White Water Tourists in the South Pacific!
We just had a three day stopover in French Polynesia which turned out to be a great break in a remarkable place!
Info Sources
Rivers We Paddled
Travel
Accommodation and Food
Costs
Summary
Info Sources
'Lonely Planet Tahiti' described the surf breaks, saved us large amounts of money and directed us to the island of Moorea which was a good call.
Rivers We Paddled
We just surfed on Moorea, a stunning island near to Tahiti. It wasn't a great success; although there was a phenomenal steep shoulder to use, it broke hard onto a coral reef with painful results! After Simon had his hand lacerated to pieces, we stuck to using the kayaks as a snorkling platform for exploring the reef and amazing multicoloured fish. Excellent fun.
Travel
To get around the island of Tahiti there is 'Le Bus', complete with roofrack. Plenty of ferries go between the islands (no problem with boats) and smaller buses were happy to fit the kayaks in the isles. We hired a mini-car to explore Moorea at huge expense for a few hours.
Accommodation and Food
We hired a bungalow on Moorea which only cost ten quid each a night. Anywhere else seemed to cost in the hundreds! Nive french restaurants to visit if you're feeling civilised - and flush.
Costs
Arrggghhhh! Tahiti is terrifyingly expensive, the playground of French 'beautiful people'. Thankfully we were only there a few days. Lonely Planet saved us a fortune in accommodation, as did ferrying across to the cheaper (and gorgeous) island of Moorea.
Summary
Only a few days, but very memorable. One of the most beautiful spots on earth without a doubt, and the weather isn't bad either. We hope to return and explore the islands more when we are earning 50k+!