http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8Cz1OmvjcQ

Happily breathing underwater

I look like a bobble-head doll, walking in slow motion like an astronaut in togs on the ocean floor with a Russian helmet puffing oxygen around my head.

We’d set off from the Intercontinental dock on Moorea with AquaBlue Helmet Dives or Plongee Casque.

All set to plongee!

Vincent is the French owner of AquaBlue having started the business planning old fashioned dives to take us back in time with a dive suit and brass helmet. But being restricted with only the one suit, business was hardly going to boom. That’s when the blonde surfy-looking entrepreneur found these yellow Russian dive helmet, bought 5 (at a cost of about US$2500 each) and thus began his unique business.

He has 4 adult helmets and 1 for children aged between 6 and 9 years and oxygen tanks that line the boat with hoses connected directly to our helmets.

“Listen for the music,” he says as I stand on the ladder from the boat climbing into the warm(ish) waters off a tiny motu (island) about 10 minutes ride from the Intercont. The music he’s talking about is the hiss of oxygen. This music stays on throughout the dive and is essentially comforting.

Once the helmet is lowered with a pulley (they’re flippin heavy!) onto my shoulders I climb the rest of the way down the ladder with Vincent holding my hand. He has a modern-day dive tank and regulator to easily flap around us. He checks my ears are ok with the diver’s signal – the A-OK hand signal rather than the thumbs up which would mean I want to surface. I swallow and they unpop easily. OK.

He leads me around the coral rocks and gets me to kneel down and twiddle my thumbs until the rest of the our party of four assemble on the ocean floor. We’re only about 12 feet down and snorkellers are bobbing above us, but of our party freaked out and couldn’t handle the claustrophobia. If you’ve scuba dived, or even if you’re used to the sensation snorkelling creates of breathing under water, you’ll love this.

Tip toeing across the ocean floor

“Follow me,” motions Vincent and we set off like one of those dreams where you can’t actually get your walking rhythm. A couple of stingrays glide around us and there’s plenty of colourful fish that are enticed by a canister of dead fish. We have turns shaking it and they come to the banquet in our hands.

My piscean friends love me so much

There’s a moray eel down here too, but alas she’s keeping her nasty face in the rock during our dive, although the group who just dived while we snorkeled and waited our turn saw her.

It’s an amazing experience and the whole thing is captured on DVD and photos. The cost of the dive is also very reasonable I thought. CFP6500 or about US$70 for the 2 hour round trip which includes snorkeling around the coral.

As a comparison to adventure prices in NZ, a very pretty Bollywood-looking Indian couple on honeymoon had just spent 2 weeks in New Zealand and were surprised how expensive it was. Compare this to the Nevis Bungy Jump at NZ$260 or Kawarau Bridge for $180.

I flew Air Tahiti Nui to LA via Tahiti and stayed at the Intercontinental courtesy of Tahiti Tourism. Check them out for more info on staying in little piece of French Polynesian paradise.

If you are looking for more info on Tahiti, jump here to about a dozen different blogs on things to do, places to eat and stay.

Snack Mahana - about 2km from the Intercontinental, Moorea

Snack Mahana is the understated name of this garden paradise that looks, at first glance, a little dodgy. But it came highly recommended and the cars out the front were wedged in – a good sign. We walked past the serving counter and into the garden where plastic tables and the odd trestle table for larger groups were set up under the trees. The ocean lapped on the rocky retaining wall just below our table and schools of tropical fish seemed to hang in the clear water – they must know about this place too.

The Tahitian ladies are busy as bees in the kitchen and Fara reluctantly let me take her photo as we left, exclaiming her abilities.

Fara - one of the chefs who knows how to make great food!

I ordered the mahi mahi pane au lait de coco avec frites. In other words, breaded mahi mahi with coconut milk and fries. I could have (and probably should have for health reasons) had the rice. Cost CFP 1600 (NZ$21) It was sensational with a tomato salsa on top and a half lime for squeezing. Even though it was lunch, this has seen me right and I don’t need anything more than a couple of red wines for dinner!

