#81672 - 07/23/09 01:39 PM
Rangiroa/Raimiti Trip report (LONG!)
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Andie
Member
Registered: 06/05/07
Posts: 403
Loc: Ottawa, Canada
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Can you believe it...? It's here! I apologise in advance for 1. the lateness
2. any grammatical errors that may be found
3. the lenghty report, more of a journal really...what can I say...I wirte everything, like I take picture of everything...!
Hope you enjoy anyway! I have exceeded my posting limit for the pictures on "yousendit" so, I cannot re-post the link before August...I exceed by 765% by 1GB limit...Yikes!
What a trip it was…It is certainly an addictive destination and we are delighted to declare ourselves French Polynesia junkies! This was our second trip to paradise and I’m afraid there will just have to be a third one…
Our trip started with a long journey from Ottawa (Canada) to Papeete, resting comfortably in Air New Zealand First Class sleeping pods, thanks to our Star Alliance points! It was a little detour, but well worth the extra few hours and it was an excellent opportunity to visit NZ.
TAHITI – Tahiti Airport Motel
We didn’t spend too much time in Papeete, although I believe it ought to be visited when it’s your fist time to Tahiti. We arrived from Auckland at 2:30am. As the aircraft door opened, the blast of the warm salty air was a nice welcome. We were the first one out and we zoomed through customs very quickly. We grabbed a taxi to the Tahiti Airport Motel for a few hours of sleep before catching our flight to Rangiroa in the early afternoon. Despite the proximity of the hotel, I strongly recommend taking a taxi if you arrive in the middle of the night. The pathway to the hotel could be easily missed if you don’t know what you’re looking for and it is quite steep. The taxi fare was a bit ridiculous when you think how close it was (1,800xfp), but that’s life! However, it’s very easy to make your way to the airport in daylight.
RANGIROA – Hotel Kia Ora
Leaving Papeete, we sat on the left side of the plane and caught a glimpse of the atoll of Tetiaora. We were able to snap a few pictures of Tikehau and of Rangiroa’s Blue Lagoon on our approach. We actually flew right over the Kia Ora Hotel, which would be our home for the next 4 nights. We were picked up at the airport by friendly staff members of the Kia Ora for a short drive to the hotel. We were greeted with a cold facecloth and a fresh glass of fruit juice. Ah…and the smell of the tiare leis…nothing like it to welcome you to French Polynesia! We were whisked to our beach bungalow in a little golf cart and settle in our beach bungalow. The hotel grounds are beautiful and well kept. Staff is very friendly and helpful.
Food
Baguette…It was the start of a love/hate affair…I love baguette, but I ate more baguette in 3 weeks then I did in the last 12 months! Baguette at breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and anything in between! It’s a great filler! The food at the hotel was good. They had nice salad and lots of fish, which we love. We had dinner at the hotel 3 out of 4 nights, mainly for convenience. We had dinner at the Kai Kai on the last night, a small outdoor restaurant close to the hotel. The poisson cru was excellent.
Avatoru – We rented a “fun car” at the hotel the next day and they are indeed fun, noisy but fun! That’s all you need to explore the very small village, from one end of the road to the other. We stopped to take a few pics, visited the Vin de Tahiti winery (where the grapes are processed – very short visit) and in a little shop to buy a pareo. We had a lunch at Le Relais Joséphine, quiche and salad. The food was good, the surroundings are very nice , sipping a glass of wine gazing at the Tiputa pass.
Lagon Bleu – Day 3 was the visit to the Lagon Bleu (Blue Lagoon). A strong southern wind had been blowing for the last 2 days, even preventing some excursions the day before, our ride was very choppy. I never had so many knots in my hair…But the “hairy” ride was well worth it. As we approach the lagoon, we couldn’t get over the beautiful line of turquoise on the horizon. The boat moored at a distance from the motu so we had to walk knee deep in the lagoon with our snorkeling gear to the little island, accompanied by your friendly neighbourhood sharks! There were no other excursions so there was only our group (8) to enjoy the lagoon. We were left to ourselves to roam around and snorkel at our leisure. So many shades of blue…It has to been seen. Our guides had prepared a bbq pinic of fish, chicken, salads and, of course, the mandatory baguette. As we walked around between the motus, words had spread in the shark world that newcomers were around! Before too long, we had a dozen of curious black tips circling us. It is impossible to touch them, so no worries for the people who might be afraid!
