#77766 - 11/23/08 02:41 PM
What Stuff Cost (Oct/Nov '08) or Moorea on $5 a day
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Submarine
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/03/03
Posts: 1033
Loc: Gilbert, Arizona, USA
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What stuff cost, or Moorea on $5/day (yeah right!) Oct/Nov 2008
I exchanged $2600USD at the airport for 228,599 cfp at a rate of 88 to 1 on 10/26/2008.
Would this be enough for two weeks in Moorea and Tahiti?
Transfer to the Hotel Le Mandarin was included in my room reservation of one night for 18,180 cfp. It was billed at 2760 cfp.
Transfer from Moorea ferry to Club Bali Hai via Taxi: 2500 cfp
Rental car:
I rented a car from Albert’s Rent-a-Wreck which turned out to be a decent Hyundai Getz this time, manual with a/c. The published rate is 49000 for one week, and 84000 for two, but I was only charged 50,000 for the 11 days I reserved it and then another 4000 when I asked for a 12th day! This was quite a bit cheaper than the Avis “special” of 6500 per day posted at Club Bali Hai. Albert’s allowed me to drop the car off at the Ferry which was very convenient and saved another taxi or transfer.
Fuel: filled the Getz from 1/8 tank to just about full for 5000 cfp. Put another 3000 in on Tahiti to get me back to ½ on the 6th day which carried me no problem till the end. We circumvented Moorea maybe three times and Tahiti once.
Food and misc:
Champion on Moorea:
3 cases of Hinano bottles on special: 5850
2 baguettes: 100
bag of ice: 350
2L of Eau Royale water: 220
50 plastic cups: 235
bamboo chopsticks: 295
1.5L Vaimato water, case of 6: 570
4 oz Monoi oil, each: 370
bag of ‘Monocroc’ cat food: 360
10 mini Babybel cheese: 575
1.5L Coca Cola, case of 6: 2220
Hinano Pareo: 1795
Handtowel: 590
Washcloth: 290
5 postcards: 275
2 Hinano beach towels, each: 1995
6 pineapples: 1190
Mr. Clean spray cleaner: 400
2 pack paper towels: 570
Bourdeaux: 850
Merguez grill sausages, 24: 990 (forgot I don’t like these)
Jasmine rice, 1kg: 224
Dozen eggs: 401
Red table wine: 770
Vanilla coffee, 250g: 695
Green pepper pate: 264
Filet ahi tuna: 1308
4 papayas: 233
soy sauce: 155
tube of Wasabi: 270
local avocados: 130
local Sashimi sauce: 515
Wine glasses, 3: 495
6 drinking glasses: 1270 (to replace the ones we broke)
10 liters of cat litter: 1150
1.5 L Vaimato: 95
Supermarche ARE in Paopao
Table wine: 673
Brie: 378
Coconut bread: 300
Toast biscuits: 184
Ahi tuna (.856 kg): 756
Pharmacy:
16 tablets of ‘Doliprane” aka Tylenol: 277
10 tablets of antibiotic: 415
20 tablets of Ibuprofen: 345
Throat spray: 1230
Doctor Visit: 3500 (saw both of us during same visit)
Misc:
Tax at Club Bali Hai, 2 weeks: 5452
Coconut and Papaya fruit sleeves at Ferry Dock: 400
Taxi from Ferry dock to Intercontinental Tahiti: 2000
Raft at Mobil: 500
Flippers at Champion: 2900 (not packing mine next time
2 boat drinks at ICTahiti: 2600
Internet access per hour, ICTahiti: 1500
1 hour Tiki Wifi on Moorea: 900
Tiare dinner with Bounty show: 20260
Pet airfare on Hawaiian (PPT-HNL-PHX) $225
Vet visit on Moorea for health certificate: 4500
Small pet carrier: 3500
Kayak rental at Les Tipaniers, 3 hours: 3000
Le Truck Tahiti: 130 day, 200 night each way each person
Car fare for Ferry: 6500
Roulotte prices I recall:
Chez Mariana
Poisson cru: 1000
Beef au legumes: 1300
Snack Rotui
Poisson cru chinoise take away 750
Eat there: 1000
Ham and cheese sandwich: 400
Wasted money on other stuff, like 4 cans of Chicken Noodle Soup that I only ate one of and can't find the receipt. I think they were 165 cfp each. We ate pretty well in the bungalow, mostly big breakfasts and two nights with a spread of tuna sashimi, rice, pate, and a fruit plate that left us stuffed. I ended up throwing away food though because I came down with the 48 hour flu.
