French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)

[foto-k10]

Fantastic of the stingray at the beach!
The text will I read with a delay ...
Today big trouble with loading the pictures.

[Bong!!!]

Yes, finally, I've been able to take a decent photo (-: I mean, saw lot of them, mainly around the motus to the east of Tuharehera, but, they were gone before I was able to fish out my phone from the backpack.

[Bong!!!]

One of the reasons why I chose Fakarava Atoll was that I expected it to be the most "off the radar" of all the places I chose. I was aware that as a non-diver I miss the main attractions (for most people), but that didn't bother me so much, such places are more about the overall atmosphere and seeing and experiencing something interesting. And it can be pretty much anything.

The introduction wasn't so good, it started with me losing my phone on the plane when I shot out of my seat after landing to run to the flight attendant before everyone started getting off. Thing is, I really wanted to buy an Air Tahiti keychain. And they didn't have one on any of the flights. None of the seven or so I've flown so far. And during the flight, I forgot to ask. The keychain wasn't available on this flight either, and as an added bonus, I managed to delay the subsequent departure of that plane. On a positive note, the phone was eventually found - it fell out of my pocket onto the seat I was originally sitting on and someone took it to check in.

Lesson learned: buy hiking pants/shorts with zippered pockets and if I find an abandoned cell phone on such a flight, I'll hand it straight to the flight attendant and not to the check in desk.

And then there's the weather...

The storm started with heavy rain basically right after my arrival and gradually grew stronger. It lasted all night and the next morning it was still cloudy and the wind was blowing hard. I dare say that even by local standards it was quite a severe storm.

It was also the first time I had to lock my doors in Polynesia - because otherwise the strong wind kept opening them...

The next morning there were broken branches from trees all over the road and all in all it was quite a mess...


At the entrance to the village of Rotoava there was such a nice sign, I thought I must go there the next day and take a photo... I had no idea it would be in such a state:

Well, guess what? Maybe next time.

Of course, a photo of the airport building is not to be missed. So this time I didn't take the photo right after arrival, but afterwards, I think on the second or third day. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the plane, because I was in a hurry (accompanied by a stewardess with an umbrella) and it was raining quite a lot.


Another remnant of the storm, a yacht washed ashore. Additionally, I learned the next day in a restaurant, from another sailor, that the crew of this boat consisted of only one woman and no one else.

The main problem was said to be (I can't judge, I've never sailed) that one person could not manage all the tasks necessary to properly secure the boat in such severe weather conditions...


A signpost located approximately in the middle of the village of Rotoava, in case someone gets lost…
As you can see, the weather returned to normal quite quickly - i.e. sunny.

[Bong!!!]

By the way, I booked my accommodation about six months before departure, and it was no problem to find something nice, well located and relatively reasonably priced on any of the islands. With the exception of Fakarava. That was the only place where I felt I needed to make bookings even further in advance. A lot of places were already fully booked.

And overall, if we're talking about (decent) guesthouses as a type of accommodation, Fakarava seemed to me the most expensive of all the islands…Nothing that serious though…

I'm just going through the photos, and looking at the list of accommodations on the information sign, there's not that much available...




By the way, of the islands on the Bora-Tuamotu pass, Fakarava is considered the least busy and least developed. However, I don't think it's quite like that - I'd rank Tikehau rather first in this respect. To set the record straight, Fakarava with its 1,000 or so inhabitants is definitely not a tourist resort, just take that as a footnote. Compared to Tikehau, it's a bit more lively, there are more shops, restaurants and they're a bit bigger (especially the relatively new supermarket near the gas station), there's a bit better availability of goods and stuff.

One more thing, the only supermarket I've seen chilled beer available here - Boulangerie Havaiki had some six packs of Hinano beer in the freezer.

I wanted to show some photos from Rotoava, but it seems I've deleted quite a few... Next time I'll have to moderate my deleting, or, alternatively, take a break and start deleting photos after some time has passed...

