Posted by Niels on March 02, 2007

DAY 10  A Tropical Hike

It's strange but the highest peak often calls out to me. So your slightly crazy photographer decided to climb the highest mountain/rock on Maupiti, Mt. Teurafaatiu - all 380 meters (~1300 ft) of it. Doesn't sound like much, does it? But when you add the tropical temperature and humidity to the mix and discover that the trail requires both hands and feets half the time, it becomes a bit more challenging ;).

I set out mid-morning from the coastal (and only) road and found the first part of the trail in fairly good condition. For the first 15 minutes I walked in the welcoming shade of the canopy, occassionally crossing grassy, treeless areas. The intense heat required me to stop regularly to catch my breath and have some water, 'cause it was hard to keep up with the rate the fluids were running from my back. After a while the trail became more rocky and often I needed to scramble up some steep bits holding onto anything that felt strong and stable enough.
I thought I had reached the top when a giant stone outcrop appeared, but as it later turned out, this was only the half way point. From here on, the trail followed a ridge and climbed higher, requiring more scrambling up narrow paths and steep rocks. About an hour after I had started, I reached the windy top and the views from there were absolutely fantastic!

A little wind and a huge dropoff do not stop your photographer from getting the shot so you can enjoy the view too! (See the pictures included with this post)

The way down was - as is often the case - equally hard, if not harder, than the way up. When I did finally reach the village, the cold coke I bought never tasted better :).

Posted by Amy on March 02, 2007

DAY 7  An Unwelcome Guest

We had a rough first week here in French Polynesia, but the peak was definitely waking up to find a stranger entering our room at 2am!

We were sleeping in our room at a pension on Maupiti when I awoke to a shuffling noise and saw a man entering our room through a window. I bolted upright, threw back the curtain, and swore loudly at the intruder who, luckily, turned and went out the window without any of our things. I didn't sleep much after that!!

In the morning, after breakfast, we explained to the owner of the pension that we could not stay our intended 4 days because of the incident and not feeling safe. She understood and said it was a somewhat common occurrance by a certain local person who has mental problems. Yikes! She set off to tell the local authorities (uh, what authorities?!) and to talk to the suspected intruder's parents as it is a small island. We set off to get off the island.

After a few calls, we were able to arrange to be picked up and taken to a motu Tiapaa, just a short boatride away, in search of some peace and relaxation!

Posted by Amy on March 02, 2007

DAY 6  The Route Less Traveled

You know you are off the beaten track when you find yourself deep within the inner workings of a city; surrounded by industrial buildings and shipyards, where it is obvious no other tourists regularly venture by the way people stop everything and look at you like you are from another planet.

The locals that we told our intention of taking the cargo ship to laughed and said we were crazy. Even the woman who arranged the boat transport for us said she would never use the boat. How comforting! I thought, "Oh Shit" and I think Niels was all the more pleased seeing that we really were far off the tourist track.

At 2:30PM we boarded the Tahiti Nui VI. Our 19 hour journey aboard this cargo ship was about to begin. We were shown a spot on deck of the upper level in between several mattresses and settled in with our packs in our 5'x6' space. The first few hours passed and with the help of motion sickness medicine, we were quite comfortable. We settled in for the night on the rust laden, super creaky, hunk of junk. It wasn't until a short while later that we realized how rough this method of travel could be.

As the rain poured and came at us from all sides, we rushed to get our packs and ourselves better undercover. Feeling green from all of the exhaust that was venting right where we were as well as completely drenched, I said, "We are NEVER doing this again on deck".

Luckily, the rain didn't last all night and by barricading ourselves with mattresses, we were able to sleep off and on. A few times I awoke and however uncomfortable, I had never seen the stars so vividly. It looked as if the sky was literally 3D. The sea was black as was the sky and there wasn't a light to be seen. If I stuck out my hand, it seemed as if I could grab a handful of stars.

At about 8AM we saw the island of Maupiti and made it there shortly thereafter. I was quite happy to be on solid ground!

Posted by Niels on February 21, 2007

DAY 5  A far cry from paradise

If Papeete, Tahiti makes you think of romantic South Pacific scenes, then I have to set you straight. This place is not worth your time, not even an hour of it.
Think overcrowded French city coupled with frantic all day traffic and accompanying exhaust. How wrong I was expecting a laid-back atmoshpere in a lush, tropical setting. The spectacular, verdant green jagged mountain peaks that look so appealing from down here in the town are practically unattainable for those of us on a budget and without a set of wheels. We'll have to do some island walks elsewhere.

Luckily, not all is bad since with this town also come transportation options. From Papeete's large harbour all island groups are served.
After we returned from Moorea Monday morning, we set out to find information on the different cargo ships that serve the outer islands. I can assure you that is not a straightforward undertaking, especially when one does not speak much French. Sometimes though, the planets align and you find someone that actually speaks English and can help you get on a cargo ship to one of the least visited and least touristy of the Society Islands: Maupiti.

So, last we heard, a cargo ship that normally does not take (foreign) passengers, will take us later today! We'll be the only paying passengers and we'll have to sleep on deck and bring our own food and water, but after the stuffy, outrageously overpriced accomodation we've been staying in, that actuallt sounds like a blessing. Now we only have to hope that the weather holds out as the passage through the reef at Maupiti is only navigable at calm seas. Boats have had to turn around we've been told.

Maupiti has no real hotels or internet cafes, so our next post may be a while, but no less eventfull probably...

Posted by Niels & Amy on February 18, 2007

DAY 1  On location in Moorea, French Polynesia

We're starting the adjustment process...it is sweltering here, but beautiful. Even with the best preparations, we managed to get eaten alive by mosquitos and sunburned today in just a matter of minutes.

After arriving in Papeete, Tahiti we caught the ferry to Moorea and once we arrived, set upon the task of figuring out where we could crash for the next 2 nights or so. We got lucky on the 3rd try just as the packs and heat were starting to get the best of us, and we have a nice, modest bungalow, at a superb location for a low price - how nice :).

On our walk to this internet cafe, some very welcome raindrops fell for a while. We've can't remember the time we have been so happy to have rain as it finally lowered the temperature from super hot to just plain hot.

We've included a few pictures from today, eventhough we hardly moved more than a mile from our accommodation as we are both quite exhausted. We're both very happy to be here though!