Mahi mahi with coconut sauce and salsa

The Bloke had the steak. The beef in Tahiti is also highly recommended. Most of it is export quality New Zealand beef – and cheaper than we can buy it for at home! It came with a knob of garlic butter and was perfectly cooked medium rare and tender. Same price as the mahi CFP 1600 or US$17.

Steak in the garden

We grabbed a couple of locally brewed Hinano beers and the resident dog was making friends with as many diners as he could to hedge his bets on a morsel.

Any for me?

Total bill CFP 4780 (NZ$65) for 2 large Hinano’s, 1 coke and the 2 meals. Snack Mahana is located about 2km east of the Intercontinental Resort, next to Woody’s Pearls. You can use the resort bikes if you don’t have a car.

For more of my blogs on Tahiti, click here and squirrel away some tips on where to stay – and how to save!

Jump here for more info on TahitiNow.co.nz

Hilton Moorea's overwater bungalows

Saving endangered coral

The Hilton Moorea is a stunning place to stay with its 104 thatched-roof garden and overwater bungalows and 10 acres of lagoon teeming with tropical fish. A white sandy beach rims the resort like salt around your margarita glass and lush tropical gardens make you realise where impressionist painter Paul Gaugin got so much of his inspiration. There is also an infinity pool if salty skin is not your thing.

But more than being a gorgeous resort to escape and relax in your own personal haven, a major draw to the Hilton Moorea is their emphasis on saving this beautiful environment and protecting endangered species.

Alarmingly in the next 20 years if nothing is done a quarter of all coral worldwide will be dead. The Hilton has joined Biorock, a project of growing baby coral and transplanting it onto the reef to regenerate dead corals and attract the colourful tropical fish that used to feed here but have disappeared when their food source did. In two years the Hilton has transplanted 2000 baby corals.

Rescuing sea turtles

The sea life right under your bungalow

You’ll also find a turtle sanctuary here. These magnificent sea turtles are endangered by poachers and many of the larger ones are here recovering from spear-gun wounds. Babies are also reared and released when they get to be about the size of a dinner plate, thus giving them more of a chance at survival. But what it really comes down to for the long term survival of the green sea turtle is education. Programmes are now run in schools to teach children about the risk to the turtle if they continue to be caught for food, in the hopes that when they grow up, they will have a better understanding.

TVNZs Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver was at the Hilton Moorea recently and produced this short video clip so you can see the Hilton Moorea and its environmental programmes. Jump here to see Barbara’s story.

And here’s the link that amazing deal again: TahitiNow.co.nz

Have you been to Denarau lately? I replied. The last time I stayed there I dropped a few dollars on meals and drinks I’ll tell you!

Driving around Moorea

I’ve been to Tahiti 5 or 6 times now over the last 8 years and have learned a trick or two about having a fantastic experience while not breaking the bank. Sure, if you’re going to stay in your 4 or 5-star hotel and eat every night from their restaurant and down cocktails with umbrellas in them, you’ll be paying hotel prices – as you do anywhere in the world. But with a bit of planning and some inside knowledge, you can be enjoying the best of both worlds. It’s also a great idea to take the family if the kids are learning French as this is the main language of French Polynesia.

Have a look at this link to Tahiti for Kiwis that Tahiti Tourisme has put together. There is a chart to compare costs of things like beer bought in the local supermache versus hotel (ranging from $3.87 to $6.18) and my absolute favourite meal Poisson Cru. This is freshly caught raw fish with coconut milk, onion, tomato, cucumber, lime juice and salt. Delish! You can expect to pay about $25 for this in a hotel or $15 at the Papeete roulottes.

Here is another really useful website for kiwis, it’s a list of all the package deals in the market from all the travel agents. This, of course, is your most economical way to stay – book a flight/accommodation package deal and here you’ll find too many to choose from! Tahiti Vacation Specials.

Comparative examples as at 23 Feb 2012 between Tahiti and Fiji?

5 nights at the Papeete Sofitel incl flights, transfers and breakfasts from NZ$1809.

4 nights at Fiji Sofitel incl flights $1412.

You'll spend hours browsing over these handpainted sarongs!

