Tahiti and Bora Bora

Ia Orana Tahiti! This is the Tahitian word for HELLO. I took a little girls' trip with Sarah, Anna, Aysia, Eve, and Antia to Tahiti. Gavin is out working in Bora Bora for 6 weeks so before I went to spend time with him I saw a few of the other islands with the girls. We took a red-eye flight and landed at the airport at 5:00am. We were greeted with thick sticky humid air and some happy music from the locals playing on Ukuleles. We waited in line for over an hour to get through border control once out we waited in another hour line to get local currency and then another hour and a half for our car. Soo much waiting. The cars in Tahiti are so cute though. They are tiny.. I wish we had cars this cute in America. It would make it so much easier to park. 

Our first stop all together was the Papetee Market. We heard this was the place to get Haku's, pearls, baked goods, and all sorts of Tahitian trinkets. We didn't spend too long at the market because we were trying to make it to a waterfall hike with a local lady. Long story short we got a nail in one of the car's tires and spent hours circling around the city trying to find our way around and never made it to hike. Our first day was not off to a great start. All the addresses in Tahiti are either given to us by coordinates or directions. So we spent the majority of our first morning lost, tired, and hungry. Also, nobody's phones were working. It felt like we were on The Amazing Race honestly. But we made the most of the situation and laughed at how many times we ended up on the same road. It was hard to be mad when I was surrounded by all of my friends and in such a beautiful place.  

Once we got the tire situation figured out, food in our stomachs, SIM cards in our phones we headed up north to Fa'aruma'i waterfalls. The drive along the coast was just beautiful. We thought Tahiti has a European feel. It was like France meets Hawaii. There were cute lamp posts, yummy pastry shops, and French Speakers. And the people in Tahiti are way nicer than the French. 

A lot of Papeete made me feel like I was right back in Hawaii. The mountains here are much so sharper and deeper than Hawaii's. The waterfall did not disappoint us! I've seen a lot of waterfalls in my life. In fact, me seeing so many waterfalls has become a joke in my family. I'm always at another one. So on my wedding ring,  Gavin got the phrase "another waterfall" engraved on the inside. Meaning another adventure, a good time, and of course waterfalls! 

There were "three" waterfalls to see at this place but I would say only one of them was super exciting.  As you can see below one of them was tucked way back and surrounded by trees. We were melting here while walking around. I feel like Tahiti is way hotter than Hawaii. I think it's because there is no breeze coming from the ocean. 

After we went and splashed around on a black sand beach. This was our first experience touching the water and it warmed my soul right up. The water was much warmer than I expected it to be. We hung out on the beach for a bit before heading to food trucks back in town. We ate yummy crepes and watched the sunset over the water. We got lost on our way going back to the Airbnb. The directions were something like this turn left by this sign, go over 3 three speed bumps, and soon after take the driveway on the left that goes down the hill. haha. So confusing. But I guess this is just normal here. 

The next morning we went back to the market to shop around a little bit more. I think we all found a Tahitian pearl and French pastry. We were happy people. That afternoon we saw the Papetee temple before heading to church. The temple was beautiful I loved that it was blue! Everything in Tahiti is so colorful.  We went to sacrament and the whole meeting was in French so we didn't know what anyone was talking about. But I enjoyed hearing the hymns sung in French. And seeing that they meet exactly like we do in Hawaii. 

After church we went out and ate the best Poke Nachos, I have ever had. We ate them on the water before heading to catch our boat to Moorea. The ferry was a quick 15-minute ride and we were able take to our mini car right on the boat. 

Pulling into the harbor was just stunning. I got that vacation high feeling that makes me just want to jump up and see everything. One of my favorite parts of traveling is when it feels like I just stepped into another world. Everywhere I turn there’s something I want to capture on my camera so that I won’t forget it. That's what pulling into Moorea was like. 

Our first stop was our Airbnb. Moorea is a lot like Kauai. It's very small with just one road that goes around the islands. The mountains are a lot pointer than Hawaii's and the whole island is surrounded by a lagoon. You could mistake the calm water for a lake!  

Our Airbnb was practically on the beach. We changed as soon as we arrived and ended up swimming till sunset.

