4. May - 11. June 2002 French Polynesia, Cook Islands and Fiji Islands
Nadi 24.5.02
Dear family, friends, colleagues and other travellers,
today I arrived in Fiji and again I have experienced a lot of adventures
since I left New Zealand only 3 weeks ago.
I arrived in Tahiti from Auckland only on the 4 th of May at 1 am in the
middle of the night.
Everyone I wrote or emailed to said stay at the airport because Tahiti is
very expensive and a Taxi into town costs a lot of money that you might to
spent in other things.
So I stayed at the airport using my Airmatress which I got from my
colleagues 8 months ago for the very first time. (I already had thought of
sending it home before that night, also my backpack increased it's weight
now to 20.5 Kilos)
However it was a not very nice night.
Then with the first bus (le truck how they are called in Tahiti) I drove
into Papeete town and was quite disapointed because this town is quite
smelly, dirty and full of concrete houses.
I had made a reservation in the only hostel in Papeete by phone from
Auckland and after I fould the place I had to wait until 9 am until the
owner was awake. But I could put my backpack inside so that I didn't had to
carry it arround with me for the next 3 hours.
Then I explored Papeete and got a little bit more used to the place.
When I got back to the hostel the women who owned the place took me to a
bunk bed in a 6 bed dorm which was not very nice and I payed my 2000 CFP for
the one night which is arround 20 US$ (so not too cheap compared to
Australia and NZ but, welcome to Tahiti!
I was told before that French Polynesia are the most expensive islands in
the south Pacific area so it was not a surprise.
I went out again to explore Papeete town went to the market where they sell
lots of Black Pearls and the shells from that , carved and also colourful
sarongs, clothes and vegetables and fruits.
I got back to the hostel in the afternoon and met Kevin a traveller from the
United States and realised that I was the only woman in this dormitory with
5 other men, 3 french speaking French or Tahitians, Kevin and as we found
out later Steffen a "youngster" from Germany (Hi Steffen wo steckst Du?) He
had a great story why is spent 3 weeks all together in Tahiti after he
travelled for several months through south america and Kevin is really going
around the world in one year (he touches every continent) but Tahiti was his
first stop and I think he was as dissapointed as I was when he got there,
and he didn't speak any french what the people speak there.
We met and were talking a lot that evening and made the plan that Moorea
should be nicer (I had Postcards from Moorea where people swim on the beach
with stingrays) and that we move to Moorea the next day by ferry.
And that was a very good decision.
I made some phone calls (trying to remember my not much used french from
school) to find out if the "places to stay" from my lonely planet had any
space and how we could get arround the island.
Then next morning it was just too easy.
We took the ferry and got on le truck in Moorea and went to the west side of
the island where I expected the stingray place.
We arrived at Moorea camping and decided to rent a very nice hut for 3
nights which cost us all 9000 CFP for one night so 30 US$ per person per
night.
The beach was nice and a little store was around the corner, we had a
bathroom and kitchen to cook on for ourself and everything was quite nice.
The food was still expensive but it was much better to spent lots of money
for nice things rather than for staying in this terrible hostel in Papeete.
In the evening we went to buy some food and had some beers at one of the
local bars and Kevin cooked a very nice dinner as far as I remember.
Everyone of us was happy about the place we were staying, the nice hut and
the beach.
On the next day Steffen and I went to a shark dive (without shark feeding)
but we saw sharks when we drove out in the boat, which was quite scary and
to go into the water while the sharks were circling around us was even a
good strech for me.
They didn't come very close which was good either because they were quite
big but they were not at all agressive or weird and it was an amazing dive.
The evening we spent with some Canadians and a group of young people who
were travelling on a cruiseship boat from island to island.
The next day we were booked onto a snorcheling trip.
When we (about 25 people) people entered the little boat it started to rain
so heavy.
Then we drove along the coast to a place where immediately some black tip
reef sharks were circling arround us.
Not as big as the ones we saw while diving but they were very close.
It took a while until we got into the water and put on our snorchling gear
and everyone was full of adrenalin.
Then our crew started to through food into the water and the sharks started
to eat. It was very exciting and I am glad I took my underwater camera with
me, although the pictures are not that brilliant. But the atmosphere was
exciting and I am not sure how dangerous it is, although the driver of the
boat said nothing has ever happened with the sharks, no one ever got
attacket by them.
After a while we all got back into the boat and drove to the next place
where lots of stingrays were waiting for us.
That was really wonderful.
They come so close and liked to be touched and swam all arround us.
We got fish to feed them and their skin is very soft and as you can see on
some pictures some were quite big.
I really liked it to play with them and feed them.
They don't sting and they have no teeth so they cannot bite.
After this amazing experience we went to a little island, got a beautiful
lunch with lots of local fruits and I even learned how to open a coconut.
These 3 days were really wonderful and I will keep them im my mind when I
think of French Polynesia.
