#68496 - 12/03/07 01:32 PM
Old Wife's Trip Report #2--Huahine
|
Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2369
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
|
Day 7, Wednesday, November 14, Moorea to Huahine
This was our last morning on Moorea. Auguste had arranged for Torea Nui to
pick us up and they were there early (fortunately, we were waiting in the
lobby already, having already paid Auguste & signed the guestbook). We
worried our luggage might be a bit heavier with all the liquor, but when we
checked in at the airport, our total of the 2 bags (1 checked bag each) was
only 37 kg so we had room to spare. We never did go over the limit on our
trip (and they never weighed our carry-ons, by the way, though they did Xray
them when we flew Air Tahiti-not Air Moorea-out of Papeete later). Our
flight was late to leave & we were glad we didn't have a connecting flight
to meet. Hubby was surprised to find himself enjoying the pineapple juice
they served on the flight to Huahine (he never drinks any juice other than
orange juice). We landed in Huahine, grabbed our luggage & found our
transportation. Just as on Moorea, the transportation was a multi-seated
van and cost 600 XPF per person each way. He drove us down a very pot-holed
road where the chickens and dogs seem to outnumber the people and pulled up
at Randes Shack, where Rande welcomed us & showed us our bungalow. We'd
booked the 1-bedroom bungalow, though there is a 2-bedroom one available,
too. Rande's wife, Emere, was in hospital so we didn't get to meet her and,
until the last evening, we were the only guests at Randes Shack. Our
bungalow was extremely spacious and reminded me of the cottages we rent in
vacation country north of Toronto. It's set back on his property in an open
area and you walk through pretty gardens to get to the beach. It's very
private back there and we really felt like we were living on Huahine instead
of being tourists. Besides the 1- and 2-bedroom bungalows, Rande & Emere
have a house on the beach and Rande is building Emere a high-up studio (it's
a second-floor building that's open underneath) for her sewing and art.
A description of our bungalow:
There's a large living room with a single bed, wooden table & 4 chairs,
bookshelves, TV, radio, and the kitchen runs along the short wall. It has a
gas range, fridge, double sink, and all the cooking and eating utensils you
need (there are even 2 Melitta filter baskets to put onto mugs to make
ground coffee-one takes #2 filters & the other just says "1 x 4" and is a
larger cone shape than the #2 one.
Two doors led off this room to decks (we usually went out the door at the
far end of the bungalow where there was a covered portico with a washing
machine and clothesline). Having a washing machine was fantastic,
especially since I booked this place in the middle of our vacation. We
washed when we got there & just before we left & that saved us a lot of
hand-washing. Back inside, there is a large bedroom with a queen-sized
(spring mattress) bed, shelves and a large closet. The bathroom is large,
too, and has doors from the bedroom & the living area. It has a toilet,
sink, long counter, shower (with lots of hot water) and a large set of
shelves. The bedroom also has 2 doors into the living area, by the way. At
first, this seemed a bit strange, but when we opened up the windows
(everything is screened in and the windows are those wide glass jalousie
things), we realized what a great design this was for air flow. We were
never hot in there. And both the bedroom & the living area have overhead
fans.
Plenty of towels and washcloths were provided as well as tea towels, dish
soap, a few toiletries (but we'd brought our own), toilet paper, and Rande
even offered laundry detergent if we didn't have any (I'd brought laundry
soap good for a front-loading machine or hand washing). Down at the beach
(a very short walk), there's a big covered hut with a large table, long
bench, many chairs and two hammocks. We hung out there more than in the
bungalow & enjoyed the choice of sun or shade. Rande's approaching 60,
originally from California & is into surfing, fishing, building that studio
and seems to be a jack-of-all-trades. He's a very nice guy & quite
knowledgeable about FP, especially Huahine. One day, he showed us how to
determine the ripeness of coconuts, cut the bottom off one so it would stand
up & cut off the top so we could drink the water out of it (we then left it
to the chickens to fight over-did they ever love it). Another day, he gave
us coconut flesh to eat and yet another day bananas (they're shorter &
fatter & squarer than the bananas we get back home, but I loved the taste!).
He has 2 dogs, Tiger Boy, whose colouring is a bit tigerish and whose long
hair often forces him into the lagoon to cool off, and Quick, a
short-haired, black, ex-abused stray from Moorea who could never get enough
physical attention. Both dogs camped out on our deck at night to "protect"
us. We felt totally safe there & only locked the doors at night. Rande's
also got countless chickens & roosters (2 different kinds from what I could
see). They love any food you don't eat (baguettes, coconuts, bananas,
etc.).