The next day we got up and headed straight to our boat tour! We were all looking forward to this the most because Moorea is known for its snorkeling. We went with a local guide who was the kindest person ever. He made his own canoe. I told him I used to work on the ocean and he said in a canoe? I told him zodiac and he said definitely not a canoe. His brother joined us as the snorkel guide. Our first snorkel spot was the turtle spot. Our guide was super enthusiastic about the turtles and wanted to make sure we all saw one. Little does he know we have all seen hundreds of turtles in Hawaii. I thought the watercolor was more beautiful than the turtle.  I recognized a lot of the fish from Hawaii and to top it off we also saw a massive starfish!   

The next spot we went to was Stingray and shark alley. There were so many sharks and stingrays in this area. We went to a sand bar to see these creatures, which was cool because the water was only up to our waists. The water was also so clear you don't even have to put your face in to see rays and sharks. I liked putting my face in the water and watching the shark's eyes dart back and forth. The stingrays loved our guide the most. I told him that because he had 2-3 on him at all times. He said it was because he smelt like fish from not showering. I'm pretty sure he just knew how to get their attention. This was my first time touching a stingray. I was surprised at how smooth they were.  

We stopped at several more places to snorkel. We saw some scripture rocks in the ocean. There were rocks that had engravings of scriptures. We also had the chance to hang off the back of the boat by a rope to snorkel over a sunken ship. This part of the tour was extremely fun because the captain threw a long rope off the back for us to hold onto in the water. As he sailed we were all hanging on for our dear lives to the rope. I'm sure we looked ridiculous. The boat was going a lot faster than I anticipated that my hands were starting to get rope rash from holding on so tight to keep me from sliding off. At one point the twins slipped and started drifting away from the boat. Thank goodness Eve and Anita caught them and pulled them to safety. We all had some good laughs. We all took turns steering the boat as we sailed. The view from the boat was stunning. The water was crystal clear and varied to every shade of blue. The land had huge lush green mountains in the back and a coast lined with coconut trees. A very special place. Our guide made us fresh lilikoi juice and cut us up a platter of mango, papaya, coconut, grapefruit, and lilikoi!

That afternoon we wanted to try a hike. We had no idea where we were going or how long the hike would take. We just picked the trail that we thought was the trail and started hiking. I grabbed my camera out of my case so I was just holding it in my hand. We didn't think the hike was going to be that long so we just started walking for a while. Soon Aysia heard a waterfall and we all stopped and listened because we all definitely heard water running. We walked for a just few more minutes thinking we were going to come to a huge waterfall because of the amount of water we heard. Then all of a sudden we realized that we actually weren't hearing a waterfall but rather a RAIN STORM.  We all booked it back up the muddy path as quick as we could. Who knew you could mistake a rainstorm for a waterfall? 

We spent the next morning at the beach by our Airbnb. They had kayaks for us to use. We took turns paddling around. If you went out deep enough we could jump off the Kayak into deeper water. 

We stopped at the juice factory place one afternoon. Unfortunately, apart from one of the machines was broken so we couldn't see them actually make the juice. But in the gift shop, we were able to try all the different types of juices. We were doing just tiny shots each time but I got so full from all the juice. We went on the most amazing hike that afternoon. This hike probably sits on my top 10 favorite hikes. We had no idea how beautiful it was going to be. We walked in the lush forest for a while before coming to the top of a small ridge that had the best view of the bays below. I mean wow. I could have looked at the mountains and ocean forever up there. And on top of that, there was a rope swing to enjoy. We loved loved loved that swing. We had the whole place to ourselves. It was a peaceful, beautiful evening. 

The next afternoon we went on another hike. We read about this amazing waterfall we could see. So we pull up and the trailhead sits on this uncle's property. He was very friendly and walked right to us and pointed to where we should park. He stood behind the car and motioned us where to go exactly. Turn the wheel a little this way, a little that way. Back up, etc. He was a crack-up! We all gave him 2$ to hike through his yard to the waterfall. The first waterfall was so disappointing. It wasn't even a waterfall. We could see the shape of the waterfall by the wet rock and the way the mountain was formed. I think there was a trickle the size of a toothpick on the rock. Sadly coming from Hawaii we weren't impressed. I think the couple we saw at the waterfall was more exciting. They were probably in their 60's and they were from Utah! They were so cute. What are the odds that we meet someone else from Utah on Moorea? 

One evening we drove up to Belvedere lookout to watch the sunset and we got the perfect night for this We danced and pranced around on the grass like nothing in the world mattered. I couldn't remember the name of the lookout so I kept calling it Belvita lookout.  

 

On the way down we had to stop at this fence to get some pictures as well. 

