Fun in French Polynesia

The week or so since my last post has been entirely full of great and completely new experiences. With a day and a half in a resort in Papeete, then seven days aboard a wonderful cruise ship called the Wind Spirit, there has been far too much fun to easily sum up in a single post here. As somebody who has never been on a cruise before, especially not an all inclusive travel package like this, I was overwhelmed with luxury in the best way. As the aforementioned part of my trip comes to a close, I am extremely grateful to my incredible Grandma Vicky who invited me, the kind and professional staff onboard the ship (and every other step of the way), and of course all of the other wonderful passengers I was lucky enough to get to know.

The resort (pictured below) marked a wonderful beginning to the trip, with not only two pools but a saltwater lagoon complete with tropical fish and coral. I was able to swim, enjoy the incredible views, and eat lots of delicious food. A particular standout was the national dish of French Polynesia, called “poisson cru” or “ia ota”. It is made similarly to ceviche, using the acid from limes to cook raw fish and accompanying vegetables (tomato, onion, cucumber, in particular). Then, coconut milk is added to the mixture to mellow the acidity. Unsurprisingly, the fish is always remarkably fresh, and came together with the other ingredients in a way that I really enjoyed. Our time staying on dry land was rounded out nicely by a walk around the local neighborhood with my grandmother, where we found and picked a few ripe mangoes from a tree, and were gifted fresh papaya from a local man’s garden. After thanking him profusely in spotty french, we returned to the hotel and enjoyed our last evening before we embarked.

The next day, we had breakfast at the resort, and were taken on a tour of some cultural sites and caves on the island of Tahiti. Then, we were taken to the local port where our bags awaited us, and stepped onto the Wind Spirit (pictured below, at anchor in Bora Bora) for the first time. Due to inclement conditions at sea, the captain decided to keep us in port for the first night, and depart early in the morning. Of course, this didn’t stop any of the new passengers from getting comfortable and enjoying the first of many delicious dinners aboard (not to mention the open bar!). With us still in port, the captain also decided to postpone her official welcome reception until the next evening, so after dinner with my parents and grandmother, the night was mostly spent settling in and becoming acquainted with the staff and other passengers.

The next morning, I awoke to the boat rocking across the waves, and made it to the deck just in time to watch us pull into a beautiful bay in Moorea (Early morning approach pictured below). Entirely awestruck, my family and I elected to stay near the boat for the day, swimming in crystal clear water, jumping in from the boat’s marina located all the way towards the stern. With the day’s meals, we all quickly realized that the food would be consistently delicious and varied, and started to brace ourselves for a week full of great dining and entirely absent of any hunger.

After a beautiful day in Moorea, we set off again for a long night on the ocean. Continuing the trend, so followed day after day of breathtaking island views, beautiful nature above and below the water, and decadent food and drink. Though every moment was truly incredible, there were a number of wonderful highlights throughout the experience. I was able to enjoy the best snorkeling and coral reefs I have ever seen in the lagoon of Bora Bora, see the inner workings of Vanilla and Pearl farms in Huahine, and participate in two different days spent primarily on private Motus (small coral islands, almost sand bars, located all around the larger volcanic ones). This included numerous leis, an opportunity to dance with local performers (pictured alongside me below), watch a fire show and so much more. Of course, all of this was set against a backdrop of beautiful tropical vistas, and fueled by delicious food.

There are so many more wonderful stories pictures and experiences I have been able to collect over the last several days, but it feels impossible to single out any in particular. Suffice to say, I feel overwhelmingly lucky to have been a part of this wonderful journey through French Polynesia, to have shared this with my family, and to have met so many wonderful people along the way. (To anybody from this trip who makes it here, thank you so much for your interest, support, and kindness at every step!!) Now, watching the sun move across the South Pacific sky for the last time in a while, I am missing my parents deeply as they head off for their own little adventure before returning home. I am missing all of my loved ones back in California and the United States. I am missing, for some proactively, the people I met here for the first time. I am scared and excited, bracing for a 2am flight, once again across the Pacific, to wake up in New Zealand on the morning of March 11 (the date line is weird!). Most of all, I am excited to set off on the next step of this journey, and so deeply grateful that I get to share this with each and every one of you. Thank you for being here.