A photo of the local church and some other photos from the village of Rotoava:




Gas station near the port, few steps from the newly built supermarket:


Something from the local classifieds:


For some reason, I was fascinated by this shop - I came across it several times on google maps during the planning process, and I thought to myself that I definitely have to check it out. I generally quite enjoy browsing small shops in places like Fakarava... Seeing what's on offer, where the goods are from, that sort of thing...

It's kind of in the middle of nowhere, about 10 km down the road south of the village of Rotoava…




Housing project at the very end of the asphalt road leading south. I have seen an identical one, in terms of architecture, on Tikehau. And now I'm wondering if there was something very similar on Mahé... When I have time, I'll try to go through the older photos... The first time I saw these houses on Tikehau, during a visit to Polynesia, my first feeling was that I had seen something like this before...



It is said that this asphalt road has been built only for the visit of the then French President - Jacques Chirac, which in the end he didn't even manage... But for a drive like this the road was fine, overall it was interesting, it didn't seem to lead anywhere, a few kilometres from Rotoava the traffic was already absolutely minimal and a car passed by once every half an hour, maybe not even that.
Source: https://www.juliaportersteele.com/fakarava




At the housing project the asphalt road ended and continued as a gravel road. I had intended to continue as far as possible, but the swollen foot was hurting a lot, so I had to turn around and return back…

[Bong!!!]

View of the north pass from the very end of the gravel road:




Probably the most famous beach on the island, PK-9, according to the kilometre marker (PK - pointe kilometrique) indicating the distance from the village of Rotoava.
The beach is relatively long, naturally divided into several sections, I never met many people there…


Some art on the way to the PK-9 beach…


Another, relatively larger beach, approximately PK-10, but in the opposite direction... To get here, you have to cross some private land, walk through some abandoned, disused compound and make your way through a grove of palm trees and bushes.


Fakarava was characterized, among other things, by the fact that the lagoon side was relatively well fenced and built up - if there was a beach in that place. But also overall. I did ignore the signs indicating private property, but then again, I didn't want to walk into someone's backyard.

Sometimes completely uninteresting plots on the outer edge of the atoll were secured with a chain and an improvised "fence". At least, uninteresting from my point of view - I thought about it quite a bit, and from a tourist's point of view I could think of absolutely no reason to go there. So I went in to see for myself and there it was - just a piece of barren coral land…

But otherwise you could find a nice beach here and there. Only, if it was some place farther away from Rotoava, you had to make your way through more or less dense vegetation. The atoll was not that narrow. Overall, I found the beaches around the southern part of the atoll more beautiful. At least according to the photos, I wasn't there personally, I cancelled my planned trip due to an injury.

Otherwise, of course, I recognize that the vast majority of tourists don't fly to Fakarava for the beaches.






Again, water was crystal clear, this is the view from the road next to the airport:

[Bong!!!]

Check out & check in and it was time to return home after three weeks. On the way back I didn't have any long layover with an overnight stay in a hotel, so I was looking at some 22 hours on the plane, not counting the layover time. Basically, I left the guesthouse on Sunday around 14:00 and arrived home on Tuesday evening. If I remember correctly.





So how would I summarize Fakarava, from the perspective of a non-diver?

I am glad that I visited Fakarava and was able to explore the atoll, or rather the main part. From a landscape point of view, it is a relatively monotonous place (I understand, it is an atoll), kind of arid wasteland. But I found Tikehau, for example, more interesting from this point of view. There is also a certain downside that if you want to see something different, you need to arrange an organized trip. I, for example, prefer more freedom, so I'm more comfortable with activities that I can plan and do myself and not have to arrange anything with anyone, or adapt to the requirements of others.

But who knows, I might’ve seen something interesting further south, or a trip to Sable Rose and the Tetamanu village would certainly be very interesting as well. Unfortunately, neither of these were quite possible for the reasons I state above. But that's purely my perspective.

However, if I were to go here again, I would definitely combine my stay in more places. I could imagine, for example, two nights in Tetamanu village and then maybe Raimiti on the way back to the main island. That combined together could be an interesting experience.

[Bong!!!]

Last few photos from the journey back.