We probably went on the hottest hike of our life the next morning. The hike is called Magic Mountain and it's only about a mile and a half to the top. It's steep, on concrete,  and has no shade. We were sweating badly. I guess you can pay for a tour and they will drive you in a truck to the top but we decided it was better to sweat and hike it out. The views were okay it was hard for us to even see the views with the amount of sweat and sunscreen that was dripping in our eyes. The hike did end on a positive note. At the bottom, a kind aunty chopped up a bunch of fresh fruit for us to eat and gave us some yummy jam samples. I would do the hike again if I knew I was going to get that after.  

We spent one afternoon on the beach just chatting for hours in the warm water. Nothing like a good beach day. The people in Tahiti are so casual about everything. We saw some people nude tanning on the beach like it was the most normal thing. Good for them for not being shy and owning who they are. We were warm, wet, and happy! 

The views from the tops of mountains to the sea were just amazing. This was my first time seeing overwater bungalows and they were beautiful. 

On our last day Sarah, Anna, and I attempted to hike Mount Routi and I hate to even write this but we didn't make it. It was boiling hot that morning and the trail provided absolutely zero shade. The trail is not well maintained because everything was overgrown. Our legs were scratched by the thorny bushes and our sweat dripped in our eyes. We came to a point on the trail where we were completely scrambling. We could have done it if we really wanted but non of us were in the mood for a 5-hour bushwhacking hike. We turned around at almost a mile and I'm so glad we did. Once off the mountain, we swam at the Hilton Hotel. The water is the place to be in Tahiti. We ended up swimming the rest of the day and almost missed our ferry back to Papetee. Good thing we all have good luck when we travel!

The next day Anna, Sarah, and I got up bright and early to hop on our 8-hour ferry ride to Bora Bora! The boat wasn't bad at all. We were all preparing for the worst. We were thinking it was going to be super rocky and that we were going to get seasick. Instead, the boat put us right to sleep. We got up when the boat docked at other islands other than that we were passed out. 

Landing in Bora was everything you would imagine it to be. We knew we had arrived because of the unique mountains and atolls that surround the island. The mountain looks like a thumb. When we got off we went straight for the water. We jumped in right in the harbor where a bunch of local kids were playing. 

We went our separate ways after swimming and grabbing some food at Chin-Lee and Aloe Cafe. I took a boat over to the St. Regis to see Gavin. We had the most joyous reunion. We were a little awkward at first because of how long it had been since we had seen each other. We ate sushi and watched the sunset together that night. Gavin gave me a tour of the property, and holy cow the St. Regis is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Gavin was staying in the staff village just behind the resort. We had our own 1 bedroom unit and a private beach just for the staff. 

The next day we met the twins for a full island fun day. We rented 1 scooter and a skippy car. The skippy car was so tiny. It was a little electric vehicle. Both the moped and skipppy car went terribly slow. They went about the speed of a golf cart. It would be impossible to break the speed limit here. Gavin and I shopped at some pear stores where Gavin found himself a sweet pear bracelet. We got lunch at a Cafe and swam at the most famous beach on Bora. It's famous because it's the only beach on the main island. It takes about 30 minutes to drive around the whole island. There is one town called Viatape which has a grocery store and twenty pearl shops. Life on this island is very simple. I'm sure the locals either work at a hotel, boat, or pearl store. There isn't anything else to really see.

 We rode around the island 1 time and the skippy car battery was at like 20%. This was unfortunate because we paid for an 8-hour rental but the battery honestly probably only lasts 2 hours. One of my favorite parts of the main island was seeing the locals cruising on their slow mopeds, the kids splashing in the ocean, and cute little Snack cafe's to eat at. Towards the end of the day, we really wanted some snacks so we decided to push the limit and take the car all the way to the other side of the island to go back to Chin-Lee. We got our snacks and made it back to the harbor right as the car died. Wahoo! 

Gavin worked for the next several days. While he worked I read a ton of books, napped, swam and walked around the beautiful St. Regis. The St. Regis sits on 40 acres of land so I could go for a pretty long walk. We both love people-watching when we are together. We always try to guess what their life is all about. We found an Asian couple at the St. Regis that Gavin and I just loved watching. We called them gaysians. Gavin would text me say "they are at the beach" or " they are on a bike ride." We just loved watching them enjoy their Bora Bora vacation. 

The sunsets and Mout Otemanu were some of my favorite things in Bora. The views NEVER got old. I think most days while Gavin was working I just sat on a chair under a palm tree and looked at the beauty. We both thank God daily for the chance we had to come here. 

