French Polynesia

[Written by Elizabeth Leonardis for our old blog, So Civilized]

(This post has been updated since the original date published)

Arriving on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia, was quite a different experience to our previous tropical experience of Easter Island. The French influence is immediately apparent starting with the baguette at breakfast. Our first decent bread since Wendy’s homemade bread at Palmer Station. We were already pleased to be in Tahiti. We quickly made our way over to Moorea a 30 minute ferry ride from Tahiti where we had 2 couchsurfing hosts lined up for the week.

Alex & I on the ferry to Moorea

Our first couchsurfing host was a lovely Frenchman named Jean-Francois, who was working as a math and science teacher at a local school. He has a lovely place across from the beach in Maharepa on the northern end of the island.

Alex in front of Jean-Francois' house

We borrowed Jean-Francois’ bike and Alex rode me around on the handle bars while we explored the local beaches and snorkeled in the amazing reefs. Much of our time on Moorea was spend snorkeling as there were wonderful reefs everywhere around the island. We also had a wonderful time sharing a few meals and beers with our host, Jean-Francois. He has a perfect porch for relaxing in the evening with a gentle breeze.

Alex on the reef across from Jean-Francois' house

Sunset at Maharepa

Our highest point of the day

View of Cooks Bay (Mahrapa is just around the corner on the right)

View towards the south

After a few nights with Jean-Francois we were off to our next couchsurfing host, Hans, who happen to live just a few kilometers down the road.

The sign outside Hans' gallery

Hans is a German artist who has been living in Moorea for the past 8 years. He is a sculptor and has an amazing home, gallery and garden which we enjoyed immensely. You can check out Hans’ work here. Our bed for the 2 nights we were there was in the newly buily treehouse. It was a fantastic place to sleep.

The treehouse in Hans' garden

The garden at Hans' place

The flowers are absolutely beautiful in French Polynesia and I was never witout one behind my ear. The hibiscus seem to grow like weeds there.

One of many hibiscus around the island

Flower

Hopefully, I am not sounding too cheap with all this talk about expense. But French Polynesia was one of the most expensive places we have ever been. The islands are beautiful and we truly enjoyed our time there. However, it is not ideal for budget travelers like ourselves who need to make our money last a few more months. Couchsurfing definitely made Tahiti possible for us. Big thanks to our amazing hosts.

Typical tropical island photo, although aren't the people suppose to be tan?

On the beach

Alex doing childspose on the beach

The last exciting experience we had in French Polynesia was on our return ferry trip from Moorea to Tahiti. As we pulled into the port at Papeete, Tahiti Alex noticed a ship called the Hanse Explorer was docked there. This ship was one of the ships to visit Palmer Station this past season. We recalled the ship had a German Captain although his name alluded us. When we inquired with one of the staff, the German Captain Martin merrily came out to meet us claiming to remember us from Palmer. We were invited onboard,  had dinner with Martin and left with an invitation to visit his home in the French Alps.

The Hanse Explorer docked at Papeete port