The use of two bikes is included free and we took them into town twice (it's
a 5-minute bike ride). I'm not sure why we usually walked into town instead
(it's a 12 to 13-minute walk along the beach.not your usual flat, easy walk
all the time.it's over rocks and leaves and ducking under branches & jumping
across mini-creeks at times and can be a hot walk), but we did that most of
the time. I think maybe we were so out of practice biking when we got there
that it seemed too scary, but I wish we'd used them more (especially for
bringing back groceries in the basket). The bikes have locks & there are a
couple of spots in front of the grocery store in Fare to lock them to.
If you bike to town, turn right after the pharmacy (not before). We biked
in right away (we were hungry for lunch) and walked around Fare and found it
a beautiful little town (village? hamlet?). Almost all the stores face the
lagoon on the main strip. We had lunch at a roulette. I had a ham & cheese
omelette casse croute-a sandwich made of French bread-and hubby had a
"poulet frites" one. We thought the fries would be beside the chicken
sandwich but they actually pile them inside!
We did our food shopping in the Super Fare Nui (the big grocery store with a
huge selection of food). Hubby bought a 1 litre box of wine for 695 XPF.
That was a mistake, LOL.don't go that cheap. He ended up buying Sprite
later to water it down.
We took our drinks down to the beach hut & spent the afternoon there until 5
when we had to head back for bug spray. After that, we tried to remember to
bring it with us if we went to the hut in the afternoon (not that it's a
long walk back to get it).
Right next door towards Fare is that tent resort we had considered (Fare
Ie). From the outside, it's not very impressive at all (just tents on
platforms) and I'd think they'd have to be hot inside since they're right on
the beach and the wind that blows from behind out to the lagoon (that's the
prevailing direction) seems to be blocked with buildings in behind
(preventing good air-flow). Considering the price is almost double what we
paid right next door, I can't see the value at all (Fare Ie seems to be
17000 per night while Randes is 9000). I'd prefer what we had over camping.
Oh, and the couple who runs Fare Ie isn't Polynesian (I think their website
leads you to think that).
That evening it rained on & off. It was nice having screens and the
overhang is such that you can leave the windows open any time without
worrying about rain getting in (great design).
There's hot water in the bathroom (plenty), but none in the kitchen so we
just filled the kettle in the bathroom & poured it into the kitchen sink for
washing dishes.
Day 8, Thursday, November 15
We had Froot Loops for breakfast, LOL, and carried our coffees down to the
lagoon to drink. After that, we walked into town and I went to the Banque
de Tahiti to try to cash travelers cheques and was blown away by the service
charges (I would have paid over $12 on every $100 I cashed just in fees). I
asked the teller if the other bank was cheaper (I was thinking of the Banque
Polynesie down the way) and she whispered that the Banque Socredo, on the
street in behind, was the best. This first bank (Tahiti) was big, bright
and empty. Socredo (on the road that makes the loop with the main street)
is smaller, dark & full of local people (note to self-pay attention to where
the local people bank!). I'm not sure what I paid in fees here, but I do
know it was much, much less that on the main street so if you need to cash
travelers cheques, head to Socredo.
We bought more groceries at Super Fare Nui (bacon, Tahiti Drink, grapefruit
jam, a box of mini chocolate cakes, and a baguette). We booked a land
safari (4x4) with Huahine Explorer at the tourist office for that afternoon.
So we did laundry (it takes over an hour for a load in the washer) & we were
just hanging it up when the 4x4 arrived. We'd been told the tour would be 2
hours, but it was actually 4 ½ hours! Our guide, Philippe (he had some
nickname I can't remember) was a real character, stopping wherever he felt
like it to roll his next cigarette. I joked with hubby that he had a story
about any spot on the island just so he could get his next smoke. There was
another young couple from Paris & London (French) with us who spoke some
English so we set off with them down the west side of the island, over the
bridge to Huahine Iti and down to Avea to pick up the other 4 (French)
passengers. Those folks were staying at Relais Mahana so we got to get out
& walk around the grounds there & out onto the dock. It's sure a beautiful
resort.