Eating and drinking in Tahiti

For dining options, you should definitely have the roulottes on your list! This is a must-do for the cultural vibe even if you don’t fancy eating there. Although you will once you arrive. Down at the port in the heart of Papeete each night from 6pm the whole promenade becomes an outdoor food court. Caravans (roulottes) are driven in, up go their sides and out wafts the smells of sizzling tuna or mahi mahi steaks, pizzas, crepes and a huge array of eating possibilities. About $20 will get you a steak and chips or tuna and chips meal served on a plastic plate which you take to one of the many tables set up with local families and tourists all hanging out together. On Friday and Saturday nights live music accompanies your meal, then when you’re done, cross over the main road into town and finish off with a nightcap at one of the local bars.

If you have a car (or take a taxi), visit the supermarket Carre Four. This is a French Walmart-type chain where you can stock up on your cheap Hinano beer, French cheeses, fresh breads, and I was most impressed that the tuna steaks are really affordable for a sashimi starter or bbq them for dinner.

Mmm this wedge of cheese = NZ$3.80 & fresh tuna = NZ$8.90 at Carrefour

But for really fresh seafood, visit the Papeete Market in the mornings – the earlier the better. Here you’ll find fresh catches of local fish – including tuna – plus fresh fruit and veges as well as handcrafts, vanilla bean oils and hundreds of colourful sarongs.

Le Marche. Closed Sundays tho so you can get to church

Accommodation

The infinity pool at Manava Suites

Did you know you can stay in a camp site in Tahiti? I know, it’s seldom mentioned because overwater bungalows are all the rage. But indeed you can. You can also stay in a pension (a B&B) usually run by a local family and most likely your back door will be on the waters edge of some lagoon. You can share meals with your hosts or fend for yourself from local markets.

To be honest, these are a bit toooo cheap and cheerful for me. I prefer staying in a nice hotel that also has a kitchen so I can make my own meals if I want to, store my gooey cheeses in the fridge and dine in or out. I’ve stayed at Manava Suites twice now which has this facility. It’s a bit out of Papeete, but you can catch Le Truck into town for about $2 or taxi. Of course, renting a car means you really are free to get out and about and circumnavigate the island, stopping at beaches, heading inland to waterfalls, visiting the Paul Gaugin museum and braving the busy capital city.

Forget the taxi, take Le Truck for a cheaper trip to town

Another great place to stay if you want your independence is on Moorea (a 35-minute ferry ride from Papeete) at James and Laurel Samuela’s place. He’s Tahitian, she’s American. He does authentic and ink tattoos from his studio and in the front of their home they have built a private bungalow, Te Nunoa, that they rent out, just across the road from the water. You can use their kayaks and there’s a kitchen and bbq with the bungalow too. It’s gorgous, stylish and minimalist and very “hidden away” if that is what you’re after, and their rates are around NZ$300 per night.

Have a look at this link on Tahiti Now website listing campsites and pensions >>>

For more of my blogs on Tahiti, click here for my full list of things to do and where to stay >>>

Are you following me on Facebook? C’mon over.

One of Paul Gaugin's big bottomed beauties

The half freighter/half passenger ship Aranui III was in Devonport dry dock undergoing it’s tri-annual spring clean before a soft refit will be carried out back in Tahiti and this lifeline to the outer Tahitian islands, will be cruising again. For 50 years the Aranui has serviced the Marquesas and passengers have been tagging along now for about 20 years. Only 200 passengers are onboard when the ship is full.

The pool deck in Auckland

Today a whole bunch of travel agents and me got to have a sticky beak onboard, meet the owners and execs and look at a DVD of her two-week itinerary. I’ve heard about the Aranui, seen pictures, even trawled the website in times gone by, but I still wasn’t entirely sure that this was more a working ship with a rough and ready ambience or whether the cruise passengers had a bit of luxury. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the latter is true.

You’re not going to find a casino or a stage for caberets, but you will find carpetted suites with full size bathrooms, queen size beds and balconies, right down to a bunk room that can sleep up to 8. There’s a lounge with comfy chairs and a bar in the bow, and upstairs is an open plan dining room where buffet meals are served.