Paul Gauguin Pearl Farm –This free excursion was the most costly of our trip! It was however an excellent visit. This is a real working farm as opposed to many others where you’re only given a demonstration. I even got to “give birth” to a pearl! Couldn’t keep it though as it has to be registered with all the others before it can be sold. We probably spend about 2.5 hours there and, of course, some pearls found their way into my luggage to travel back home with me!
FAKARAVA – Raimiti, the legend!
The flight from Rangiroa to Fakarava is about 40 minutes. We were able to see the atolls for Arutua, Apataki and Toau on the left side of the plane. We airport is tiny with only a checkin counter and a small snack bar. We were greeted and driven to the village to be picked up by Junior (from Raimiti) and Rotu, the nautical dog! The southern wind was still blowing so we had a very choppy 1.5 hr ride to the pension. However, the sun was shining and it was a glorious day anyway! As we were traveling along the shore, seeing nothing but coconut groves and the last houses on the atoll, I could not believe that I was finally here. I was trying to take in every detail, the trees, the curves of the shores and the blue of the lagoon. Then, small thatched roofs appeared on the horizon. We were finally there! The legendary Raimiti! I couldn’t wait to jump off the boat! We were welcomed by Elvina, Junior’s wife and Queen of the Kitchen, and by Vaihere, Francis and Yves. We didn’t meet Eric as he had left the day we arrived to go to Moorea for business. We had a tour of the property and guided to our little lagoon bungalow at the end of the winding pathway along the rocky black shores contrasting nicely with the translucent blue lagoon. The bungalows are spread out so they are all private. But being last, no one walks to the end of the pathway so it was even more private. The French couple transferred to the ocean side so we were alone on the lagoon side for the duration of our stay.
We only had a few hours of daylight to get settle and get used to our surroundings. Given that there is no electricity, you have to plan where you will put your essentials for an easy find, because when it’s dark, it’s really dark! Oil lamps and flashlight are provided. We enjoyed our first Raimiti sunset, sipping a nice tropical drink. We had bought some Malibu rum at the Auckland airport and mixed it with some juice we had picked up in Tahiti.
At 7pm, Francis “called” us for dinner (through the shell). It added to the already exotic feel of the place. But nothing could have prepared us for the celestial show we got as we stepped out of our bungalow. Our jaw literally dropped as we looked up to the dark sky. Even in the middle of the Canadian wilderness, we had never seen so many stars. It was absolutely breathtaking and we almost felt we were in space! The moon hadn’t risen yet so it made the stars stand out even more. It was an amazing sight.
At dinner, we met Carrie and her husband Steve and the 2 other French couple. It’s funny how perfect strangers can have such a connection, thanks to the TE forum! I felt like I knew her! They had been there a few days already, but the weather hadn’t been the best.
Elvina is a very good cook. Not a time to be on a diet! Most breakfasts consisted of pancakes, fresh fruits, jam…and the ritual baguette! Although we had fish every night (note to people who can’t eat or don’t like fish….let them know in advance!!), the side dishes and desserts can blow any good intentions of healthy eating out the door!
We didn’t have to use the mosquito net at all; we couldn’t beg one to come in! The strong southern wind was still blowing from the lagoon side so to get a bit of protection, we had to pin down the curtains in the doorway. The curtains were actually flying horizontally inside the bungalow! Finally, by the 2nd day, the wind switched direction, now coming from the ocean side and the lagoon became very calm and almost mirror like.
After breakfast the next morning, Francis took us to Irifa beach. There is something to be said about being on a deserted stretch of blushing sand in the middle of the South Pacific. It was bliss!! There was film crew from France taping some footage for a TV show called ‘Destination Plongée’ a diving show in France. Francis came back for us at noon to bring us back to the pension for lunch. Nobody else wanted to go back to the beach in the afternoon, so Francis brought the two of us back and we were lucky to experience the beach all to ourselves for one whole afternoon. We walked from sandbar to sandbar, snorkeling and feeling every minute of this alone time, with nothing but the distant sound of the crashing waves. It was steaming hot and we managed to find the only coconut tree providing a little bit of shade on the long white beach. I was hoping Francis would forget about us…! But he didn’t!
The wind had changed direction during the night and the curtains were completely still! Yahoo! In the morning, Francis took us to snorkel the Tetamanu Pass. We saw load of fish of course, a grey shark and a leopard ray resting at the bottom. We spent some time snorkeling in front of the old village, feeding the big and friendly Napoleon fish. Some black tip reef sharks came to visit also. We visited the old village of Tetamanu. Only a few souls live there now (about 10) and there is a small pension there too. It is a bit eerie to walk around the ruins of the old church and homes that once stood there. Back to the pension for lunch: salad with blue cheese, prosciutto and….yup! baguette! After lunch, Elvina proposed to make our very own pareo, so out came the fabric, paint and bucket of water. We had so much fun! The fabric is folded in different ways to create different patterns, dipped in water then dipped in different colour of pain. It is then unfolded and laid out in the sun. At this point, shapes (made out of rubber, fish, shells, etc.) and palm leaves are placed on the fabric. Coarse salt is thrown on top and as the pareo dries in the sun, this creates an effect on the fabric. Very cool! While all the pareos were left to dry, we strolled to the ocean side to built our rock creation, sign of our passage at Raimiti. It is amazing to see the size of some of the structures!!
We woke up the next morning to another beautiful day in paradise. Flying fish and sharks were ‘playing’ in front of our bungalow. The wind was completely gone and the lagoon was almost still, only a few ripples here and there. After breakfast, we decided to take the kayaks out for a spin. We kayaked from the pension along the lagoon side to a little “piscine” (pool), a little bay between the pension and Irifa beach. It was very secluded. We had our own natural pool to enjoy for a few hours. We drifted slowly back to the pension for lunch, taking in every minute of sun, smell and the sound of swaying coconut trees in the warm breeze. I didn’t want to leave this place!
In the afternoon, Junior, Elvina, Francis and Vaihere all came with us back to Tetamanu to snorkel the pass again. We stopped at the motu Koka Koka on our way back home. Since it was our last night at Raimiti, we all decided that it was ‘Pareo Night’! We all wore the pareos we had made the day before and it was nice to have dinner all together, including Junior, Elvina, Francis, Vaihere, Yves and his wife. They usually do not mingle with the guest for meals, but we insisted. They become like family and we wanted to thank them in our own way. Junior had caught a few fish in the afternoon and cooked them on the BBQ. It was like camping with friends! The Tahitian music in the background, the pareos, the flowery drinks…ah….! It was magical!
Time to say goodbye to Raimiti. It was 6;45am and we had to have a last dip in the lagoon before leaving. The lagoon was like a mirror…and warm as soup! There was absolutely no wind and it was already hot and humid. We left at 09:30 and stopped at the Hinano Pearl farm. Couldn’t resist the temptation for another pearl..! We were then dropped off at Pension Mahana to wait for our ride to the airport. We said goodbye to our hosts, promising to return one day
Raimiti’s latest news
Junior said that there is a lot to do for the next few months. They want to build another dining room, just in front of Elvina’s kitchen. The current dining room will become a reception area. No plans for more bungalows. Florian and Eric sold Linavera and will dedicate their time solely to Raimiti. Elvina and Junior have plans to return to Elvina’s homeland (The Marquesas) in a year or so, and open their own pension.
Raimiti delivered everything it promised...Letting go of your regular life for a few days does wonders for the soul…!
Andie
Next Report: Bora Bora and Mo’orea.
_________________________
*When we can picture ourselves there, living our dreams, we know it's time...*
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#81673 - 07/23/09 02:30 PM
Re: Rangiroa/Raimiti Trip report (LONG!)
[Re: Andie]
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2376
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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Well...it WAS late...but it was worth the wait! Great report Andie. Thank you. So glad you enjoyed Raimiti. That's interesting that Florian and Eric sold the Linareva. I wonder who bought it. I'll have to check with Maluha next month to find out what's going on. I think she is supposed to be at Raimiti (visiting) for all of July. I wonder what Florian is going to do now? It'll be great if they do build a new kitchen and use the current one for a reception area. We spent many of our afternoons there just sitting at the tables reading and playing games. And it's also great there are no plans to build any more bungalows! There are already too many!
