora Bora. Whether flying or taking the ferry on to the next destination, there is the dilemma of what to do until dawn. One option is to have a room reserved to finish off the remainder of the night. Some hotels or pensions will pick you up at the airport while others do not and you will need to take a taxi. Taxis double their rates during the night, so the cab ride from the airport to downtown will cost a spendy $30. The other popular option, a real cost saver, is to spend the remainder of the night at the comfortable airport. Then, catch a flight out or cab down to the ferry terminals at dawn.
Transportation between the islands is convenient, reliable, and can be relatively inexpensive. Modern ferry jet boats are comfortable and fast, such as the Aremiti that makes several trips between Moorea and Tahiti daily. The ferry Ono-Ono travels to the islands between Tahiti and Bora Bora several times a week, while Air Tahiti offers daily flights. A change of pace is to mix ferry and air transport between islands. Expect the cost to run about $325 per person, for example, for the following routing: ferry from Tahiti to Moorea, fly to Huahine, ferry to Raiatea, fly to Bora Bora, then fly to Tahiti. The cost of this loop trip is reduced to $175. if traveled entirely by ferry. Air Tahiti offers air passes reported to be a good value if the journey includes more than these 5 islands. Most of the islands have a public transportation system that operates during daytime hours called Le Truck. Le Truck is generally half the price of a cab. A rental car will cost $60 to $100 per day, but by teaming up with others, the cost per person is a bit more reasonable, particularly if you only rent a car occasionally.
Staying at pensions, rather than up-scale resorts or hotels, is a great experience as well as real savings. Most Americans, who have experienced the typical bed and breakfast inn will find the pensions similar. Although some pensions offer dormitory style accommodations that are more like a hostel, most have private rooms available, some even with private bathroom. Guests share all the facilities. Everyone cooks together and soon becomes very friendly, sharing ideas about the various activities in the area and learning about each other's culture. There is nothing like being elbow-to-elbow with someone in the kitchen to learn how to communicate! This style of lodging may not appeal to everyone, particularly those who prefer a high level of privacy. But, if you see yourself as adventurous, flexible, and friendly, then go for it! Expect to pay $30. to $60. for a room at a pension.
Another highlight of a pension stay is that the owners usually view you more as a house-guest than as a tourist. They are a great source of information about the area and will often set up activities for you and help with transportation. Many pensions or hotels will offer free activities or equipment such as small pirogues. Each island has similar activities: motu-picnic adventures by pirogue (catamaran boat), circle island tours either by van or pirogue, 4 wheel drive safaris, and diving or snorkel adventures. For instance an excellent tour on the island of Huahine is with an archaeologist who has studied with the prominent Dr. Sinoto of Honolulu's Bishop Museum. He tours clients around the island describing its culture, history, and economy, while visiting its restored archaeological sites, enjoying its natural beauty, and meeting some of its people. Most of the activities will cost $40 to $50 per person, but the picnics include an authentic meal of the tasty, local cuisine.
Our favorite activity was the motu-picnic offered by Teremoana Tours on Bora Bora. We were fortunate to make the trip on a day when the guests were primarily local people out for a day of fun and sun. The Polynesians are a very playful people who seemed to just exude fun and happiness. They treated us like family throughout the day. They sang, danced, laughed, and played music from the moment the pirogue left shore early in the morning until our return at sunset. We snorkeled with sharks, manta rays, and dove for giant mussels. Our "family" cooked a wonderful Polynesian lunch on an idyllic off-shore motu while singing and playing guitars and ukuleles. One of the guests, a Polynesian woman, wove a headband lei for each person from the native plants on the motu. We slowly cruised home around the north side of Bora Bora as the music continued, feeling very much like Polynesians ourselves.
We visited five islands: Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, and Bora Bora. There were remarkable differences among the islands that made it worthwhile to visit each one. Tahiti offered sophistication, shopping, restaurants, and beautiful waterfalls. On Moorea we enjoyed lush volcanic terrain and white beaches. Huahine provided insights into the Polynesian culture, a taste of the past, coupled with rugged terrain and few tourists. Raiatea offered the flavor of today's agricultural economy unspoiled by tourism. And on Bora Bora we confirmed it's reputation for a magical allure framed with an incredible azure blue lagoon.
