#88523 - 01/23/11 02:29 PM
Tahiti trip this April
|
B66556679
Junior Member
Registered: 06/07/09
Posts: 19
Loc: England
|
Hi,
I'm heading to French Polynesia this April for about 2 and a half weeks and I'm not really sure on how to divide my time!
I'm pretty set on heading to Rangiroa for the Tiputa Pass diving, but I'm not really sure how long to stay there or where to go after that. I'll probably end up getting an air pass just to save money, but would look into booking individual flights if necessary. I would love to see Bora Bora but I don't really know what to do!! I'll be staying in pensions and doing it as cheap as possible as it's part of a RTW trip by myself. I'm also heading there in April, so was just wondering what the weather would be like around then too??
Any help would be appreciated!
Ben
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#88527 - 01/23/11 05:44 PM
Re: Tahiti trip this April
[Re: B66556679]
|
Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2369
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
|
Let's assume 17 nights and you need to spend the first or last night on Tahiti (because of flights). That's the length of our last trip to FP and we spent 5 nights on Moorea (if you're alone and need budget accommodations, you could stay in the dormitory where we stayed--Pension Motu Iti). Moorea is an amazing, lush, mountainous island with a very nice lagoon and there's lots to do and see on the island. We then spent 5 nights on Huahine (a wilder, more natural island..more like the FP of days gone by). If you go there, Chez Guynette is cheap for a single traveller. You could substitute Bora Bora if you'd prefer (I don't have any recommendations for cheap accommodation--maybe someone else here can). The lagoon of Bora Bora is amazing (as is the view of the island from some of the motus). Then we headed to Fakarava in the Tuamotus (like Rangiroa) and spent 6 nights in a Robinson Crusoe-type setting. Since you might only get to FP once, I'd suggest 4 nights on Moorea, 4 on Huahine, 4 on Bora Bora and 4 on Rangiroa (plus the first or last night on Tahiti, depending on your flights). I think spending less than 4 nights on an island is a bit rushed (4 nights gives you 3 full days on each island to settle in and explore). As for weather, it should be fantastic in April (but there are no guarantees any time of year...just remember any rain is usually pretty warm and you can still walk, swim, snorkel, etc.).
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#88535 - 01/24/11 06:52 AM
Re: Tahiti trip this April
[Re: Old Wife]
|
B66556679
Junior Member
Registered: 06/07/09
Posts: 19
Loc: England
|
Thank you, that's really helpful!! I hope I'll be able to get back to FP in the future, as I'm pretty sure I'll love it, but want to get a good taster of what it's like on this trip, and see both the high islands and the atolls, so that sounds like a good plan! Would you recommend booking flights between the islands/accommodation before I get there, or do you think I'll be OK to just get to Tahiti and sort it out then? I know April's not the high tourism season, so I'm assuming that should be OK? I can speak pretty good French as well, which I hope will help!
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#88536 - 01/24/11 07:24 AM
Re: Tahiti trip this April
[Re: B66556679]
|
Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2369
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
|
Good question. I guess it depends on how frantic you want to be when you get there! Pension Motu Iti's dorm sleeps a lot of people so I can't see that one being booked up, but the other places? I'd worry most about Rangiroa...it might be more limited in inexpensive accommodations. Personally, I like to know where I'm staying ahead of time. Taking time out of my vacation to phone around and find somewhere to stay doesn't appeal to me. Speaking French is really going to help you, especially the further you get from Tahiti (and the further from the resorts).
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#88537 - 01/24/11 09:04 AM
Re: Tahiti trip this April
[Re: Old Wife]
|
B66556679
Junior Member
Registered: 06/07/09
Posts: 19
Loc: England
|
OK, I'll keep that in mind! Have you heard anything about the Pension Te Nahe Toe Toe in Huahine?? Looking at its website it looks pretty good, and although a bit more expensive than Chez Guynette, you get free bikes and dugouts which would be really handy for me!! I've seen somewhere called Nanua Camping in Rangiroa which has quite cheap little bungalows as well as the campsite, so I'll see if I can book that before I get there!
Thanks again!
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#88538 - 01/24/11 10:00 AM
Re: Tahiti trip this April
[Re: B66556679]
|
Old Wife
Expert Advisor
Registered: 02/21/03
Posts: 2369
Loc: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
|
No, I don't, but try doing a search here for it (I think it's been discussed before).
