Waikiki Beach

We flew to Hawaii overnight and arrived exhausted in Waikiki Beach at dawn. We are staying at the Hilton Hawaiin Village - an absolutely huge resort right on the beach. While still very beautiful, it is very different from the quiet peaceful atmosphere of Moorea. Waikiki is all activity, hotel towers and thousands of people.
A different yet exciting experience!

Moorea Pearl Resort

Our accommodation on Moorea was wonderful - certainly made me rethink the resort experience! The accommodation was luxurious,  the amenities were superb and the views were mind blowing! We had both sunrise and sunset views from our over-water bungalow.  And the mahi mahi and swordfish were amazing!

Jet Ski Birthday Adventure

Below are some pictures taken by our guide when we went on a jet ski tour on Bruce's birthday. I was a little nervous at first but it turned out to be so much fun! We toured both of Moorea's beautiful bays then went snorkelling in the lagoon.  We saw many incredible fish including black tip sharks and we were able to pet the stingrays.

Final Day in Moorea

We spent our final day in Moorea doing an island circle tour and relaxing at the resort. On our tour, we visited an agricultural school, a pineapple plantation, Tahitian temple ruins and many scenic lookouts. We will be sorry to leave this paradise but we fly to Honolulu tomorrow.

Moorea, Tahiti- Paradise Found!!!

I know I have raved about locations in this blog before, but unequivocally,  Moorea is the most spectacular place we have ever seen. We ended the cruise in Papeete, Tahiti yesterday and took the ferry over to the island of Moorea. The cruise was great but we had had enough after 32 days. We are now staying at the Moorea Pearl Resort in an over-water bungalow for three nights. It has been a long time dream to stay in one of these thatched luxury cabins and it has not been a disappointment.

This resort is French casual chic and gorgeous! Our cabin is totally private with a beautiful terrace facing the surf break and a glass floor to watch the sea life. We also have a ladder that allows us private access to the lagoon for swimming and snorkelling.  We saw a sea turtle right off our porch on arrival and there are all sorts of beautiful fish swimming around us.

Today was Bruce's birthday and  we celebrated by going on a jet ski excursion to a lagoon where we swam with stingrays and black tip sharks. Pictures will follow in an additional post. It was totally amazing.

Meanwhile, we are enjoying resting, relaxing and swimming in the spectacular infinity pool!

French Polynesia - Bora Bora

The last two days have been spent in the most spectacular location of our trip - Bora Bora. This island was the first of three that we will see in French Polynesia and it was everything we ever dreamed it would be. The colour of the water in the lagoons was a variety of brilliant turquoise and aquamarine. So lovely!
During our time here, we circled the island on a boat tour, went snorkelling in the lagoon, explored the island on a 4 x 4 tour, ate two marvellous meals at Bloody Mary's and learned about the black pearl industry. Fantastic!
Tomorrow, we disembark in Papeete, Tahiti and will take a ferry to the island of Moorea for a three night stay.