Well landed and then waited and waited and waited for my bag, Toby had got his and had gone through to find us a cheapy hotel. My bag wasn't on the turntable - not a nice feeling so i went to the lost baggage office where they told me it had not left Auckland and to let them know where we were staying so they could drop it off. Problem was i didn't know so had to go and find Toby then come back and sort something out. So we spent the next 20mins trying to phone up all the cheapy hostels to no avail. Did eventualy find one and booked 2 dorm beds then informed the baggage people that we would come back and pick up my bag as we were only staying opposite the airport.

We then spent another 30mins trying to find the place and i was so tired and hungry...... lucky have it, a car pulled up and a lovely couple asked if they could help, they then spent ages driving us around to locate the darn place. We did get there eventutally and we couldn't thank them enough. They said they had some tickets to a big concert/festival being held in honour of the President, Jacques Chirac who was in town the next day. They said they would drop us off some tickets Sunday afternoon and take us in if we wanted. Now how bloody good is that? only been in the Country a couple of hours and we were being looked after already by some lovely people.

The place where we had arranged to stay was like something out of a film - more of a comedy/horror as it was very run down and was basically a room off of a house. The couple who owned the place seemed very friendly so we sat down with them to have a broken conversation whilst they steadily worked their way through a bottle of whiskey getting drunker and drunker by the minute. We went back down to the airport at 11.30pm and sat around for 30mins to wait for my bag which thankfully did turn up. We then went back to the hostel where on inspection of my very sorry looking and squashed bag i found my shampoo had burst and gone everywhere - fantastic.

We decided to sit up with the couple for a bit longer whilst i had some noodles which i had bought with me from Fiji, just in case...... i'm so glad i did as there was no chance of getting any food that time of night. The couple were now blindly drunk and kept asking us if we had paid and how many of us were staying in the room, we thought it best to now go to bed and leave them singing to each other. The room had no glass in the window so all the mossies were in having a party. I didn't put my ear plugs in just so i could hear if the mossies were around my ears which meant i could hear him still singing right outside our window and her chucking up in the garden - nice. About 30mins of us being in our room trying to sleep they both kept staggering in intermittently to ask if we had paid?? yes we have paid so bugger off. They obviously got bored of us and went to pick on a poor Spanish guy staying in the house who was getting equally pissed off with them which in turn sent the drunk gut into a rage thinking he was having a go at his wife, poor bugger got dragged off outside and accused of not paying even though the Spanish guy explained that they had picked him up from the airport and he had paid then! they started a big row with the poor guy who just wanted to go back to bed as it was now about 2am.

The Spanish guy left early in the morning, funnily enough...

The now hungover couple were all dolled up for church in their best whites and drinking gallons of water and looking quite sheepish. They did show us where the tea and coffee and French bread and Jam lived so we could help ourselves to some b'fast which was a blessing as we didn't have anything with us. We then went down to catch the bus 'Le Truck' into Papeete to the information centre which was shut as was everything in town because of the Sabbath. We then went to find a supermarket to stock up but ended up going up and down on the truck trying to find something open but seemed to turn up 10 mins too late as they shut around lunch time. At least it gave us an opportunity to sight see around the area and found it to be a beautiful place, lots of money obviously and the size of some of the yacht moored up on the harbour were the size of a small island! It was clean and full of colour, the weather was gorgeous and the scenery spectacular. The French influence was obviously very strong, the buildings etc and the cost of everything!

Well we didn't get to the supermarket in the end but did end up at a market mostly dealing with fruit and veg and livestock. It was nothing like our markets as it was so clean and full of colour, they decorate everything with flowers and palm leaves. Actually that was one of the first things i noticed when arriving in the airport was the most wonderful smell of flowers everywhere,everyone was wearing the garlands of franzipan flowers and they were selling hundreds of them. We purchased a couple of bananas and some tomato's and i had a lovely ice-cream.

There was a very posh hotel just opposite the market on the sea front and i was desperate for a wee so we popped in and checked the place out and went out the back outside to find them hosting a dancing and singing group who were really good, the women were stunning especially one of them who had hair down to her knees.

When we got back to the hostel we just caught Rama and Sebastian who had been dropping off a couple of tickets as promised for us. We arranged for them to come back at 3 to pick us up so we rushed in for a cold shower and to put some half decent clothes on for the occasion.

They came and picked us up as arranged and we stopped off at a supermarket which was open and happened to be the very same place i said we should try but Toby had said it wasn't a shop.... mmm not listening to him any more. We all stocked up on some grub for later on then got dropped down near the arena where Jacques Chirac was going to drop in for a visit. Sebastian was one of the many dancers so he had to go in through another gate so we went and found ourselves a piece of ground to sit on and sat there for a few hours watching and listening to Tahitian singing and dancing all of which was amazing. I especially loved the huge group of drummers who were just belting it out all evening, you just couldn't help but move to the beat.

The man himself turned up and did his speech then buggered off again at the end when there was a big fireworks display etc. Seems Jacques isn't so popular with the Tahitians and i can't say i blame them - French didn't treat them so well, in fact they were awful even preventing them to learn their native language and school and what with all the nuclear testing......... well, i wouldn't be a happy bunny.

Rama and Sebastian dropped us off and gave us their telephone number so that we could give them a ring after we get back from the island and arrange to meet up- bless em. The owner bloke just showed his face to say hi and said his wife was out cold in the bedroom from consuming a bottle of whiskey! When we got in our room we found we had been joined by a girl called Michelle who had just flown in from the UK as she was going to work in the hospital, she had 1yr left before becoming a doctor and she is only 23. Luckily she speaks fluent French so she isn't finding the language barrier a problem. We didn't stay up late and dived into bed.

Didn't get up as early as we had planned due to sleeping very well, but after another b'fast laid on by the owners we packed up and said goodbye accompanied by Michelle who was also going into town. We went straight to the tourist information place again and then i stayed there whilst Toby went off to book up an overnight boat to Bora Bora. 30 mins later he came back and said the boat was all booked up for the week and so it seemed was the cargo boat after trying that. Now seemed we weren't going to the islands, both were a little disappointed and were sitting there thinking what to do. I had a walk around the harbour to see if i could ask anyone who had the big private boats if they would take a couple of stowaways but all the people were either shopping or sleeping down below and didn't get to talk to anyone not that i think for one minute they would take us onboard their big fancy boats.

We decided to just catch the ferry over to the big island opposite for a few days and do some snorkeling so with that decision made we then went off to find a hostel in town that we had found in the Lonely Planet. It seemed to take ages and it was really very hot so i was relieved to finally stumble across what seemed a decent place to bed down for the night. We couldn't find a sole around for ages so just sat down and had some pre-bought lunch of bread and tomatoes and waited for someone to turn up. We did get someone in the end who turned out to be a grumpy old lady but we did get a couple of dorm beds. After dumping our stuff we walked back down to the sea front and treated ourselves to a well earned beer which cost the earth but tasted very good. We then took a few photo's of the yachts then went and found a supermarket and bought some supplies - very expensive.

Went back to the hostel and met a guy in our room from Ireland who was really nice then we were joined by Michelle who was also staying in our room. Just did the diary in the evening and Toby cooked us some beans for dinner to go with some bread. Hard to sleep as the room was stifling and the mosquito's were hungry.

The Moorea ferrry was supposed to leave at 10am so we got some tickets and boarded the boat only to sit there for an hour waiting for the ferry to leave....... The journey was really nice and managed to see some dolphins.

The Island looked beautiful as we approached the shore line and i was eager to see more, when we did get off the boat the bus was not it sight but luckily a man with a big van was going our way offered to give us a lift to the campsite. He turned out to be a dance teacher who had come over to the island 22 years previous from Paris to start up a Theatre Village on the island which does all the evening entertainment etc. We wished him well after dropping us off and we got checked in and set up our tent under the shade of some trees before investigating the rest of the set-up. We walked through the kitchen onto a wonderful beach and lagoon with the bluest water you can imagine, so it didn't take us long to stick on our beach wear and head off to the sea for a quick dip in the warm water.

We then headed up to a shop to get some supplies for a couple of days as the kitchens had some big fridges for us to leave some food. Then we met up with a couple of guys from Bournemouth called Josh and James - gorgeous couple of lads in their 20s who seemed very friendly, so we taught them how to play shit head and settled down to an evening of cards. They even lent us a couple of beers to see the evening through then we went to bed at 10 when the lights went out.

Walked down the road to find the scooter place but ended up walking past it, way past it in fact which was a bit of a pain as the sun was blazing down and it was a hard walk. So we walked back and found the bike place, handed over the cash and went off on the bike around the island - it was great fun and i loved driving it. The whole island took about an hour to get around and it was a wonderful drive. We went up to the look-out, the view was breathtaking so we took a few photos and i had an ice-cream then we went back down again and stopped off at an old settlement which unfortunately had zillions of mosquito's so didn't stay for long.

Going around the island on the bike was wonderful and we could really get to see just how beautiful the place was. Green lush mountains with wonderful multi coloured sea of blues and greens, full of brightly coloured fish and other sea life. I thought it was going to be like Fiji but to be honest Fiji was like a pair of old Y-fronts compared to a silk negligee of French Polynesia. So clean and bright colours wherever you looked, whether it was the flowers growing in the trees or the multicolored clothes the Tahitians love to wear with the flowers behind their ears.

When we got back to the campsite Toby quickly drove Nadav and Neil down to the Theatre village where they were holding a dance, we couldn't afford the entrance fee so declined. The 2 Bournemouth lads wanted to do something a bit more exciting than sitting and playing cards all evening so we decided to pop down the posh hotel - Beachcomber Hotel which is 5star and very very very wonderful. Toby though there might be a dance thing going on so Toby took James down first then came back again explaining that he was running out of fuel so took both me and Josh down at the same time which was fun! Unfortunately the dancing had finished so we just had a stroll around the whole complex which was out of this world. The beach houses were all on clusters on separate islands all joined up by bridges and surrounded by crystal clear lagoons. They even had a lagoon with 4 dolphins swimming around - all ex pats dolphins so they couldn't be let out to sea as they would just come back again which made me feel a little better as i was all for setting them free!!!