The Aranui III is the third ship to serve the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia. To get there it takes about 36 hours of sailing from Papeete – plenty of time to unwind, read a book, sleep, meet your fellow passengers, check out the captain on the bridge … and by the time you arrive you’re refreshed and ready to roar. Well, as much roaring as one can expect in the tropics.

Where will the Aranui visit?

You’ll jump on in Papeete and set sail at 11am on Day 1. Day 2 is in Fakarava then Day 3 at sea as you’re full steam ahead to the Marquesas. Day 4 is in Ua Pou, Day 5 Nuku Hiva, Day 6 Hiva Oa, Day 7 Fatu Hiva, Day 8 at Hiva Oa again – this time a different port, Day 9 Tahuata, Day 10 Ua Huka, Day 11 Nuku Hiva and Ua Pou again on the other side of these islands, Day 12 is at sea as you head back to Tahiti breaking it on Day 13 at Rangiroa Lagoon and arrive back in Papeete at 9.30am on Day 14.

The Aranui lounge

Who will love this cruise?

Typically your experienced cruiser who is over the glitz and glam of onboard entertainment and is looking for an authentic experience of Tahitian life. And since they’re two weeks long, you’re probably retired or have a nice chunk of leave to use up. Excursions on these remote islands include plenty of hiking, picnics, meeting local villagers and shopping at their handcraft markets, photographing waterfalls and archeological sites, even riding horses. Not to mention swimming on idyllic and remote beaches. Back onboard there are lectures for those interested in artist Paul Gaugin, who spent the latter part of his life in Tahiti, and other stuff like archeology, culture, history – all taught by experts in their fields.

Family style dining

One day there is a 17km hike over the island and everyone does it. I LOL’d at the management who told me this. I’ve never walked 17 kms in my life! But apparently its very popular and with lunch at the top, I guess it might be the only way to get fed! The ship meets you on the other side of the island.

There is a gym onboard, but I’m reliably informed that there is so much to do on the islands that most people are knackered and just to come back for a glass of wine and a delicious dinner at the end of the day.

The Aranui suite

What are the cabins like?

Suites: There are 14 suites (12 with balconies). They have a spacious studio layout with a lounge area and a large bathroom that has a full size bathtub. Air conditioning, queen size bed, flat screen TV, fridge.

Aranui Deluxe cabin

Deluxe Cabins: There are 9 of these with opening doors that you could pull a chair up to for a breeze but not actually a balcony. These are also very spacious with a queen size bed, bathroom with bathtub, air conditioning, TV, fridge.

Aranui standard twin room

Standard Cabins: 63 standard cabins have a porthole window and are twin share with some triple share. Air conditioning and TV as well as small bathroom with a shower. You can keep your luggage here, or there is storage that the crew will arrange.

The unisex dorm

Dormitory: This ‘Class C’ room is for those who are travelling with mates or alone and want to mingle. (I met one travel agent who told me a 75-year man booked himself in the dorm and had a whale of a time!) These can sleep up to 8 in bunk beds with shared facilities and of course, air conditioning.

For more info on the Aranui III, click here for www.aranui.com

Just seven minutes by plane, or 30 minutes on the car ferry from Papeete, is the tiny island of Moorea surrounded by a perfect lagoon bejewelled in bright corals and cheeky fish. The island is a treasure trove of fantastic things to do, see and taste…

Patting a stingray

Helmet Dive

Plungee to the bottom of the sea in an AquaBlue helmet and walk like you’re on the moon feeding fish and stingrays. Here’s my full blog about it here>>>

Amo whips up a bowl of poisson cru

Dine on poisson cru

For the freshest raw fish salad you’ll ever taste, join a small throng of hungry tourists on a tiny motu (island) not far from the Intercontinental Hotel, where your shirtless chef will show you how to make poisson cru.  Using fish caught only moments ago, he cracks open a fresh coconut from a nearby tree, squeezes plenty of lime juice and a liberal sprinkling of salt with cucumber and tomatoes to garnish. Served with plenty of crusty French bread, you’ll be whipping this up at home when you get back.