One night Gavin surprised me and took me to the Polynesian show at one of the restaurants. We enjoyed taste-testing the buffet food and the show. Instead of there being a stage the dancers come in between the tables and dance. They were so close to us it felt awkward sometimes just to stare at that one person dancing. In between songs, they would run behind some coconut trees to change. Looked like everyone claimed a tree. I was impressed at the men's headpieces. They danced like there was nothing on their head. Gavin and I got called up to do a Tahitian dance with them and usually, I wouldn't enjoy doing something like BUT I did this time. Gavin and I took a Polynesian dance class together in college and one of the sections was Tahitian. Since I actually knew how to dance Tahitian we had a lot of fun. We were supposed to follow the leaders but once we heard the drums going we both just did our own moves. Gavin stole the show though. He had some good moves. His leader ended up taking off his head thing and putting it right on Gavin's head. Everyone came up to him after telling him how amazing he did. Go, Gavin! I really do like it when he dances. I wish he would do it more often! 

The St. Regis has some of the best restaurants ever! Gavin was able to get us reservations at all of them. Our first stop was Farniente Ristorante-Italian. We were able to savor the taste of Italy while vacationing in Bora Bora. The chef is from Italy and he makes the noodles fresh every night. We got freshly baked bread, pasta, pizza, and a surprise dish from the chef. The food was amazing and we ate off of the cutest dishes. I was hoping I could find a place to purchase them. The service at this restaurant was high-end. They called us Mr. and Mrs. Baker and came around several times to check on us. My only complaint is the cost of water. We always forget that water isn't free in other countries and we were charged 20$ for the 2 glasses we had. Other than that we left full and happy. 

Gavin treated me to the spa one day. And it was amazing. I love messages so much. He bought me the Polynesia 60-minute message. I was greeted by a lovely lady who gave me samples of several Tahitian oils. I chose the Tiare flower scent because it smells just like Tahiti. I was given a beautiful message by a lady who played soft music and at one point put shells over my ears so I could hear the ocean. After they told me to relax in my robe and on the beach while they brought me some coconut water and snacks. I spent that after noon reading and enjoying the views. 

That night before our dinner reservations we went to see the sabering at Lagoon Restaurant. Every St. Regis Hotel and Resort in the world marks the end of the night with the ritual of the Champagne Sabering. We had a fun time seeing that take place. We enjoyed a sweet-as-candy mocktail while watching the sunset over the thumb. 

 

The Lagoon Restaurant by Jean-Georges was by far the fanciest place we have ever eaten at. We weren't sure what we wanted on the menu because I couldn't read half the words on the menu. We deiced that we would each get an appetizer entre and dessert to make for a three-course meal. Before we even got our appetizer they came out with fresh bread for us to sample with several different types of butter. We were very impressed. After that, they came and placed a bowl in front of me with a bite-size of food. And I mean bite-size. Gavin said my eyeballs got so big when I saw the tiniest thing on my plate. I could not believe that my 45$ appetizer was literally one bite. But then they placed the same thing in front of Gavin which we thought was odd because both got different appetizers. We ate it because that's what we were here for. It was some type of fresh fish with rice. After that, they took our plates away and came back with our actual appetizer. I got a sweet potato dish and Gavin had more fish. Once again we were very impressed. I had no idea what I was eating but it was delish! 

Our main meals came, and I had 2 parts in front of me. I had my main dish of Shrimp and Buckwheat with a side of what looked like eyeballs and Gavin had more fish!. My shrimp was probably some of the best shrimp I have ever had. When we finished our waiter came back with a second entree for us to each eat. We both had a soup bowl. Mine was warm and Gavins was cold. The meal just kept surprising us. 

 

We couldn't resist dessert after our appetizer and entrees. I decided to get some Vanilla ice cream and Gavin chose a chocolate cake. When the dessert came I was brought a plate of white liquid. I was thinking are you kidding me the ice cream is melted cream? I was so confused because Gavin was given it too. They put the trays in front of us and then poured this lemon ice on the cream. Whatever the liquid was let me just tell you that it was amazing. It was like lemonade cream cold liquid. Very tasty. After our pre-dessert, they brought us our ice cream and chocolate cake which were phenomenal. After they took our plates we were expecting our check when they brought out an after dessert dessert. We honestly were so confused about where all this food was coming from. They brought a tray of different types of tarts to try. They were delightful. I was glad that I only got the ice cream so that I had room for dessert after my dessert!  