Gosh...I want to go back to Raimiti so much. It truly is a magical place, isn't it? I think there are a few other small pensions on some of the islands that would provide a similar experience. But I was so happy with our experience at Raimiti, I don't know that I'd want to bother trying some place else. I just pray when I do go back it's not super crowed like when Carrie first arrived.
Can't wait to read the next part...
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#81674 - 07/23/09 02:45 PM
Re: Rangiroa/Raimiti Trip report (LONG!)
[Re: Patti.]
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Andie
Member
Registered: 06/05/07
Posts: 403
Loc: Ottawa, Canada
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Glad you enjoyed it Patti. It was long to write, and English being my second language (I'm French!), I have to concentrate a little more.
Anywho, I understood that both Florian and Eric were to dedicate their time to Raimiti, but I might be wrong. Are you going to FP next month? Lucky you..!
_________________________
*When we can picture ourselves there, living our dreams, we know it's time...*
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#81675 - 07/23/09 02:56 PM
Re: Rangiroa/Raimiti Trip report (LONG!)
[Re: Andie]
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2376
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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??? No I'm not going next month. Probably not even next year at this rate. :-( Paul is still not working...and no job prospects on the horizon. I probably have to start chemo sometime in the fall...so I won't be going anywhere for quite a while. :-(
My Mom is going in Oct...she and my sister will be using our timeshare at CBH so it doesn't go to waste this year.
This is why I needed your trip report! I am living vicariously through the rest of you for a while.
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#81676 - 07/23/09 03:18 PM
Re: Rangiroa/Raimiti Trip report (LONG!)
[Re: Patti.]
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Andie
Member
Registered: 06/05/07
Posts: 403
Loc: Ottawa, Canada
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I'll be thinking about you and hope you'll be all better for a trip very soon. It's going to be hard to see you Mom and sister going...Grrr!
Did you get to see all my pictures? That should keep you busy for a while...!! I haven't posted Moorea yet, need to wait for August!
_________________________
*When we can picture ourselves there, living our dreams, we know it's time...*
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#81677 - 07/23/09 03:37 PM
Re: Rangiroa/Raimiti Trip report (LONG!)
[Re: Andie]
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Patti.
Expert Advisor
Registered: 03/28/04
Posts: 2376
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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Yes, I've seen all the ones you've posted so far. I'll wait (not so patiently though) for the Moorea ones. :-)
Yes, it's hard seeing them go instead of me. But...at least soemone is using our timeshare...so it's not going to waste...and...I do get to enjoy it through them.
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#81681 - 07/23/09 09:06 PM
Re: Rangiroa/Raimiti Trip report (LONG!)
[Re: Patti.]
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carrieg
Member
Registered: 04/10/06
Posts: 147
Loc: Los Angeles
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Great trip report Andie! I'm happy you had better weather at Raimiti, and such an amazing time there. It definitely makes me want to try Raimiti again, as your experience sounds like what I pictured Raimiti to be like before we got there.
I also felt like I knew you too! I'm so glad we got to share a meal and some drinks together.
I can't wait to hear about Bora Bora. Your pictures of the excursion with Patrick look amazing!
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#81690 - 07/24/09 09:05 AM
Re: Rangiroa/Raimiti Trip report (LONG!)
[Re: carrieg]
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Andie
Member
Registered: 06/05/07
Posts: 403
Loc: Ottawa, Canada
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Carrie, I'm happy to hear that you were able to download the pictures. There was a lot I know...! Did you see the one at Raimiti when all was calm??? I thought about you so much during those couple of days...It really was different from when we arrive.
Cheers!
_________________________
*When we can picture ourselves there, living our dreams, we know it's time...*
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#81770 - 07/28/09 02:04 AM
Re: Rangiroa/Raimiti Trip report (LONG!)
[Re: Andie]
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rodjune
Expert Advisor
Registered: 07/08/03
Posts: 1726
Loc: Kalama Valley, HI
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Oh, the memories that you brought back. Thanks for the great report. It's been almost four years since we were there but your account of Raimiti makes it feel like it was only yesterday.
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#82111 - 08/23/09 09:39 PM
Re: Rangiroa/Raimiti Trip report (LONG!)
[Re: rodjune]
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Suki (689)
Senior Advisor
Registered: 10/29/07
Posts: 890
Loc: ELA US of A
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wow ###FP4LIFE###
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