Tahitian black pearls

Splash out on a rare black pearl

Browse some of the island’s stunning black pearls with their unique hues of pink, blue and green. Former Miss Moorea, Tahia Collins, runs her own business designing settings in gold, silver and some studded with diamonds. She sends her plans to Europe to be made and when they return, Tahia chooses the exact pearl to fit each one.

You can easily spend a small fortune here as she uses only the finest and rarest. The bigger the pearl, the longer it has been in the oyster and the perfect orbs are the rarest. But odd-shaped ones are endearing, and some would say, even more unique.

Lunchtime!

Swim with Dolphins that worked for the US government

The Moorea Dolphin Centre is based at the Intercontinental where you’ll find fenced-off areas of the lagoon where you can actually jump in, clad in snorkel and mask, with a dolphin trainer and watch these amazing mammals up close and personal.

One of the bottlenose dolphins, Hina, is a former US Navy (seal) dolphin whose sonar they studied to detect bombs on ships until they retired here in 1996. You’re so close you can stick your goggled face under the water and watch these majestic and powerful creatures dive right in front of you, then get a photo op cuddle.

Coconut products that are good enough to eat

Get pampered with homemade spa products

Helene Spa was founded by French woman Helene Sillinger in 1999 and was the first spa to open in Tahiti. Treatment rooms are purpose-built thatched huts and a river bath is hidden under palm fronds and lush foliage with a cascade of warm water pouring into it for a quiet and blissful soak.

Helene creates the spa products herself: grated coconut (which is good enough to eat) as a moisturising rub, sand for exfoliating, manoi oil filled with tiare flowers and fresh papaya for a scrub.

On a misty day it's surreal up here

Explore the island

The road around the island is only 60 km for those who fancy hiking or exploring cultural and historical sites. The most spectacular views are seen from Belvedere Overlook and you will drive past fresh fruit stalls to taste the sweetness from the many pineapple plantations. (Moorea’s pineapples are said to be the sweetest in the world.)

Stop to swim or snorkel on quiet beaches and browse local handcrafts in tiny villages. Go jet-skiing or paragliding, SCUBA diving, canoeing or even shark feeding – which Moorea is well known for. There also several fine-dining restaurants within the resorts and in small villages that line the shores, play a round of golf, or stop and pick up some local snacks and head to a quiet beach for sunset.

James working with the machine. The hammer is a whole nother deal!

Get an authentic Polynesian tattoo

The word tattoo actually comes from the Tahitian word tautau for the ‘tat tat’ sound made by the hammering of the tattoo tools. The tools consist of a comb of anywhere up to 20 needles carved from bone, shell or shark’s teeth. These are placed on the skin and the handle is tapped with a wooden stick, piercing the skin and the pigment is injected.

James Samuela is a native Tahitian whose ancestors were among the first tattoo artists in Tahiti. He trained in the art in Paris and is one of the few tattoo artists still practising traditional Polynesian tattoos and will custom-design one just for you. Read my story about him here >>>

Phew, it makes one need a cup of tea and lie down just typing that!

This shot doesn't do justice to how these boys can dance!

Tahiti’s most flamboyant festival is Heiva i Tahiti. It means Festival of Tahiti and runs from the end of June until mid July, taking in the huge celebration that is Bastille Day – the national day in France.

The waterfront in Papeete comes alive with pageants and dancing in its open amphitheatre and stage, and stalls burst with arts and crafts. In recent years there has been a revival of traditional Tahitian culture: singing, dancing, drumming, tattooing, weaving, and all of these are on display for Heiva with groups from the many islands vying for supremacy!

And for those who love to shop in foreign lands, you’ll find handmade arts and crafts, the beautiful black pearl jewellery, locally grown vanilla-infused products, clothing and hand-sewn quilts at Heiva of the Artisans which starts from mid-June and overlaps with Heiva i Tahiti.

Sporty types will be able to ogle archery contests, javelin-throwing and canoe-racing, and take plenty of photos of the bizarre race of the banana-bearers!