I just had to try McDonald's in Tahiti. Finally had the time when I was waiting for my international flight.


I took a bit of a risk and scheduled the departure from Fakarava for the same day as the evening departure from Tahiti to the EU. I could have returned from Tuamotu a day earlier, but then, what with one broken day in Tahiti. Plus, I have to admit, I was getting a little tired of the constant moving...

Actually, I stayed in three places in Tahiti, two in Maupiti + then Huahine, Bora Bora, Tikehau, Fakarava... Plus all the local flights...

It was indeed active and action packed vacation (-:

Where it started, it ends. Even though it had only been 3 weeks, it felt like a long time since I had stayed in a hotel above after arriving.


I usually bring local beer as a souvenir from such trips, it's also quite a nice gift for friends & family. I was kind of wondering if it would be possible to carry it through security at SFO.

Well, in the end I didn't find out because apparently a change in cabin pressure caused one of the cans to leak and the beer was all over the place. Luckily I didn't have it in my main backpack.


There was no way it could have gone into the x-ray like that, I couldn't get it out of the tamper proof packaging either... So landfill it is... On the plane I thought I could give it to someone at the airport, but, like a typical man, I was programmed at that moment for a clear task - find the right gate and continue my journey. If a problem arises, it has to be dealt with swiftly and efficiently.

I do also collect empty beer cans - but I had that covered. Carried one empty can in my pocket from Fakarava, all the way back home. Now it’s already displayed in my collection at home.

Almost above Greenland…


In Europe I was welcomed by weather I was not used to in Polynesia.



And the very last flight… Out of… 14… I think?

[Bong!!!]

In conclusion, French Polynesia was a bit of a dream of mine and I'm so glad I was able to come here. I loved every island I visited. I saw and experienced a lot of things and met a lot of great people, both among Polynesians and other tourists. I certainly didn't leave with the feeling that I missed something.

The important question is, will I come back? For the first three months or so after my return, I thought, no... After all, it's a long journey and you have to set aside quite a lot of time for it (& money, of course ). Also to plan everything, book everything... In terms of logistics and planning, French Polynesia is quite a challenge, especially if you want to visit multiple islands and especially if any of them are among the less visited ones.

However, it has sort of settled in my head and I'll be back within the next two or three years.

The preliminary plan is that I will re-visit the Tuamotus, as I would like to see Tikehau again. Then I would probably add Rangiroa and something else, something more off the beaten track in the area... I've looked into the possibility of flying from Rangiroa to Mataiva, and that looks very interesting plus I wouldn't have to fly via Tahiti, it would be kind of a nice addition to the Lagoons pass. But, we'll see what the flight schedule is in a few years…

Also, I'd like to visit some other places in Tahiti that I couldn't include in the itinerary during this trip. And I'd probably find time to visit Moorea as well.

What else? I originally considered the Marquesas, but the more I think about it, the more I get the impression that Australes would probably suit me better…

So that’s the plan, for now.

Thanks everyone for reading!

[Suse]

Thank you for finishing your travelogue. I enjoyed reading your experiences, esp. as we will be back to Tahiti and Raivavae in March next year.

Many people find Tikehau the most beautiful, I've heard more than once. If we should go to the Tuamotus again, I would also like at least a few days there.

In the office, unfortunately, no photos are displayed to me at the moment, it's a server problem, so I must translate from memory, what I kept in mind from the lottery prizes since yesterday. The first prize was a barrel of fuel oil, then there was a night in an AirBnB, I think as the second prize, and then lots of hand-painted cloths and the last prizes were chicken in bulk. That's all I remember.

So on Fakarava you have had a variety with the weather. One doesn't necessarily need that.

You tolerated this constant moving around and changing of accommodation quite well, to my liking it would have been too much anyway, as I wrote already. But it's understandable you were a litte worn out in the end.

I remember that you have written before, this journey is a once in a lifetime experience or so and I thought, well, let's see what he says when he is back. I could have told you beforehand, you will go there again. French Polynesia is way too beautiful and diverse to go only once. You should see both, the Marquesas and the Australes. And Moorea, too, of course.