Even with the kitten ordeal I came back with ~4000 cfp in bills and change.
So save the luggage weight and just shop local!
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#77767 - 11/23/08 04:00 PM
Re: What Stuff Cost (Oct/Nov '08) or Moorea on $5 a day
[Re: Submarine]
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Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2369
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
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As I was reading the prices, I was expecting it to end with:
Trip to French Polynesia......priceless!
Thanks for the prices, Sub. Did you know you were bringing a cat home with you? And LOL that you listed Hinano first in all of your food expenses (you gotta have your priorities, don't you?).
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#77768 - 11/23/08 04:08 PM
Re: What Stuff Cost (Oct/Nov '08) or Moorea on $5 a day
[Re: Old Wife]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6150
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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Sub,
Great, helpful post! Have you told the story about the kitten elsewhere on this forum? (I am still catching up on forum posts, and haven't mentioned the kitten myself -- what an adventure!) When I get up to speed and over jetlag, I'll tell the story of bringing Tekila-the-dog home as well, and add some prices to your shopping list.
Good to be home, but sad to not be there...
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#77771 - 11/23/08 06:17 PM
Re: What Stuff Cost (Oct/Nov '08) or Moorea on $5 a day
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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holte
Expert Advisor
Registered: 11/19/04
Posts: 2417
Loc: Duluth, Minnesota
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Great list! Should be very helpful for those wondering how much they have to spend. By the way, wasn't there a time when the animals were neutered by a traveling vet? It would be nice if there was a fund to which people could contribute.
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#77775 - 11/23/08 09:16 PM
Re: What Stuff Cost (Oct/Nov '08) or Moorea on $5 a day
[Re: holte]
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Suki (689)
Senior Advisor
Registered: 10/29/07
Posts: 920
Loc: ELA US of A
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What a memory i just remember da bierie Hinano thank you 4da list ill try and do mine in 2009 $$$$$$$$FP4LIFE$$$$$$$$
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#77790 - 11/24/08 10:43 AM
Re: What Stuff Cost (Oct/Nov '08) or Moorea on $5 a day
[Re: Suki (689)]
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Submarine
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/03/03
Posts: 1033
Loc: Gilbert, Arizona, USA
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Old Wife: yeah they are all pretty priceless aren't they? The kitten just sort of happened, and the Sub Kitten Shelter is officially closed for business!
Barb: no I haven't told the story yet but I might. The trip home was stressful, more from Hawaiian delaying our flight 6 hours than kitten stress.
Holte: You can donate at the vetrinarian that is near the airport, and I believe they have a second office on the other side of the island. They have a donation box for homeless kitties.
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#77830 - 11/25/08 06:37 PM
Re: What Stuff Cost (Oct/Nov '08) or Moorea on $5 a day
[Re: Submarine]
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godzzla1
Member
Registered: 08/18/05
Posts: 45
Loc: fresno,ca
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How easy was it to bring a kitten home from club bali hai? We have been several times and thought of it. We have fed those kittys every time we go,they get alot of goodies. We had a favorite back in 2004 and I wish we could of brought him home. We have been fortunate to see the same boys but the girls seem to be different. I always love to see the kittens, that is the first thing i do as we walk to our room is call for them. Can't wait to go back next year.
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#77834 - 11/26/08 07:55 AM
Re: What Stuff Cost (Oct/Nov '08) or Moorea on $5 a day
[Re: godzzla1]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6150
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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Sub was extremely lucky in trying to "wing it" by bringing the kitten back on Hawaiian Airlines. Hawaii has very strict quarantine and testing and immunizations requirements, and I honestly was amazed that he got through without a major problem. Mostly, I think, the supervisors for HA in Papeete had no clue what was required because they had never done it before!
I was on Moorea the same time as Sub, and we had a couple of contingency plans in place, thanks to good local friends and other traveling Americans, in case Sub's risky plan did not work.
We just brought back (last Friday) an abandoned beach dog on ATN through LAX. Lots of paperwork, vet appointments, government inspection appointments, delays, and it was extremely costly.
Here's the link to information from ATN on transporting a pet (cat or dog):
http://www.airtahitinui-usa.com/traveldesk/pets.asp
Here's the link to Hawaiian Airlines pet transport info:
http://www.hawaiianair.com/Programs/Pages/PetTravelInformation.aspx?haid=1
These info pages are just the BASIC information about the airline requirements. You also need to be familiar with the USDA, CDC, and FP government requirements as well. It's very complicated!
