I know what you are thinking. “What! You need a vacation from traveling? Come on – really?”
Really – traveling (as opposed to vacation) can get tiring. Our time is taken up with planning, experiencing and moving. When we have any free time, we badger the boys to do their schoolwork and once in a while fit in a workout. The days are few and far between when we can get some real downtime without having to mediate a kid conflict or find our next hotel. So – we were due for a vacation and Tahiti was right on the way. We had always heard of it as the ultimate honeymoon spot, so we decided to see how Tahiti would fare as a family destination.
We didn’t have any choice on flights from Easter Island so we boarded our flight at 11:50 pm, flew 5 ½ hours, and landed in Tahiti at 1:00 am (because of the 4 hour time change). It was our time in Purgatory on the way to Heaven, as we camped out with local homeless folks on hard benches outside the Tahiti airport overnight before catching a 7 am flight to Bora Bora. By 8:30 am we arrived at our lovely resort and were reenergized by the paradise that surrounded us. 
The setting is surreal. Bora Bora itself is a majestic island with rocky peaks embraced by lush greenery. It features a barrier reef and string of motus which surround an intervening lagoon. With the protection of the reef, the lagoon is almost always calm, creating an environment with incredible visibility and impossibly green water. We stayed on one of the outlying motus in a bungalow built right over the calm waters. Little windows in the bungalow floor opened down to the fish swimming below us.
The weather was sunny and hot and we plunged constantly into the ocean and pool trying to keep cool. Even on “vacation” we wanted to make sure we were taking in some of the local culture and sights, so we kept busy with fun adventures. The kids bravely swam with stingrays and over 20 friendly black-tip reef sharks. It is a little unnerving to be surrounded by feeding sharks, but we made it out with all our limbs. We also sailed, toured WWII outposts (with cool artillery), and jet skied. After jet skiing, Ryan decided he wants to be a professional Jet Ski racer when he grows up. 
One big extra bonus at our hotel was a kid’s club which turned out to be a godsend for all of us. Luke and Ryan were tired of us and we were ready to hand them off to someone else for a while. (If you can’t imagine that, try spending 24 hours a day, 29 out of 30 days, together with your kids. On the 30th day, only spend 16 hours with them!). Jay and Christy worked out in the gym and actually read a few books while the kids snorkeled in the lagoons, kayaked, paddle boarded and played video games. 
After 6 days of pampering we returned to the island of Tahiti for two nights before leaving for New Zealand. Although Tahiti Island itself was quite nice, it pales in comparison to Bora Bora. If you visit Tahiti, make sure you explore the other beautiful islands spread across the archipelago.  |