We will surely be back to Nuku Hiva in the coming years, there is much more to explore. And the sister island Ua Pou also is a must, this island is like out of a fairy tale. At least from afar.

We are looking forward to read your next travelogues! Thanks again for sharing.

[Bong!!!]

Thanks for the reading & your feedback (-:

Tikehau was such a nice surprise, I mean, I knew that I would like it, but haven't expected that it'll match almost all of my preferences (-: I'd love to see it again, preferably with the reef shoes on That place was really magic. Sometimes I've been just sitting in a kayak for an hour and just gazing into the endless blue with those little islets around, on a clear, windless day...

And thanks for the tranaslation! The only thing that makes me a bit sad is that my French is at a very low level and at the same time they don't speak much English in Polynesia, so there were quite a lot of things I was interested in and would have asked about, but unfortunately I couldn't because of the language barrier.

Yes, that was such an interesting irony overall. I mean, I picked Tuamotus as sort of an "afterthought", Society islands being my main focus. And because I assumed that due to the topology of these atolls there would be less risk of rain - insurance in case that the weather on the Society Islands didn't work out.

Well, in the end, that's where I experienced the most rain, and I ended up liking it a bit more. Which is not to say I didn't like the Society Islands, not at all, but Tuamotu ticked the boxes more.

It got a little tiring by the end, it's true, but... I need to think a bit more about what I'm going to pack and try to think of a better organization before the next trip like this. I didn't mind the moving itself so much as the fact that I was constantly looking for something in my room. I do sort my stuff into Ziploc bags, but I need to think about of some better solution.

I usually go on trips like this with a backpack that I can carry as carry-on luggage on international flights. And then I use an additional lightweight and packable backpack in the final destination - this allows me to spread my stuff out a bit more. So, on inter-island flights, I've been using larger backpack as a checked luggage & lightweigt one as a carry on...


You're indeed right about the diversity, it's absolutely amazing, even within the different island groups (hopefully I'll be able to include Mataiva in the itinerary). That's one of the reasons I finally decided to do it again. Also, I guess I still needed some time to recover from it all...

Speaking of planning, I noticed that Air Tahiti has somewhat revised their air pass offers starting next year. Somehow I'm now not getting the information loaded, including price, for individual passes... But it has time, at least in my case (-:


Looking forward to your travelogue as well, it's always a nice read (-:

[foto-k10]

May be the song for you trip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g6Hc3uzfeg

Got out of town on a boat goin' to Southern Islands.
Sailing a reach a'fore a following sea.
She was making for the trades on the outside,
And the downhill run to Papeete Bay

Off the wind on this heading lie the Marquesas.
We got eighty feet of the waterline nicely making wake.
In a noisy bar in Avalon, I tried to call you,
But on a midnight watch I realized why twice you ran away.

Think about how many times I have fallen.
Spirits are using me; larger voices callin'.
What heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten.
I have been around the world, lookin' for that woman-girl
Who knows love can endure.
And you know it will.

When you see the Southern Cross for the first time,
You understand now why you came this way.
'Cause the truth you might be runnin' from is so small,
But it's as big as the promise, the promise of a comin' day.

So I'm sailing for tomorrow. My dreams are a-dying.
And my love is an anchor tied to you, tied with a silver chain.
I have my ship, and all her flags are a-flying.
She is all that I have left, and music is her name.

Think about how many times I have fallen.
Spirits are using me; larger voices callin'.
What heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten.
I have been around the world, lookin' for that woman-girl
Who knows love can endure.
And you know it will.
And you know it will.

So we cheated and we lied and we tested.
And we never failed to fail; it was the easiest thing to do.
You will survive being vested.
But somebody fine will come along make me forget about loving you
In the Southern Cross.

[Bong!!!]

Thanks for the tip, I'll put it on my playlist for my next trip, it'll be a cool change from Rammstein.

But other than that, I occasionally listened to the soundtrack to the perfect BBC documentary, "South Pacific", by David Mitcham.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgpoPseMfgk