Time for Tahiti

.... and for saying good-bye, too.

With mixed emotions, I offer the last installment of our POSITIVELY Kiwi Tahiti 2016 blog. We thank you and so enjoyed having you travel along with us.  Always ... the more the merrier!

If you'd like to continue travelling with us, we invite you to subscribe to our next blog which will be about COSTA RICA!  We leave in a little more than 2 weeks and we intend to post stories and pictures along the way.

Click the link below to find the new blog   

 Coastin' in Costa Rica

Please consider subscribing to Coastin' to Costa Rica by clicking above and then entering your email address in the top left box entitled "Subscribe to follow by email".  Click submit, type in the text shown, AND look for a confirming email from FeedBurner.  You must RESPOND to the FeedBurner email message in order to truly subscribe.  Then all updates to the blog will simply be emailed to you.

But in the meantime, grab a cool drink, sit back, and enjoy the beauty of Tahiti and Moorea.  The islands are calling your name ...

Click here to view the video in full-size

The reason I love to travel ....

... is because there are so many things, about our planet, that I just don't know, until I start to do the research.

In fact, before we started looking at going to New Zealand, I didn't realize that the country consisted of TWO islands .... the North and South.  But I know now!

And here is our abbreviated view of our experience of the North Island ... 7 days condensed into only 9 minutes!

CLICK HERE to view the full-size video

We've been home for 7 months TODAY!

Talk about a time warp.  It's been seven months since we've been back from New Zealand? LIFE IS FLYING BY!

So Dennis gave me a loving ultimatum and said NO MORE TRIPS until we wrap this one up. In the past, I've always spent MONTHS creating a multi-hour, full-on production after every big trip (imagine THREE DVD's for our trip to Tanzania and Egypt!).  But who has the time to either create it or watch it?

So here's my first attempt at reducing 18 days of adventure into 11 minutes.  Don't blink!

CLICK HERE to watch the video full size

It's been 30 DAYS since we returned home... just a few reflections

This is a brief reflection about our trip from Dennis.  We arrived home 30 DAYS ago today... where has the time gone?  We are VERY HAPPY to be home in little Sahuarita! 


We were a bit weary from traveling for 32 days and unfortunately I gave Diana my "flu / cold" at the end of our trip.  It took us both 2+ weeks (after arriving home) to feel human again.  It's been SO NICE to regain our health over the past couple of weeks.  YEAH! 


How perfect to arrive home when Spring comes to Arizona.  Just beautiful!  We saw the gorgeous full moon last evening and it reminded us of the FULL MOON when we left Arizona in February and the full moon we experienced in March as we traveled home from French Polynesia.  AWESOME!


Stuff that guys (or travelers) would probably like to know... our EIGHT airline flights totaled 14,685 flight miles.  We rented THREE different vehicles in New Zealand and drove a total of 1,505 miles (South Island and North Island combined).  Our butts spent HOURS and HOURS in airline seats AND in car seats!


Diana and I enjoyed priceless, personal and private travel time for the beginning 2 weeks of our trip to New Zealand.  AMAZING scenery on the South Island!  Then, we shared a truly FUN travel experience hooking up with our dear friends Carrie and Tony Cardan in Christchurch, New Zealand.


The 4 of us shared many GREAT travel adventures on the South and North Islands of New Zealand PLUS our relaxing time in French Polynesia (Tahiti Island and Moorea Island).  I send a very heartfelt THANK YOU to Carrie and Tony for putting up with Mr. AROC (Anal Retentive Obsessive Compulsive) travel planner!  I'm quite detailed oriented and it does drive most people crazy!


I (we) have nothing else to say about this magical 32 day trip experience.  We want to THANK each of you for signing up and following our adventure.  Who knows what the future will bring and where we will travel to.  Sounds like another blog to me...


  

Tuesday, March 22nd .... All Good Things Must End Someday

Day Number 32 of our Kiwi Tahiti Major Trip of our Lifetime ....

 

 

... And we are greeted by our sweet friend, Kristy,

and this practically Full Moon.

 

 

You know what is coming next from our lips ...

 

 

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Monday, Monday .... our last full day in Tahiti

... And my poor sweetheart is SICK.   It was such a drag being in such a beautiful location and having him feel so lousy.  He missed our last sunrise ...