Here’s a quick overview of events for 2011:

- Dance Schools Heiva: June 7 to 11

- Miss Tahiti 2011 pageant: June 24

- Heiva Va’a i Tahiti: July 1, 2, 7, 14

- Heiva i Tahiti Dances and songs contests: July 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16

- Heiva tu’aro maohi or traditional sports: July 13 – 17

- Heiva i Tahiti Awards Ceremony for dances and songs: July 21

- Heiva i Tahiti Winners: July 22

Everyone is related to someone over here on the atoll of Fakarava. I’m on a small motor boat heading across the 65km long, rectangular lagoon to a teeny, sandy outcrop for a picnic.

The perfectly clear sea makes it awkward to pee

The captains’ cousin is the man in question and he’s doing the driving. When we wade ashore, I find myself more intrigued in the two of them catching up conspiratorially under a palm tree on this island, barely big enough to swing a cat, than staring in wonder at the perfection of this little piece of paradise.

Coco, our English-speaking Chinese-American guide who was born in Tahiti and is the third member of our hosting party, gathered some dried coconut leaves (yes that’s how he got his nickname – climbing trees like the huge coconut crabs he told me about). He made a fire and the two chilly bins that he, the captain and our escapee driver carried to the spot, revealed their cargo of a table cloth and plenty of delicious food courtesy of the White Sand Beach Resort – the only hotel on the island. Today we’ll be having barbecue steak, fresh raw fish salad, bread rolls, and fruit washed down with a chilled bottle of rose.

Apparently the gendarmerie are due to arrive tomorrow and our guy either has to find a place to hide on this island which is home to less than 900 people on the skinny piece of coral-sand about 500m wide wrapping the enormous lagoon. Expelled for drunkenness by the mayor, I find it rather odd that he’d come back and drive the boat in such an overt way, perched like he was a Thai mahut on his elephant.

After lunch I chat with Coco and suddenly he notices a small mound of sand about half a kilometre away. Fakarava’s newest motu, he announces. It wasn’t there three months ago. As soon as a coconut washes up and sprouts, you’ve got yourself another island, he says. I’ve never understood how people can date islands at millions of years old, and when you see a new island forming before your eyes, it makes you wonder if this world is a lot younger than we are led to believe.

After lunch and the family pow wow is over we get back onboard and head to the tiny village of Tetemanu. I don flippers, a snorkel and mask and splash over the side to view the world below. The colour of the sea is impossibly blue. If a painter was to recreate it you’d accuse him of using artistic license with hues of blues to green and back again. In some places it is deep sapphire blue then others, bright avocado green. Peacock feathers are about as close as I can describe it without using cliches like ‘azure’ or ‘turquoise’. It’s so clear that it’s impossible to pee without lagging quite some distance behind Coco and the one other passenger floundering around.

A mountain studded with undersea flora drops into the deep blue darkness below. Fish hang out in their own cultural groups, nibbling on the ‘flowers’ and just generally cruising around. Fakarava is known for its impressive dive sites and this one is a UNESCO preserved marine site. There is no shark feeding allowed on Fakarava because hundreds of them would come – and we’re talking big boys. Up to four-metre long grey sharks, tiger sharks and harmless little reef sharks. Coco said its like swimming through a wall of sharks and you can’t see daylight above you in the water when they all gather.

But the feeding of them was only outlawed three years ago after a tour operator forgot he had one diver left in the water when he dropped a cage of chopped fish into the deep. The frenzy that ensued saw that guy lose a chunk of his leg. Word spread quickly around the motus so no one feeds them anymore.

White Sand Beach Resort

After a fascinating visit to the local pearl farm where I am shown exactly how the famous Tahitian black pearl gets its pink, blue or green sheen, we headed back to White Sand Beach Resort where our private chalets have only electricity for a couple of lights. There is no TV, cellphone coverage or WiFi. It’s perfect.

The sun sets early in Tahiti so after reading a book on my balcony until it is too dark to see I head over to the hotel restaurant before returning to collapse into my comfy bed and can’t help but wonder just how our boat driver is sleeping tonight knowing the gendarmerie is coming tomorrow.

Jump here to Tahiti Tourisme for more information on Fakarava.

Check out flights and special deals here at Air Tahiti Nui.