We decided to go back to Tahiti and rent a car for one day before we all
leave Tahiti and so we did, took the ferry next day back to Papeete, went to
the Airport and got a nice little car for again 9500 CFP (for 3 people it
was affordable, alone I would have never taken it).
We drove to the Gaugin Museum which was a bit dissappointing because there
was only one original picture from him and to a world surf competition in
Teara. We didn't saw much from the surfer because they were too far away
from the beach but some children were dancing in traditional dresses and we
could try some local food like grilled fish, breadfruit and different
fruits. That was the highlight of our tour around the island which was not
as half as nice as Moorea for me.
v
However we did it and the night after our island roundtrip we again spent
the night at the airport with lots of beer to stay awake, because the plane
was only at 3.55 am. I really don't understand why all these planes arrive
and depart always in the middle of the night.
However I got to Rarotonga and more about that later.
Kevin and Steffen went on to Fiji and I spent 2 weeks on the Cook Islands.
Nadi 4.6.02
Okay back again on the cheap internet place I have to continue my
travelstory.
On the Cook Islands I stayed at Aremango Guesthouse where I met Gibba from
Italy (see www.gibba.it) also travelling in this area and a very good cook.
Her teached me hov to make 2 different pasta sauces and a nice sizilian
salat with oranges and spring onions. Yummy!
Also I met there a nice german couple Ute and Ralf with her 2 boys Till (5)
and Jan (3).
v
We spent a nice time on the beach with windsurfing and at the sails
restaurant with a wonderful raw tuna-fish salat in Lime and coconut milk
called Ika Mata.
It was a very relaxed time for me and after Ralf and Ute left Rarotonga I
started with my scuba diving in Rarotonga.
A beautiful area with Visibilities of 40 meter and more on nearly every
dive.
We saw some fish at the first dive 2 sharks lying at the bottom at ca. 70
meters far too deep for us.
v
I also went on a game fishing trip with Gibba, and Peter and Ellen from
Germany who live now in New Zeeland
We were boating around Rarotonga for 5 hours and got not even one fish which
was very dissappointing.
Hi Gibba, Ellen and Peter hope you are all well and happy in NZ!
Then I booked a 4 days trip to Aitutaki another island of the Cook Islands
with a big Lagoon and there I met Terry, Sandy and Conny and Hans who got
married some days before in Rarotonga.
We had a great time, I did one dive on Aitutaki just to see how it is there
and the visibility was great too.
I also made a Lagoon cruise and spent a day on the beach with collecting
shells.
Back in Rarotonga I went to the AIrport to pick up Kevin from Fiji and the
next day we went on a dive together and in the evening we joined a Cook
Island dance and buffet which was really nice. I am glad we did that Kevin,
although my pictures didn't came out too well.
However Kevin told me where to go in Fiji a Place called Pacific Harbour
where he got his dive certificate.
So when I arrived in Nadi I called the Dive Connection people and told them
that Kevin recommended them to me.
Next day I took the bus to Pacific Harobour and went into a really nice
Appartment for myself with kitchen and bathroom quite Luxury after 8 months
in a dorm always with other people.
Next day I started my Advanced Course with Matia who was really great.
Atu was the captain of the boat and we went into a wreck, made the deep dive
to 42 meters athe Shark Fin Passage where lots of White Tip, Black Tip and
Bullsharks were circling around us.
And the night dive with Matia was also a wonderful experience.
Lots of red soft corals seastars a shrimp and several other species.
I decided to stay longer in Pacific Harbour and since yesterday when I did
15 dives with them.
So my thanks to Ed and Leagh, Rina, Maggie and Mary as well as to the crew,
divemasters and captains John, Jim and all the others but especially to Atu
and Matia. I will stay in contact with you!
Nadi 11.06.02
So nun mal einen Abschnitt in Deutsch.
Ich schaffe es nicht Bilder ins Netz zu stellen (Internet ist hier recht
teuer und langsam) und dieser Text ist schon so lang.
Ich muss ihn jetzt also mal abschicken sonst wird das nie was und es wird
fuer Euch zu langweilig so viel zu lesen.
Na de letzten Tage habe ich nicht viel zu schreiben.
Ich war 7 Tage auf einer der Yasawa Inseln hab in meiner Haengematte am
Strand herumgehangen und 2 Buecher mal wieder in Deutsch verschlungen
Wir sind in der Oarsman Bay Lodge voll verpflegt worden und der Strand war
klasse und schnorcheln auch und 2 mal Tauchen war auch sehr schoen.
Nun bin ich also super erholt und fit fuer weitere Abenteuer auf den Samoa
Inseln wo ich heute Abend eintreffen werde.
Ich hab mich schon mal durch den Reisefuehrer gelesen und viele Ideen und Besichtiungstips bekommen.
Und ich hoffe dort auf weniger Touristen denn Fiji ist doch touristisch
ziemlich ueberlaufen.
Also demnaechst mehr und Fotos dann spaeter wenn ich wieder daheim bin.
Alles Liebe an alle von Gabi
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