But I have to say he is a real trooper.  He actually was open to my idea of NOT flying home tonight and utilizing our Travel Insurance benefit. But as I write this later in the day, he said we were going to go for it. 

We had our breakfast, and I had my last ocean swim off of our deck ... 

 

 

We took the Ferry back over to the main island of Tahiti, and what a different ride than 4 days prior.  There were long, rolling waves that were a little hard for Dennis to take, but I LOVED it.  I fell asleep pretty fast.

 

 

We have SO MUCH LUGGAGE!  After being on the road for a MONTH, it's even hard to imagine that at the beginning of the trip we were in fleeces, gloves, and caps!  And now, of course, we have rocks and drift wood, and misc trinkets to add to the luggage.  We do get funny looks here in the island with our 3 duffle bags, plus the Cardan two big duffles.  For the last 4 days we have had to wear very little clothing with no shoes on our feet.  I know people around us are thinking "WHY ALL THE LUGGAGE"?!

 

 

So we drag our stuff into another cab and arrive at our day room around 12:30.  We were all a little stunned when we first arrived, especially after driving past a couple of chickens when we turned down the alley.  Can you say SPOILED????

 



 

But really .... after an hour or so of getting adjusted we realized how BLESSSED WE WERE to be here and not sitting in the Papette Airport ALL DAY. 

This place is actually quite charming ...

 

WE HAVE WI-FI, too!

 

 

We had two pizzas delivered for dinner and we devoured them.  It just feels so good to be in air conditioning, and Dennis just was not up to going anywhere. 

 

It is dark now, with the almost full moon right outside our window.  The guys are asleep, but Carrie and I are excited for our "champagne flight" to LA at midnight.  We have two alarms set to wake us up for our 8:30 pm taxi arrival, bound for the airport.

 

Onward to Los Angeles and then home to Tucson by 6:50 pm on Tuesday.  Here we go!

 

 

 

 

 

Sat & Sunday, March 19 & 20 ~ playing in the surf and sun

The weekend was a mixture of fun and relaxation,  even though every day I felt like more brain cells were slipping away.  In fact, we ALL felt that way so I'm not too worried.  What a super relaxing environment.

Our bungalows were awesome.  The Pearl Resort and Spa was the perfect size for us ~ not too old and not too big and new.  We felt very comfortable there and of course LOVED being in Premium Over the Water Bungalows on the outside, enjoying our private balconies, and looking towards the reef.  The biggest issue was cooling the room down enough while still keeping our sliding doors open.  We quickly realized that we couldn't do both so we had to close the doors during the big heat.  But it all worked out OK as the reef sound was BIG so we could still hear it with the doors closed. 

And who doesn't love a window to the sea under their glass coffee table?

We all really enjoyed the kayaks ~  

 

 



 





Hey Jae ~ you were right.  Dennis really liked the Hinano Gold.
 

 

 And Carrie and I bought matching Black Pearl rings from the French artist himself!

 

We couldn't quite get them on ... our fingers are swollen from the heat and humidity!

Thanks to Jae and Leslie's suggestion, Dennis and I did the Lagoon Excursion on Sunday from 9AM to 3:30PM.  Full day of sight-seeing, boating, snorkeling with stings rays and sharks, and fresh-cooked lunch on the beach with more swimming.  We have met the nicest people through all of this and I feel very blessed. 

The water here is so clear and beautiful .... photos just don't do it justice. 



Jae ~ we got the same guide you guys had.  He was really funny and fed those sting rays so there were IN OUR FACE. 

 

Sting rays, sharks, and birds!

Delish lunch made right on the spot.  This is tuna ceviche with coconut milk.  They also offered us grilled tuna, BBQ chicken, rice, bread .... even beer and rum punch!

Our guide was such fun ~ he also taught us how to tie a pareo and open a coconut.  I'm ready to be a Castaway.

And Dennis was SUCH A GOOD SPORT.  He actually started feeling a little under the weather on Saturday, and faked his way through Sunday.  It wasn't until I heard the first cough that I realized how he truly felt.






Carrie and I wanted one more foo-foo drink before we left the Resort.  Look!  We aren't even sunburned!  And WHO IS that Wildman?





One more night here and then on Monday morning we take the Ferry back to Tahiti.  We have a day room to hang in while we wait for our flight home at midnight on Monday.  I sure hope the next room has REALLY GOOD AIR CONDITIONING.