Travel days pretty much suck no matter how you try to spin it but they are necessary to get you to those places you’ve dreamed of going.
Travel time to Tahiti was a 1 hr flight to Vancouver, 3 hr flight to Los Angeles and 8.5 hr flight to Papeete.
It was a stopover destination so we didn’t do a whole lot except wander around on our own. We got in late and spent the first night in Tahiti. Our only goal was to get to the island of Moorea by ferry, jump on the bus to take us to the other side of the island and spend the next two nights in one spot.
We really enjoyed our little room at Les Tipaniers. I can’t say it was always peaceful since one of the roosters and his harem spent the nights in the tree beside our room. Rooster demanded a 4:30am wake up for everyone.
They were really quite entertaining and we spent a lot of time on our little porch hanging with the chickens.
This was the hotel concierge.
We took a different ferry on the return back to Tahiti. It was a little slower but more comfortable.
Our final day was a long one. We had to be out of the hotel by 11am and our flight didn’t leave until 2 am the next morning so we wandered . . . a lot.
The market was a hang out sport for an hour or so. There were lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish to be had and the upstairs was full of tourist trap shops.
We went on a walking tour to find some of the graffiti painted last month in a festival that attracts international artists.
Then finished off our time here at the food trucks that set up in one of the parks every night for dinner.
Our overall impression was that it isn’t overly friendly here. There were a few standouts but no one ever really engaged in conversation with us or even asked us where we were from. It is also very expensive. A simple breakfast of yogurt, coffee and juice in the hotel restaurant could set you back at least $9 US. We got around this by feeding ourselves as much as possible, however possible.
Off to New Zealand, flight #4 of 13. Takes off at 2am from Tahiti and lands at 6:30am in Auckland – YUCK!
Thanks Jen, loved Moorea – a bit of paradise for sure – loved the art photos too. No Pain No Gain sure applies to the travel schedule. Looking forward to New Zealand by blog. Love AT