Once we picked up the other 2 couples (who insisted on sitting at the back,
where we'd been sitting), we headed off up the east side of the island. It
started out sunny, but once we got to the first set of marae, it started to
spit and eventually pour. Most of the rest of the trip was in the pouring
rain. Our driver gave us mackintoshes to wear, but by the time we accepted
them (ever optimistic that the sun would come out), we were soaked and ended
up just gently steaming inside them). Oh, well, it was still an educational
tour of the Belvedere, the rock fish nets, sacred eels with blue eyes, fare
pota'a, the pearl farm (we took a boat out to that & I bought 2 pairs of
black pearls for earrings), more marae, and a vanilla farm where I bought
vanilla pods (they're sitting beside me here, in baggies inside a bag and
the smell emanating is absolutely amazing!). The vanilla beans can be
stored in a jar (to keep them from drying out), placed in milk & heated &
then rinsed off & put back in the jar. They said each bean could be used
4-5 times. You can also chop it up & put it in dark rum to make vanilla
extract. I'm going to look up some recipes online since we loved the
vanilla ice cream there so much (not to mention the vanilla sauce used on
fish).
When the tour was finished, we dropped off the young couple at Pension
Vaihonu. The place looks really rustic and the couple mentioned they didn't
have hot water and really missed having it. They didn't seem too impressed
with their lodgings.
Day 9, Friday, November 16
We spent a lazy morning on the hammocks reading. The skies cleared and it
was sunny most of the day (in fact, that was the end of the rainy weather
for our whole trip). We went snorkeling out front of Rande's place and took
lots of photos. This is an amazing spot to snorkel. There's a lot of
coral, some of it in mazes and there's a slight current so you can do a
mini-drift snorkel. We just wore our reef shoes so it would be easy to walk
back if we drifted too far. There's a wide variety of fish and coral in
this area-I'd say it's far better than at the Pension Motu Iti in Moorea,
but we didn't have enough sunny days there for me to compare.
We walked into Fare and had a great lunch at Te Marara (mahi mahi au curry,
green beans, fries & a Coke for me and a burger, fries & Hinano for hubby).
Then we headed upstairs over the tourist office to use the internet.
Finally, we got groceries and some postcards to send home (they arrived 2
days after we got back). We walked south out of town towards Fitii a bit
past the Te Tiare dock. Everything along there is totally closed
(restaurants, etc.).
We spent the rest of the day on the hammocks and had a visit with Rande.
Day 10, Saturday, November 17
We drank our coffee down at the lagoon again and walked into Fare to the
Post Office, but it was closed (on Saturdays, it's open for something like
7:30 to 8:00 am and is closed Sundays). We sat down in town & watched the
activities. The Super Fare Nui was much busier on a Saturday morning than
it had been all week.
We did some more snorkeling and discovered a great way to take underwater
photos in a current. My hubby stood beside me & held my waist while I took
photos, moving me left or right if I twisted that way. He pushed me right
up near the fish (with my mask, I sometimes think I'm closer to the coral
than I am) so I got some good close-ups. This area is like an aquarium.
This place (Randes Shack) is very special and we can see why some people
spend weeks or months here.
Day 11, Sunday, November 18
We walked into town to Chez Guynette for breakfast. They offer a
continental breakfast for 1400 XPF each (for the same food that was only 800
XPF at Pension Motu Iti on Moorea), but we really only wanted omelettes (we'd
had coffee at the lagoon already) so we bought 2 cheese omelettes and 2
orange juices for 1400 XPF total. Fare was quiet on Sunday morning, other
than people driving by, probably going to church. There was a market set
up, though, so we browsed through the fruit and baked goods and headed down
to the handicrafts building at the other end of town to buy our daughter a
souvenir (we ended up with a black pearl on a leather strip for a
necklace-not high-quality, but not expensive either). On the way back, we
bought some groceries & a chocolate fondant from the outside market (yum).
Came back & did laundry, fed the chickens (they really were 'yelling' at me
to feed them) and checked out the 2-bedroom bungalow. It has a larger
eating/living area with 2 single beds, a galley kitchen with a neat window,
a walk-in closet and one bedroom has a queen-sized bed (I think-it looked
like one) and the other has a single). There's also a nice eating area
outside. It's set closer to the beach, but to the side so our bungalow
doesn't block the wind from going through theirs.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#68504 - 12/03/07 03:41 PM
Re: Old Wife's Trip Report #2--Huahine
[Re: Old Wife]
|
holte
Expert Advisor
Registered: 11/19/04
Posts: 2417
Loc: Duluth, Minnesota
|
Great report. We're leaving in a couple of weeks to our beloved Huahine.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#68529 - 12/04/07 09:08 AM
Re: Old Wife's Trip Report #2--Huahine
[Re: holte]
|
BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6150
Loc: Mesa, AZ
|
Fantastic report -- I felt like I was there with you. Very helpful details for others!