We found many ways to meet the friendly local people, such as on Raiatea where tourists are less common. One day we rented a car to make the rather long drive around this larger island. Nearing the end of our circumnavigation, we regretted not stopping on the west side of the island where we saw a small table in front of house where someone was selling hand-carved pirogues. Hoping to also catch the reputed fabulous sunset over the distant Bora Bora, we decided to go back, not remembering exactly where we saw the pirogues. After witnessing a beautiful sunset, we set out to find the pirogues. Soon it began to turn dark and we reached the end of the pavement. Continuing on the gravel road we soon spotted an empty table in front of a house that looked as if it might be the place. I suddenly realized that these people probably would not speak English and may not even speak French (many Tahitians did not). Bravely I walked up the driveway to the hut, which seemed not to have electricity. In the dim light I saw two figures in the garden and called out "Bonsoir." Someone, in the dark, replied, "Bonsoir." "Yes!", I thought, "we have contact! Now what?" Summoning up my 2 years of high school French class some 30 years earlier I asked, "Parlez-vous Englais?" "No," the voice replied. "Bummer," I thought, "OK, we can do this, they were cool boats." I tentatively asked, "Ou es (where is) le artisan (sounds good!) avec les pirogues (with the boats). The man and woman came forward, enthusiastically replying, "ici, ici!" I sort of recalled that this meant "here, here", but wasn't sure until they began to bring the wonderful pirogues out of the hut and display them proudly in the dim light. Even though I had pretty much exhausted my knowledge of the French language at this point, we spent the next hour communicating with these lovely Polynesians through smiles, gestures, and but a few words. We selected two of the pirogues to purchase, paying the equivalent of $60. As the man and woman carefully wrapped the pirogues, we noticed that they were wrapping three rather than the two we'd purchased. They indicated that the extra one was a gift and warmly told us, "Mauruuru" or thank you in Tahitian. We walked back down the now dark driveway to our rental car clutching our packages and glowing from the memorable encounter.
Like this wonderful couple, the Polynesian people are extremely warm and generous. As everywhere, we found this amplified when we got a bit off the beaten track. In the public markets, the vendors frequently added extra fruits and vegetables to our bags. The public market in Papeete is a great place to experience. However, we found the prices, craftsmanship, and attitudes often better in the smaller shops or stands and at the markets on the less populated islands. Also, as we experienced in Raiatea, it's much more rewarding to buy directly from the local people. Hand carved pirogues in Papeete were generally $60. each. Scout out the Papeete market when you arrive in the islands and purchase what you need for your visit. Buy a couple of pareus, a wrap around garment that everyone wears, and perhaps a straw hat. Check out the prices and quality of the items you might want to take home. As you travel to other islands, you will have that information for comparison. Then, stop by the Papeete market on your way home for any purchases you have decided to make there.
Eating can be a big expense, especially if you eat your meals in restaurants. We'd brought jerky, dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter, coffee, seasonings, tuna, rice, noodles, and powdered drink mixes. The dried fruit, canned tuna, noodles, and rice were a mistake as these things, and their fresh counterparts, are relatively inexpensive, as are bread, butter, and cheese. Supplementing the food we brought from home we spent about $10/day per person at the grocery store or market. Most pensions afford a place to cook and store food. Even without kitchen facilities, there are many ways to cut eating expenses. We took along a small kit with zip-lock bags, pieces of aluminum foil, plastic utensils, can opener, and other small, easy to pack kitchen items.
Every now and then, we splurged and ate out. The quality of the food was consistently good, but expensive. Typically, in a small restaurant we paid about $20 each for bread and butter, rice or potatoes, and fish or meat. Rather than buying individual drinks, we found that the local custom of buying a liter of soda and sharing was the cheaper way to go. In contrast, the lavish meals served during the pirogue motu-picnics made the price of one of these all day adventures seem even more attractive. Eating in Papeete was a different matter. Each evening, small vendors set up food wagons along the waterfront in the downtown area. Each wagon is like a little mini-restaurant, offering seating and rather complete menus. The food is quite good, runs an average of $10. per person, and provides an interesting experience as well.
Everyone knows that while the value of traveling light is a great concept, it's sometimes hard in principle. This can be a great cost saver because it allows you to walk short distances easier, and climb aboard Le Truck and the ferry with less effort. Leave most of your clothes at home. Buy a couple of pareus when you arrive. This is what you'll wear at the pension or resort, at the beach, and on the pirogue. Bring shoes or sandals that allow you to walk in the water. Women, bring a skirt if you want to go to church. Whether or not you are a church-goer, you will probably want to go. Most visitors report that this colorful, musical time is one of the highlights of their trip. Bring your towel if you plan to stay at a pension. And, be sure to bring toiletries, film, sunscreen, and bug repellent as these items are especially expensive. Do take your snorkel gear as rentals are expensive and you will probably want to snorkel every day.
Most of all, bring your sense of adventure and a flexible attitude. You will meet wonderful people without spending a fortune. Learn to say mauruuru, and you will probably come home feeling very Polynesian yourself.
