Two Toned Travelers

A ~1 hour flight took us from Bora Bora to the atoll of Tikehau, also part of French Polynesia.  While Bora Bora has its iconic central island with famous mountain peak, surrounded by a lagoon and outer ring of land, the central island of Tikehau has sunk, leaving only the outer ring and enclosed lagoon.  The satellite images are quite surprising, showing how the skinny pieces of land surrounded by the massive ocean are extremely remote.  Stepping off the plane and walking to the open air pavilion “airport” to collect our bags, we were met with smiles and fresh flowery and fragrant leis from the Pearl Beach Tikehau resort.  Not normally traveling in such style,  I felt extremely spoiled and a bit self-conscious; the contrast between the incoming tourists and the few locals milling about was very noticeable.  However, everyone we saw was welcoming and the touristy façade of Bora Bora was nowhere to be found. After piling into a van, we drove off to the dock where we would be transported by boat to our resort.  Tyler commented on how small the town was, to which I unknowingly replied “what town?”  He explained that the few weathered buildings on the main road from the airport was the town of Tuherahera.  The whole population of Tikehau as of 2007 (according to Wikipedia) was 507, just slightly larger than my high school graduating class.

Arriving at the dock, the tourists and luggage were shifted from the van to the boat, and after waiting for the van to return with the second load of tourists and luggage, we were on our way again.  Gliding across the flat, calm and very blue lagoon with the eight or so other arrivals that day, Tyler pointed out our resort in the distance.  Refreshing sea spray from the boat cooled me as we got closer and my excitement grew.  Everyone always pictures the romantic overwater bungalows in Bora Bora, but given the reality that they are insanely expensive, we had stayed instead in a more affordable “garden bungalow” in Bora Bora which was extremely nice, but left my overwater bungalow fantasy yet unfulfilled.  As Tikehau was much more remote and less well-known, and therefore slightly more reasonable price wise, we had booked an overwater bungalow here to top off our amazing honeymoon in style!

Tahitians really know how to welcome people, and we were met with more smiles, greetings and glasses of tropical cocktails embellished with pineapple slices.  We had none of the sense of an outer smiling veneer that we got hints of at the Bora Bora resort and felt all the employees were genuinely happy to be there and welcoming to the atoll.  As room keys were being distributed, we were the last to be called, as my husband’s surname starts with a Z.  A bit nervous that they had overbooked the overwater bungalows before our turn came (I have irrational worries, but after all I am a woman!), lo-and-behold they upgraded us from a standard overwater bungalow to an overwater suite!  And sweet it was!

Two couples were shown to overwater bungalows off the reception platform to the west of the motu with the resort’s buildings. These looked very nice, though we noted some did not have platforms to get directly into the water. We were escorted by a member of the staff along with the rest of the tourists checking in, dropping them off two by two at their respective beach bungalows.  Last again, we were led to a separate wooden walkway off into the central lagoon that only accessed the suites – totally worth the wait!  Colorful fish swam below us in the crystal clear blue water and the bungalows had an uninterrupted view of the lagoon and what would be a beautiful sunset come evening.

The bungalow itself was easily the nicest place I have ever stayed in my entire life.  It consisted of a beautiful bed, sitting area, quality bathroom with double sinks (all of which were decorated with fresh tropical flowers), and even a glass panel in the floor to see the fishes!  The absolute best part of the bungalow was the outdoor patio, which included a thatch covered sitting area with table and chairs, an open area with lounge chairs for soaking up the sun, and a second lower tier with direct access by ladder to the beautiful water below and an outdoor shower for rinsing off.

After gleefully exploring our new digs, we changed into swimsuits, grabbed our snorkel gear and headed out into the water.  Though perhaps not the best snorkeling we’ve had in our experiences (that award goes to Belize!), it was very good and made more awesome by the fact we were swimming just feet away from our bungalow. Unlike the bungalows at the Pearl Beach Bora Bora, there was plenty of coral and sea life all around these bungalows.

Sunset in Tikehau

Sunset on our balcony

We took a walk to explore the beaches, noticing an empty and beautiful “motu” just a short swim across a channel.  We took the plunge into the deep water, discovering the current to be a bit stronger than expected, but made it to the motu with no problems.  We walked along the unique orangish-pink sand beach hand in hand, spotting a tiny shark in the shallow water along with many hermit crabs.  Our whole walk of this uninhabited motu, we only saw one other couple, some Italians we’d met checking in. The beach was so quiet, private and unpretentious, a nice change after our time in Bora Bora. It was a totally different atmosphere, here you were on a deserted island, truly away from it all.

The next few days were filled with snorkeling, beach walks, kayaking to nearby motus and much relaxation on our balcony.  This resort was a lot quieter and more laid back than Bora Bora, much more our pace. The staff was genuine and friendly and meals were noticeably less expensive in price and just as delicious.  The highlight for us was a day on our own private motu – we got taken out on a boat, given a cooler filled with a picnic lunch and Hinano beers and dropped off on a private island.  Though “private”, we could actually see a building or two on both islands on either side of our island (though no people), but it was an amazing experience all the same.  We walked completely around “our” island, and as it was quite a hot day we spent most of the time in the amazingly clear and refreshing water.  We made a few little fish friends as we sat in the water enjoying our time together and sipping beer, counting all of our blessings and feeling so happy and grateful for this incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Overall, our honeymoon in New Zealand and French Polynesia was a dream come true, however the important thing is that we found each other in this huge and crazy world, and that we will be spending the rest of our lives together.  Though we may not have a physical private tropical island to enjoy every day, we have each other and I hope we continue to take each day with as much excitement, enthusiasm and pure joy as we did in Tikehau.  Our last day we got up early and enjoyed this stunning sunrise – a great end to this incredible trip!