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#88539 - 01/24/11 10:02 AM
Re: Tahiti trip this April
[Re: B66556679]
|
Poehere
Expert Advisor
Registered: 08/18/07
Posts: 2362
Loc: FP
|
IMHO te Nahe Toe Toe is not worth even to be visited by a dog, the website might look ok or even nice, reality is pretty terrible...!
Ben if you have so many days, getting an airpass would really serve you in terms of $$$wise and to hop around. So if you were to buy a pass Bora Bora - Tuamotu, you could see a couple of different islands in each archipel.
Lodgingwise, April is very quiet period and most hotels and pensions are empty screaming for business so I would not worry too much about that.
Weatherwise... with so many climate changes all over the planet I would not worry about that either. After April it is getting into the dryer and cooler season that being sort of our autumn without the falling leafs but très agréable!
_________________________
* with sunshine *
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#88542 - 01/24/11 10:39 AM
Re: Tahiti trip this April
[Re: Poehere]
|
B66556679
Junior Member
Registered: 06/07/09
Posts: 19
Loc: England
|
OK, thanks for the advice, I'll give that place a miss then! I think I'll go for Chez Guynette or I've seen a place called Au Motu Mahare, which is a bit more expensive but looks pretty nice!
Can you buy the airpasses in Tahiti? Or should I book it before I get there, as I arrive at about midnight and intent to just stay at the airport and then leave for Moorea first thing in the morning.
Yeah, I was in Australia for 4 months before Christmas and the weather was all over the place - it rained all the time during the 'dry' season, so I figured I wouldn't pay too much attention to weather!
One last question! Is the diving in Bora Bora worthwhile? I definitely want to go dive the Tiputa Pass in Rangiroa, but was wondering whether it's worth doing a couple of dives in BB too? Thank you very much!
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#88544 - 01/24/11 11:28 AM
Re: Tahiti trip this April
[Re: B66556679]
|
Poehere
Expert Advisor
Registered: 08/18/07
Posts: 2362
Loc: FP
|
Ben concerning the airpasses you should know the following:
You may buy them locally, it is a different rate (54800 cfp and you have to be physically present in FP to buy at that rate, your luggage allowance is limited to 10 kg (you can take more but will pay the excess). There's an Air Tahiti agency right at the airport. Best is to figure out a workable schedule before.
The pass mentioned above in my previous post will give you the right to visit (not necessarily in this order...):
Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Maupiti (Society islands) and Rangiroa, Tikehau, Manihi, Fakarava and Ahe (Tuamotu archipelago). In order to qualify for the pass you need to visit at least 2 islands in each archipelago.
You could do whichever archipelago first, up to you... meaning you could go to the Tuamotu's first and Society islands after (you'd have to fly back to Tahiti for doing so)
You could also choose to do the Society islands first and take a flight out of BB to Rangiroa or Tikehau etc and then returning to Tahiti at the end.
Diving in BB is very nice too, there's a couple of nice diving sites outside the reef which are still pretty good, there's one called the Anau area but with all the construction that has gone on over the past years it is soso (used to be a manta ray meeting spot) but my personal preference is the Tuams. Indeed the Tiputa pass is an experience that will last a lifetime!!
While in Rangiroa you may want to check out the "feo's" on the south side of the atoll, huge fosilized coral formations sticking up in the air as well as go to the Blue Lagoon area on the west side and on the far east end is an area called Vahituri with beautiful pink sand...
_________________________
* with sunshine *
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
|
#88545 - 01/24/11 11:44 AM
Re: Tahiti trip this April
[Re: Poehere]
|
B66556679
Junior Member
Registered: 06/07/09
Posts: 19
Loc: England
|
Thank you!! I reckon I might leave the airpass until I'm there then - I'm aiming to be travelling with only hand luggage by this time so hopefully the 10kg won't be a problem!
What would you recommend doing with my time as I'd have to visit two islands in each archipelago? Maybe Tahiti - Moorea - Bora Bora - Rangiroa - Tikehau (or Fakarava?) - Tahiti? Would I miss out by not going to Huahine? I'd love to do Maupiti, but the lack of regular flights kind of stops me from visiting there, so I think Moorea and Bora Bora are my best bets for the Societies. I know Bora Bora is pretty expensive, but I've read you can stay at the Pension Lagoonarium which has a dorm?
|
|
Top
|
|
|
|
Moderator: BarbiJKM, hamara, DenverJoe, Poehere
|
6923 Members
15 Forums
10259 Topics
91469 Posts
Max Online: 118 @ 04/08/12 01:59 PM
|
|
0 registered
and 6 anonymous users online.
|
|
|
