French Polynesia: A Sequel

Start the countdown, because on March 11, 2017 we're flying to Papeete on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia for a three week South Pacific vacation.

I originally visited Tahiti and Moorea when I was a child with my family. We did a five week house exchange in Tahiti and enjoyed every single day. I always wanted to return to French Polynesia, having fond memories of swimming every day, the beautiful climate, tropical fruit, natural beauty, and lovely people.

For our honeymoon nine years ago, we ended up going to French Polynesia. We started in Tahiti, went to Huahine, then onto Raiatea, Taha'a, and then Maupiti (all in the Society Island chain). We returned to Tahiti from our last island, Maupiti, to fly back home and have wanted to return ever since. Having ventured into some of the more remote and unspoiled French Polynesian islands we witnessed a level of natural beauty that we have not found anywhere in the world since then.

When trying to figure out where to go for one last hurrah before we have our first child (apparently some people call this a "babymoon"), we tossed around many different ideas, but just couldn't come up with something that we found satisfying until we toyed with the idea of returning to French Polynesia. Since we've wanted to return there pretty much every day since leaving, it was an appealing idea. We couldn't shake the idea and we've now taken the plunge.

We just booked our L.A. (LAX) to Papeete (PPT) flights tonight and we're in the process of arranging Victoria, BC, Canada (YYJ) to L.A. (LAX) flights and the flight pass with Air Tahiti that will allow us to visit a variety of the Society Islands (we're planning on Huahine, our favourite from last time, and Bora Bora, which we have never visited) and then some of the Tuamotu islands (we're debating which ones to visit right now).

Stay tuned for further details of our return to paradise in the South Pacific. We probably won't have internet access for some of this trip, but we will share pictures and updates when we can, because this destination really has to be seen to be believed.

Sunrise on Maupiti.

One of the many beaches on the motu in Maupiti where we stayed.

A sandbar in Maupiti.