The next day Gavin surprised me with an over-water bungalow for 2 nights. The St. Regis wanted Gavin to experience what the guests do when they come and we couldn't be more grateful. Everyone went above and beyond throughout our stay to make us feel important. Before we checked into our room we enjoyed the various equipment around the resort. We went on a Jet Skii tour around the whole island. We had our own private tour! We each took a turn driving. When it was my turn to drive we were both already a little bit wet from jumping in the water so we were sliding all over the seats. Gavin wasn't holding onto me because he was worried I was going to fly off with him if we went on a bump. I had no idea what he was holding onto but I enjoy listening to him laugh and scream as we rode through waves and bumps. We were sliding all over the seat the whole time. 

After we enjoyed lunch at the hotel before splashing in the ocean and riding the gigantic ocean bike around the ocean. We wanted to see how far and fast we could get the bike going and we were pretty exhausted at the turnaround point. 

Our water bungalow hut was amazing! We had a beautiful room that overlooked the ocean with our own private lanai, dock, and outdoor shower. We had a living room with a glass floor so we could see the ocean underneath. We had some chocolates in our room and orange juice. We loved walking around in the robes and slippers they had in the room.

For my birthday we went on a Shark and Manta ray tour. Our guide was cracking us up. His name was Maui and he was butt naked. He had a lava lava pulled in-between in cheeks and had just enough of the lava lava covering the rest. He was a jolly guy for sure. He played the Ukulele and sang while steering the boat with his foot. He had all sorts of tricks up his sleeve. When we stopped at the stingray spot he grabbed one of them and started talking to it. He called her Juliet. He kept saying Juliet kiss me. And the stingray would come out of the water and kiss his lips. He made everyone in the water get a kiss from her. I enjoyed watching the sharks swim around the boat. 

Our last snorkel spot was at an amazing coral garden off a little island. I think this is the most alive coral I had ever seen. Gavin and I swam around the whole hour just splashing and enjoying. We were by far the youngest people on the boat. I didn't even think about the water temperature because it was so warm.  We stopped for lunch on this island where we ate off of palm leaves and enjoyed watching the baby sharks swim around. 

After lunch, we learned all about the coconut, how to husk it, chop it, and use it. We have both seen so many of these shows. I was called up as a volunteer to shake my hips with Mauai when in reality I think he wanted to just shake his naked booty to everyone. 

We enjoyed the rest of the night jumping off the dock and riding our bikes around the property. Our bungalow was close to the Asians and we loved watching them plunge into the water. They were having a good time doing some pretty fun poses in the air. 

Every sunset here was just beautiful and never got old.

 

That night for my birthday dinner we went to Bamboo restaurant for some sushi and noodles. When they found out it was my birthday they brought me out a Haku and flowers for the table. Cheers to 25! Gavin spoiled me and made me feel like a queen. I don't know what I did to deserve such an amazing husband. But this birthday definitely wouldn't have been this amazing without his help and love. 

We had the best sushi of our life at the restaurant. I don't know what it was but Gavin and I still talk about it all the time because it was just that amazing. He decided to get another roll for his entrée! I had some yummy Pad Thai. We topped off our night with sushi dessert. 

We got free breakfast at our bungalow each morning along with a wake-up beverage of our choice. Since we don't do tea or coffee we asked for hot chocolate. They bring it to your room at your desired time each day! I love breakfast so I was in heaven at this buffet. They had omelets, pastries, cereal, hot food, and hashbrowns. It was the best 2 mornings ever! Checking out that afternoon and leaving Bora Bora and Gavin was so sad I cried my eyes out because I didn't want to leave the magic and paradise we were in. We had so much fun together it was hard leaving. Gavin dropped me off at the doc that afternoon and waved to me from the boat. I waved at him till I couldn't see him anymore. My journey home didn't help make it any better because I spent two nights on airport floors. One night on Papetee and the other in San Francisco. It took me 50 hours to get home. I would sleep on the floor all over again just to experience what I did with Gavin in Tahiti and Bora again. A trip we both won't ever forget! So grateful for the staff for treating us like gold, the general manager for helping us out with the bungalow, food, and tours. 

Hare some of Gavin's co-workers/friends he met in Bora: Pierre worked with Gavin in food and beverage and they became real good friends. He also helped secure us dinner reservations at the Restaurants. Miti and Gavin worked on room service together for a couple of weeks and she helped him get to the dentist when his tooth chipped.