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#68534 - 12/04/07 02:29 PM
Re: Old Wife's Trip Report #2--Huahine
[Re: BarbiJKM]
|
vaitape
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/09/02
Posts: 1387
Loc: socal
|
Glad you enjoyed your stay on our favorite place in the whole world! We'll check out Rande's when we return........looking for a place to rent for awhile! Thanks for the report!
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#68538 - 12/04/07 08:06 PM
Re: Old Wife's Trip Report #2--Huahine
[Re: vaitape]
|
nan5057
Member
Registered: 09/14/07
Posts: 42
Loc: GA, USA
|
We were at Huahine the week before you....What a fantastic place! I almost cried reading your descriptions of Fare...We had Phillippe as our driver also (chain smoker)...great trip. There were only 4 of us on our bus: 2 French and us and he accommadated us all. I, too, did by vanilla at the stop and have been giving it out sparingly to friends for it smellls so DARN FANTASTIC!!! Thanks for your report!
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#68548 - 12/05/07 06:35 AM
Re: Old Wife's Trip Report #2--Huahine
[Re: nan5057]
|
Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2369
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
|
Isn't Fare just the nicest little town? We're ready to move near there! You're lucky there were only 4 of you on the tour...we were really crunched in with 8 (but last time we did a 4x4 on Moorea, there were 4 of us). I have my vanilla sitting by me and I don't want to give any away either (but I will, with directions from the internet on what to do with it).
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#68566 - 12/06/07 07:39 PM
Re: Old Wife's Trip Report #2--Huahine
[Re: Old Wife]
|
nan5057
Member
Registered: 09/14/07
Posts: 42
Loc: GA, USA
|
Phillipe told us to chop up 2-3 beans and put in a bottle of dark rum, let it steep (for how long is unknown) and ,voila, you have vanilla extract. When that bottle is done, DO NOT THROW OUT THE BEANS!! Replace the rum and start over again. Per Phillippe, he has been using the same beans for extract for 30 years....(Believe that at your own risk...)I also used to have a recipe for homemade Kahlua using coffee, vanilla bean and vodka....
Phillippe also told us to put a bean in our car on cold winter days, turn on the heat and smell Huahine.
He also told us to store it at room temp, not in the frig or freezer, in an airtight jar, etc. and that it would keep for a LONG time...
Gave away a few beans today and just opening the bag made me happy and "homesick"....
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#68574 - 12/07/07 06:02 AM
Re: Old Wife's Trip Report #2--Huahine
[Re: nan5057]
|
Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2369
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
|
Thanks, nan5057. Everyone else on our tour spoke French so I had trouble following his directions in French & asked him one question in English & didn't get that about reusing the beans in the rum (he did mention the rum, though). I'll file that away. Someone told me it takes 9 months to a year to turn the rum into vanilla extract, but I don't know how true that is.
I haven't given away any beans yet (I still have to see the people I want to give them to), but I'm going to count carefully when I do!
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#68605 - 12/08/07 08:23 PM
Re: Old Wife's Trip Report #2--Huahine
[Re: Old Wife]
|
nan5057
Member
Registered: 09/14/07
Posts: 42
Loc: GA, USA
|
Since I have been home, I, too, get the question of how long the Kool-Aid should steep....no idea.....I do like the idea of trying the Kahlua, along with a bottle of the vanilla extract at the same time.(Warning: save beans for yourself!)
Perhaps we should let them steep, bring then back over to Huahine and let Phillippe tell us!?! I like that idea!!!!
Merry Christmas to you and yours...!!!!
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#68656 - 12/12/07 07:49 AM
Re: Old Wife's Trip Report #2--Huahine
[Re: nan5057]
|
Carol S
Member
Registered: 02/03/04
Posts: 458
Loc: La Cañada, CA USA
|
Is Rande's on the same path that goes by the old Bali Hai hotel? I remember that path to Fare was only a few minutes but the last time we checked, the old hotel was in ruins.
We loved hanging out in Fare when we were last in Huahine. And eating at the roulottes and shopping at the market is a wonderful experience.
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
Moderator: BarbiJKM, hamara, DenverJoe, Poehere
|
6922 Members
15 Forums
10259 Topics
91469 Posts
Max Online: 118 @ 04/08/12 01:59 PM
|
|
0 registered
and 25 anonymous users online.
|
|
|