The beach houses had ladders going straight down into the water so they could just get up and go for swim with the fish then lounge around by the pool then eat in one of the many restaurants .......... oh how the other half live.

We stayed there for a little while taking in all the sights even though it was dark then went back to the campsite for another evening of cards and made friends with a bloke called Paul, a shark conservationist who showed me some video of the sharks he had swam with earlier in the day, it looked so good i thought i might give it a go.

Went for a drive up to the posh hotel - Beach Combers to go and take some photos and see the dolphins in action, swimming around with a group of people and jumping around. We then drove onto Cooks bay just to kill some time then went back to the campsite. Paul wanted a lift back to Cooks Bay on the back of the scooter so Toby dropped him off back there then went and took the Scooter back. I had a bit of lunch - noodles.

Didn't do much in the afternoon as usual but sit and read in the shade - don't sit in the sun as i found it far too hot for me. Played some cards and drunk a couple of precious beers in the evening and finished my book.

Got up earlyish and went to the office to pay for the swim with shark excursion which i said i would have a go at! yes me swimming with sharks and Sting Rays. All the gang apart from Paul were also doing the excursion so we all sat together until the boat was ready. The boat was quite busy but not too many people thank goodness, the shark man drove us out to some deeper water but not beyond the reef. The water was so clear and beautiful and it was the colour of spearmint mouthwash, the shark man soon got some fish out of his bucket and started to throw some of them into the water and within seconds there was loads of Black Tip sharks fighting to get fed. I was awestruck and not a bit frightened so i didn't hesitate to get my snorkel on and jumped straight in. Being under the water with them is amazing and they weren't scary at all, mind you there were quite a few people who really weren't happy. They came really close - at least arms length and were very inquisitive. After about 20mins doing that we all got back into the boat and moved around to another part of the water near another island and anchored the boat. Once again within minutes there were a huge shoal of Sting Rays swimming around the boat and people were getting in the water with them. The water only came up to your waist so it wasn't too deep but i was feeling a little cautious by now as they were very touchy feely. But i thought what the hell and jumped on in, they come right up to you and come right out of the water up onto your chest to see if you have any food. You can touch and feed them and they were sooooo beautiful and soft to touch. I was really quite uncomfortable at first when they swim up and flap their big wings up against you and around your legs but i soon got used to them and loved every minute.

After 20mins again we got back in the boat and went to have some lunch on one of the beaches - fresh fruit and coconut, wonderful. We had an hour to go off and do what we wanted so we went back into the water and did some more snorkeling to look at the lovely pretty fish.

Got back to our campsite about 1ish and had some bread then just chilled out for the rest of the day then played cards again in the evening and having a couple of beers and a laugh with everyone.

Got up early and had a quick b'fast of bread and jam then said our goodbyes to the lads, Josh and James and the rest of the gang we had made friends with. We then went and waited for the bus which turned up at 9.45am, Nadav was also catching the same bus so he hooked up with us. We the all caught the quick ferry over to the mainland which only took 30mins then made our way back to the hostel we had previously stayed in and dumped our bags. I made a quick lunch of more bread and some tomatoes then we went out and bought some cat food for the couple of skinny strays that hang around the hostel and have the sweetest nature, needed a damn good feed.

Went and checked our emails quickly as we only had 5mins left to use on our ticket thingy so didn't have a chance to write to anybody. Went back late to the hostel and caught up with our dairy which was a week behind and met up with an English guy who didn't have any money left or couldn't draw any out so Toby gave him some dosh to help out.

Michelle said there was a free dance and singing festival down at the harbour so we gathered a few others and made our way down. They had lights everywhere, all over the trees etc - looked lovely, and the singing and performance was fantastic. Didn't stay late as we were all feeling tired so went back to the hostel for a beer and a chat outside on the veranda. A late flight came in and we were joined by a lady called Emma who i liked instantly - very sweet and had also been on the road for 2 yrs, she was off to Easter Island on Thursday so we said we would meet up.

Got up early and popped down the market before it shut at 9am, with Michelle and a couple of other guys. Bought some fruit for us and some bread for one of the guys back at the hostel who's cash card also didn't work and had no food for the day.

We checked out of the hostel at 10am but hid our backpacks in the hostel so we didn't have to pay for storage then walked down to the harbour front and sit there for about 4 hrs reading in the shade. We then decided to make our way to the airport thinking there would be more comfortable chairs. So went and got our bags and caught the Le Truck to the Airport.

Sat there for hours and hours and hours getting really board and fed up and were really happy to meet up with Rob and Fran and Catherine who were also on our flight. So we sat down and played a couple of games of cards then checked in - thankgod.The Flight wasn't until 1am so we were all pretty knackered by the time we finally took off, Toby fell asleep straight away whilst i stayed up and watched a couple of films. The plane was really nice but the service seemed a bit crap so we were thrown our b'fast in the morning which i was pleased to see as i was wanting to get off the plane, once again the turbulence was terrible.

EASTER ISLAND AUG 2003 >