 |
 |
Taha'a Pearl Beach
Resort, Tahiti. Photo, Zak R.
|
|
Hawaii Holidays offers vacation packages to many parts of the world, with an emphasis on Hawaii.
We also offer travel planning designed to meet your objectives with complete accommodations for many of the
South Sea Islands. If you are interested in traveling to Tahiti,
Moorea, Bora Bora,
Huahine, Raiatea, Taha'a,
Rangiroa or any of the Society or Tuamotu Islands, please give us a call during our normal business hours
to begin planning your South Pacific Travel.  
The South Pacific is a popular destination among vacationers looking to get away for a week or two.
We usually recommend at least 8 days for a planned vacation to any of the islands in the remote South Pacific.
If you are traveling from the United States, plan on a minimum of 2 days for air travel to and from Tahiti,
as it is 8-9 hours from the west coast and 14-15 hours from the east coast by direct flight. Traveling from Sydney,
Australia the land down under, to the South Sea islands of Tahiti is about 8 hours aboard Air Tahiti Nui's Airbus A340-300 aircraft.
Air Tahiti Nui introduced it's direct flights between Sydney and Papeete in July 2005.
|
Tahiti is the main island in the chain of Society Islands as well as the largest island in all of
French Polynesia. Flights arrive in Tahiti at the Faa'a Airport (PPT) in Papeete, the capital
of French Polynesia. Papeete is situated along the north coast facing the beautiful island of Moorea.
There are plenty of things to see and do on Tahiti as well as a number of restaurants, shops and local
vendors in and around Papeete. The streets along the waterfront in Papeete liven up at night as the local
mobile diners "Les Roulottes" bring out their goods. Goods they are, with an assortment of tasty
dishes including everything from their fresh catch of the day grilled to perfection, to Chinese food, delicious
steak-plates, salads and more. As on many of the islands, fresh baked bread and tasty crepes are almost
always nearby.
Although the busiest of the islands and
comprising about 60% of the entire population of French Polynesia, Tahiti is lots of fun and still has the
friendly atmosphere of many remote islands in the South Pacific. Many vacationers just stop over in Tahiti
for a night before extending their travel to outer islands and that's okay. Even if you make your connecting flight
or take the ferry to Moorea without staying over in Tahiti it doesn't really matter, but if you have the time, make plans
to stay a couple of nights on Tahiti before returning home. Make this the last leg of your trip. We don't recommend
any more than two nights as this is the last leg of your travel and the best is really behind. This is just a nice way
to take in the local island-style fairs, relax and rest before your flight home.
Moorea is the amazing island that lies about 10 miles west of Tahiti. By way of ferry or flight, Moorea is within
minutes of her sister island of Tahiti. Travel to Moorea and take a step back in time as things slow down quite a bit on
this majestic island. The island manages to retain a laid back way of life found on many distant islands in the South Seas,
though so close to her neighboring island Tahiti. The island of Moorea is fairly small and a tour of the island taking in the
awesome views and vistas along the way takes only a couple of hours. Cook's Bay is a favorite place to stop, take in the views
and get a bite to eat. Travel on up to Belvedere and you'll enjoy awesome views of Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay.
There is plenty to do on Moorea, [if you prefer] or you can just soak up the scenery and indulge in some good old fashion rest,
relaxation and rejuvenation.
Many vacationers travel
to Moorea just to soak up her natural beauty and many go to partake in the underwater world that is teeming with
an abundance of tropical marine life. Moorea is known the world around as an island in the South Pacific with
excellent scuba diving at a depth of 20-30 meters. Vacationers looking for a real Tahitian Luau should make plans to
visit the Island of Moorea. There are Luaus and there are Luaus, but there is no show any better than at the Tiki Village.
Rich in history, this Polynesian Event will get you going. You'll get a glimpse at how the Polynesian's live and carry on
life day to day. You will see one of the best shows of your life. Unbelievable dancing, flame throwing, fire show, tree climbing with
the elders and much more. Cook a pig underground and after the show you will feast until your heart is content. Definitely a 10+. Make plans to visit Moorea.
Bora Bora also offers some good scuba diving and the Tahitians are so friendly, as they are in all the islands.
The road around the island is a bit rough, but all in all not bad. Bora Bora is an island you should visit at least once. The island is fairly small,
you know you are in French Polynesia and like all the Society Islands in the South Pacific, is a wonderful place to visit. It takes about two hours
to travel around the entire island, by car or motor bike, taking in stops along the way to enjoy the views, rest and snack on island fruits. There
are a couple of nice hotels on Bora Bora that offer lots of activities, some even include regular dive trips to many of the favorite dive spots around the
island. The best deals on travel packages for Bora Bora require a 6-night minimum stay.
Huahine, like Tahiti is also comprised of two islands, Huahine Nui (Great Huahine) and Huahine Iti (Little Huahine),
connected by a small bridge. Huahine offers much of the same Old Polynesia flavor as Moorea, with many Native Tahitians still residing on the island.
