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Good morning just about to start the next part of our adventure to French Polynesia (Moorea, Bora Bora, Rangiroa and Tahiti), North and South Island NZ.
Does anyone have any tips and any experiences to share. Also looking to use our overseas Platinum Credit if anyone has any recommendations.
Thanks in advance
On Tahiti rent a car and explore; much easier than public transport, driving is easy and main roads are well sealed. I have done several slow drives around; there are plenty of things to stop at from beaches, restaurants, botanical gardens etc. I have enjoyed driving around and just stopping along the way. Also a trip to the supermarket will reduce your costs and let you get explore better wines and cheese to keep you fuelled. If your timing works it will be cheaper to go whale watching from Tahiti than the others. Tahiti is great (if it’s wet) for waterfalls and hikes up the towering rocks. Vaihi Waterfalls is easy from the road; there are others that are great hikes and take up high up over the island. If you want to explore keep driving up the hills as far as you can for some amazing views. Go to point Venus and think about James cook sailing there to watch Venus transit the sun (there is a model of the clock they took to time it in the British museum). Find a quiet black sand beach is fun. I took a trip on Viator that takes you down the coastline of the smaller island. The surfing at teahupoo is fun to watch; you can get a boat from the town or nearby port easily enough.
Bora Bora; snorkelling snorkelling diving snorkelling maybe night sky watching. Most people go to Bloody Mary;s for lunch or dinner; burgers the sand. Did a round the island jetski twice its interesting. Also rented electric Renault twiggy – which is a slow inline 2 seat electric plastic better than a buggy thing. Solar charged so better than a petrol car- struggles up the hills a little. Definately a fun way to explore; easy to park at side of road and climb up to see the cannons etc. (or just get supplies from town.) On plane sit on left on the way there right on way out. Try and get a hotel to watch the sunset; or get to Matira Beach and get your Gaugin Sunset.
Rangiroa you have to dive (or at least snorkel) the Tiputa pass best reason to go; float with the current past mantas and sharks; its awesome experience and you just need to adjust your buoyancy and flow with the current. Recommend you take snacks to rangi it may have developed in 10 years I was last there; but it is an end of the world place.
New Zealand would suggest missing it and going to New Caledonia and the Isle of Pines instead. Which is what I’m doing in May 🙂
Coco Beach on Moorea is worth a trip. Good lunch and snorkelling. You have to book in advance as the boat availability is limited.
I’d avoid Le Lezard Jaune. We had high expectations but they were incredibly rude and the food was no better than elsewhere.
On Tahiti rent a car and explore; much easier than public transport, driving is easy and main roads are well sealed. I have done several slow drives around; there are plenty of things to stop at from beaches, restaurants, botanical gardens etc. I have enjoyed driving around and just stopping along the way. Also a trip to the supermarket will reduce your costs and let you get explore better wines and cheese to keep you fuelled. If your timing works it will be cheaper to go whale watching from Tahiti than the others. Tahiti is great (if it’s wet) for waterfalls and hikes up the towering rocks. Vaihi Waterfalls is easy from the road; there are others that are great hikes and take up high up over the island. If you want to explore keep driving up the hills as far as you can for some amazing views. Go to point Venus and think about James cook sailing there to watch Venus transit the sun (there is a model of the clock they took to time it in the British museum). Find a quiet black sand beach is fun. I took a trip on Viator that takes you down the coastline of the smaller island. The surfing at teahupoo is fun to watch; you can get a boat from the town or nearby port easily enough.
Bora Bora; snorkelling snorkelling diving snorkelling maybe night sky watching. Most people go to Bloody Mary;s for lunch or dinner; burgers the sand. Did a round the island jetski twice its interesting. Also rented electric Renault twiggy – which is a slow inline 2 seat electric plastic better than a buggy thing. Solar charged so better than a petrol car- struggles up the hills a little. Definately a fun way to explore; easy to park at side of road and climb up to see the cannons etc. (or just get supplies from town.) On plane sit on left on the way there right on way out. Try and get a hotel to watch the sunset; or get to Matira Beach and get your Gaugin Sunset.
Rangiroa you have to dive (or at least snorkel) the Tiputa pass best reason to go; float with the current past mantas and sharks; its awesome experience and you just need to adjust your buoyancy and flow with the current. Recommend you take snacks to rangi it may have developed in 10 years I was last there; but it is an end of the world place.
New Zealand would suggest missing it and going to New Caledonia and the Isle of Pines instead. Which is what I’m doing in May 🙂
You are making me want to go now!
Were there last summer.
On Tahiti, we stayed in the Hilton – which is linked by a bridge to the carrefour, so ideal for a sunset picnic on your balcony. Don’t forget fresh milk or your tea, reception wanted to charge us $16 for a jug of milk delivered to the room!
We also went for a nice snorkel over an aircraft wreck off the Intercontinental by the airport with this French guy:
https://www.whale-dolphin-turtle.com/4-wrecks-and-coral-valley-snorkeling.htmlOn Bora Bora we had 150 minutes in the IC Bora Bora Thalasso Spa with our Creation free night voucher! Have to say, the overwater bungalow was a huge disappointment. Nice room and everything, but it is over a sandy bay in which there are no fish. So useless for snorkelling! (They did have a nice lagoonairium, though!)
Another day, we hired a car in Bora Bora – and drove around the island in an hour. So we drove around it in the opposite direction! Matira Bay has the big beach and some good snack bars.
In Viatape on a Sunday, everything is closed. There were some youngsters across from the end of the pier with a boom box. We (60-year-olds) laughed and wiggled a bit and they waved us over. We had some of the seafood they had pulled off the rocks, and a local beer and turned down a joint – just as the gendarmes arrived at the adjacent gendarmerie! Everyone laid back and cool.
But I have to say, Bora Bora was the most disappointing island. Moorea much better!
ps. I believe Bloody Mary’s is no more.
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