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#77838 - 11/26/08 02:11 PM
Re: What Stuff Cost (Oct/Nov '08) or Moorea on $5 a day
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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Submarine
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/03/03
Posts: 1033
Loc: Gilbert, Arizona, USA
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Well it seems all that restrictive crap that Hawaii requires applies if you are moving to or residing in Hawaii. If you are passing through, all they do is hold your pet at a Humane Society facility at the airport very near the quarantine facility. Json, the Humane Society careperson, is a cat lover and very dedicated. He was on the phone raising hell that the quarantine people did not call him immediately when our pet arrived (she was held at quarantine until 8 a.m.). He also personally sees that each pet makes their connecting flight and is easy to contact via cell phone. You can visit your pet there and he lets them out to play, not at all what we were expecting!
What I had to do to get little "Moea" home was purchase a hard carrier and visit the vet prior to the flight for a health certificate. It said within 48 hrs on the website but a Hawaiian checklist you go through says 14 days. The checklist goes on to say your pet must fly in the cargo hold and can't be connecting on a code-share flight. One snag is there can't be an embargo in the city you are untimately flying to, which is April 15-Oct 15 for SJC/SMF/LAS/and PHX due to cargo temperatures.
The 'Dog and Cat Import Form" for the Hawaii Dept of Agriculture is complex and nerve racking, but ended up being a non-issue since the pet wasn't staying in Hawaii. It ask for a series of rabies tests that she wasn't even old enough to have, fees I didn't have to pay, and a Notary signature I had no idea how to get in FP (it does say a signature by a DOA employee is OK so I figured I'd get that in Hawaii). This paperwork ended up not ever being looked at closely in FP and not at all in Hawaii. It does ask that your pet be 8 weeks old and though no one ever checked I would have your vet put that down. Ours was maybe 5 weeks old.
All I had to pay was a $30 registration fee but not the $15 health record fee to the Humane Society in Hawaii. It would be $14.30 per day for boarding if your flight is more than 8 hours later. Mine was due to delays but I never had to pay that boarding fee. I will be sending a donation though, and a letter of thanks for Json. It was also $225 for the pet fare through Hawaiian.
One thing I learned was to be sure to get paper ticket-like receipts for each transaction as they forgot to print ones for my flight change fees ($400) and they were upset about that.
So if you are bringing a pet home from Tahiti and going through but not staying in Hawaii for any major length of time (and not travelling April-October), I wouldn't be worried. However, be aware that Southwest does not allow pets on flights unless they are assistance animals or you have a letter from your doctor that the pet that you need the pet for depression and whatnot (thanks to Biography's Airline series for that one!)
There wasn't any problem at all in Phoenix or Hawaii as far as other government regulatory bodies go. In fact, the only official person I met with in Hawaii was the Quarantine person who told me they were holding my kitten til the Humane Society person (Json) got there around 8. At no time did I have to produce any documentation and the forms on the carrier went unopened. In Phoenix, all that happened was that a baggage unloader brought up the kitten directly to us in baggage claim. No hassle at all!
At every step of the process we asked every airline employee we met "Is there a kitten on this flight?!?" and were met with laughs and smiles and a resounding "Yes!" so we felt pretty confident. The worst part was making sure she was delivered from the Humane Society to the HNL-PHX flight, but a call to Json confirmed that they picked her up 1.5 hrs prior as agreed and we were able to verify that she made the flight with the attendants.
So I can't speak about a dog, but for a cat it was only about $350 total and some unnecessary stress. There were two small dogs at the Humane Society pound and Json seemed to be unconcerned that they would have any issues making the flight. If you are bringing a pet through Hawaii, you might try contacting Json directly at 808-479-1308 between 8 and 5 pm PDT.
If you really need a kitten now though, I have two new strays in my backyard free of charge!
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#77839 - 11/26/08 02:21 PM
Re: What Stuff Cost (Oct/Nov '08) or Moorea on $5 a day
[Re: Submarine]
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Submarine
Expert Advisor
Registered: 01/03/03
Posts: 1033
Loc: Gilbert, Arizona, USA
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Oh and fleas are rampant in FP so unless you want to spend the time doing multiple flea baths and removing them by tweezer, don't consider an FP kitten. We gave Moea two flea baths using dish soap and removed at least 50 fleas. I suppose you could get a treatment at the vet but at what cost I don't know.
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