French Polynesia - Bora Bora or bust! Part One

It's been on my bucket list for years and years. The image of those thatched huts perched in the crystal clear turquoise waters of French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean has been etched in my brain.
Sure, there are newly built imitations in Mexico, the Caribbean, the Maldives and other places,  but the original was built in Bora Bora over thirty years ago.  It no longer exists, however, there are many similar hotels within the lagoon and barrier reef that make Bora Bora unique.

This year, my dream materialized in the form of a very, very long flight, and an Oceania cruise.

The flights were organized by the cruise line and were spaced with a reasonable layover between. Air Canada got us to LAX in five and a half hours...no delays despite much climatic disturbance of late.

Once in Los Angeles, it took a bit of effort and walking to locate the next leg of our flight, Tahiti Nui airlines. On the way, I found a currency exchange booth. All advice about not exchanging money at airports went out the window when I spoke with the agent. Polynesian francs...as many as I wanted would cost $9.95. A quick calculation and I decided it was a good idea. The ship was charging 5% for exchange. Despite the agent's urging (as much as you want, one time fee),  I changed only $350 deciding we wouldn't need much more than that for shopping and tips during the next ten days. (As it turned out,  little more would have been good). The ship provided food and drink and the excursions were prepaid. Besides that, someone was bound to take credit cards weren't they? 

(Important Note -  Many of the local handicraft huts only take Polynesian francs because the proprietors don't want to bother with foreign currency for various reasons. Plus, they find trips to a bank an inconvenience.)

Tahiti Nui airlines turned out to be one of the best surprises of the trip. What a lovely airline. I won't say that the eight and a half hours "flew" by, but that length of time could have been a lot worse. Hubby and I had two seats, window and aisle (four in the middle of plane and two on each window side). As we entered the aircraft we were impressed with the brightness, the turquoise blankets, the multi coloured pillows, the comfort kit (socks, ear plugs, head sets, wet wipes), and the Gaugin murals on the wall. Flight attendants had dresses and shirts made out of beautiful floral fabric with flowers in their hair (only the female ones). It provided an immediate pleasant atmosphere.

We were no sooner in the air than it was announced that a meal would be served. A tray came around with warm hand towels. The attendant then gave us this with a pair of tongs and said, "Take it." I took it and stared.

I hate to admit this, but hubby and I looked at each other wondering what to do with it. Despite all clues and appearances, we didn't know. On the other hand, at this point we also hadn't slept in thirty hours. So I sniffed it a few times and placed in on my tray table, opting not to eat it. After all, it was an odd looking appetizer wasn't it? If it looks like a flower, and smells like a flower, and you are given one every time you set foot anyplace in French Polynesia, it's probably a flower...a Tahitian gardenia or tiare to be exact.

The meal was quite good as far as airplane food goes, as was the breakfast the next morning. We were given a choice of an omelette or french toast...a choice...imagine. Since we landed in Papeete (pronounced something like Papa-etay) at 5:30 a.m. and ships need to unload and get cleaned thereby not allowing passengers on board before noon, we were taken to a hospitality room at a local hotel. We were provided with food, drinks, and a comfortable place to wait.

These were our first real views of Papeete, the Pearl Beach Resort where we waited, and the black volcanic sandy beach.










Eventually, a bus picked us up and delivered us to the ship. The boarding process was one of the easiest and most efficient we've experienced on a ship.

NEXT - Watch for -

              PART TWO - MOOREA, FAKARAVA, RANGIROA
              PART THREE - BORA BORA, RAIATEA, HUAHINE.
              PART FOUR - PACKING ESSENTIALS