This may be related to its close proximity to the island of Taha'a, where many of the elders who haven't relocated to the island of Tahiti still live. Many
Tahitians that live and work on Huahine, regularly travel to Tahaa to visit with their families. Huahine is an island full of history and although
Huahine doesn't attract as many visitors each year as the some of the other world-renowned Islands in Tahiti, Huahine is still a gem in the
South Pacific. The island is shaped like that of a reclining woman, thus the name Huahine. Activities include everything from
swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and fishing as well as many other activities.
Scuba diving here is some of the best in the islands. When people talk about diving in this part of the world,
places that generally come to mind, are Rangiroa, where an occasional sighting of the hammerhead shark
gets the adrenaline going and bottlenose dolphins frequently play in the channels as well as Moorea and Bora
Bora where Manta Rays are plentiful, but make no mistake Huahine offers divers some of the best diving in French
Polynesia. Not quite the same as Rangi, but nonetheless still GREAT diving. The Manta Rays are plentiful and they get
BIG, 3 meters plus. It's not uncommon to see big lemon shark, groupers and big triggerfish while diving off the island of
Huahine. From the northern point of Huahine Nui, the South Sea Islands of Taha'a, Bora Bora and Raiatea are all visible. The
Tahitians on Huahine as well as on all the islands in French Polynesia are some of the friendliest people you may ever meet.
Plan your travel to include the island of Huahine.
Taha'a is a bit off the beaten path, as a result gets fewer visitors each year
than some of the other islands, maybe this is good. After all when you're in the South Pacific, you are not exactly where
everyone else is anyway and remote islands far away from the everyday rustle bustle of the city life is a good thing. There
are no airports on the island of Tahaa, the only access is by boat or helicopter usually arriving from neighboring island Raiatea.
Take a look at the over water bungalows at the Taha'a Pearl Beach Resort in the picture above and let your imagination do the rest.
This is the ultimate travel destination in the South Pacific, for complete rest, relaxation and rejuvenation. Make plans to stay at least
a couple of days on the island of Taha'a and if you see fit, a week is even better.
Rangiroa is part of the Tuamotu Islands located about 200 miles north of
Tahiti and a diver's paradise. Rangiroa is the second largest atoll in the world, with its aqua blue lagoon being 42-miles long
by 16-miles wide, totally laid back and some of the best scuba diving in the world. Anyone who has ever been shark diving
on Rangi will tell you, that you will not have to look far to get your fill and we're talking some of the big boys. Not interested in shark,
not to worry just stay out of the Avatoru Pass or Tiputa pass. These passes have become a gathering place for an astonishing
variety of marine life including hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of sharks.
You will likely see bottlenose dolphins, triggerfish, groupers and on rare occasion the
spinner dolphin, plus an abundance of brilliant colorful fish, ranging in size from the smallest up to a
few meters. For those of you not interested in big fish, you'll want to stay in the lagoon, where
you will find everything from moray eels, small triggerfish to spotted eagle rays and more. The
Remote Island of Rangiroa, [actually, Rangi is technically an atoll] is a diver's dream. There are
a few places to stay, two of which are the Kia Ora Village located near the Tiputa Pass and
the Kia Ora Sauvage about an hour boat ride to the other side of the lagoon (on a small motu of it's own).
No need for cell phones here.
Over water Bungalows are found on most all Islands in the South Pacific. Thatched roof bungalows on
stilts perched above the water with private decks and ladders to the water are common in French Polynesia.
Other Lodging types range from rooms and suites with ocean views to beautiful garden views. Hotel, airfare
and rental car accommodations vary according preferred travel. Public transit "Le Truck" operates on many of
the islands, so rental car accommodations may not always be necessary. While travel to French Polynesia tends to be
a little more expensive than Hawaii, proper planning and preparation will go a long way in adding value to your South
Pacific vacation.
Although we specialize in Hawaii, we have traveled to most of the Society Islands in French Polynesia and returned
to some more than once. We know these islands and now you can too.
For complete travel accommodations or more info, please use our Travel Planning Service or..
Please call us Toll-Free, 1-866-324-9244. Let Hawaii Holidays plan your South Pacific Travel.
Required Travel Documents:
U.S. and Canadian citizens must have a valid passport, valid for six months from travel date.
Citizens of other countries should consult the French Consulate. It is solely the passenger's
responsibility to ensure that all documents needed are complete and current.
|
|
|
If you would like to travel to
Hawaii and you have special
travel needs, please feel free
to call us on our toll-free line at,
1-866-324-9244.
| |
Information |
Customer Support |
Terms of Service
Frequently Asked Questions |
Contact Us Anytime
|
Preview our library of Hawaii Travel
Tours, complete with over 65 full screen scenic
panoramas. Find places to go or things to do on your trip
that are fun for everyone. Click here.
| |
Copyright © 2004 
HawaiiHolidays.com
CST 2074168-50 Your Online Source..
For More Information To Plan Your Vacation
|
|
|
|
