Beyond the Bungalow

The adventurous side of the Tahitian islands

Written by Ottocina Ryan

Sharks circle our boat, their black fins gliding above the ocean that’s as clear as bottled water. My friends and I hop out into the warm South Pacific and calmly wade through the knee-high water, somehow already accustomed to the proliferous non-threatening stingrays and sharks in the French Polynesian waters. We reach an islet where palm trees grow from white sand and the only inhabitants are hermit crabs. Our guide breaks open coconuts and chops up the meat for us to snack on while he grills fish for lunch. After eating we relax in the tropical sun as he plays the ukulele.

It’s only our first day here but we’re already recognizing that there is so much more to French Polynesia than overwater bungalows on Bora Bora. Not only are there other islands with overwater bungalows, the islands are overflowing with unparalleled natural beauty, adventurous activities, rich culture, welcoming residents, and fresh seafood.

We begin our vacation on Rangiroa, one of the less developed islands, which proved ideal for getting the most authentic experience possible. We check into Hotel Kia Ora Resort & Spa and our garden bungalows with private plunge pools and outdoor bathtubs are so private, we feel like we’re one of the few on the island.

The community in Rangiroa is so small and tight-knit, we see everyone multiple times. Over dinner at Les Relais Josephine, a renowned local guest house (comparable to a bed & breakfast) owned by a cheerful white-haired French woman, we recognize a couple of other guests from our flight. The next day, as we are getting cultured (get it?) and visiting a Tahitian pearl farm, who walks into the pearl shop but Josephine. We aren’t surprised when we run into fellow guests while biking around the island.

On our second day we go for an introductory scuba dive that makes Hawaii look like a fishbowl in comparison.

Our guides from Top Dive are reassuring and upbeat as they lead us down to coral reefs for sightings of living clam shells that are vibrant blue inside, a giant moray eel, a not so giant shark, and schools of colorful fish so dense it’s impossible to see beyond them.

Back at Kia Ora, we gather for lunch at the poolside restaurant. I order poisson cru, the national dish, which is a ceviche in coconut milk. As I scoop the fresh fish out of the coconut shell it’s served in I gaze out at the view—the ocean is so clear I can’t decipher where the infinity pool ends and ocean starts.

Before we decide to move to Rangiroa and spend the rest of our lives swinging in hammocks, we head for Moorea. As we wait for our flight at the tiny Rangiroa airport (by tiny I mean it doesn’t even have a security checkpoint) I order tuna tartare from the only restaurant. It’s not something I’d take a chance on at any other airport, but it turns out to be delicious, which goes to show how abundant great fresh fish is on the island.

From Tahiti we take a quick ferry to Moorea. Contrasting sleepy Rangiroa (where I read in some pamphlet that the highest elevation is 12 feet), as we draw closer to the jagged emerald peaks reaching into the sky and I sense that adventure is ahead.

We check into Moorea Beach Lodge just in time for sunset. The guest house looks like something that would belong in Malibu or Tulum with its whitewashed everything, framed shells, nautical touches, and palm tree-shaded garden bungalows. We sit in the shallow water, our legs floating in front of us, mesmerized by the cotton candy clouds in the sky and the stingray that drifts over to join us.

Come night, we walk a few minutes down the road to Le Mayflower for dinner. Under bright stars and string lights we enjoy a locally sourced meal of parrotfish, shrimp dumplings, and creme brûlée made with Tahitian vanilla beans. The next morning we reconvene at the beachfront breakfast area and fill up on croissants, mango passion fruit juice, and ham and cheese omelets before exploring the island by ATV.

Moorea Activities Center has hilarious guides, four of whom are attractive, and then there’s ours—a spitting image of Danny Devito. He leads us through fruit farms overgrown with ferns, passion fruit, pineapples, dragonfruit, and mangos. He picks starfruit and bananas for us to try. Aside from the road, I don’t see a patch of dirt through the abundance of trees and plants. We drive up the mountain and as we near a peak, we park our ATVs and hike a couple minutes to the lookout. As I take in the views of the lush valleys, sparkling blue coves, and pastel houses in the towns, I try to comprehend how a place this beautiful exists yet still feels undiscovered.

Thinking our surroundings can’t get any more beautiful, we transfer to Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora Beach Resort and check into overwater bungalows. The room keys say ‘Wonderland’ which is fitting as it is the most memorable lodging I can imagine. With a Tahitian TV (the window in the bungalow’s floor) and steps from the private balconies to the ocean, the iconic hotel rooms make you feel like you’ve peaked in life. The next morning I wake up to neon pink clouds and climb down the steps to swim out between the two sections of bungalows, accompanied by schools of tropical fish and a canoe full of flowers delivering room service breakfasts.

After a breakfast teeming with tropical fruit, Johanna and Teva of Temoana Tours pick us up on a speedboat at the Sofitel’s dock for a day of swimming with stingrays and relaxing at their private beach. The velvety stingrays are surprisingly similar to dogs and eager to be petted. The likeness becomes especially apparent during lunch, when they circle our motu picnic table in the water, waiting for food.

After lunch a coral specialist gives us a lesson on coral rehabilitation and then lets us plant some coral. We all agree that coral gardening is so therapeutic, more people doing it could solve other problems than just coral dying out.

On our last day, we take an early ferry back to Tahiti to explore the largest French Polynesian island. We pile into the back of their Land Rover and Moana and Mato of Te Mato Nui Excursions drive us through the jungle to Mato’s village in the middle of the Papenoo Valley. Mato has Polynesian tattoos (as most locals we see do), and wears a shark tooth necklace and straw hat. He tells us stories of when he canoed from Tahiti to China for four months during monsoon season. At first I question his sanity, but come to realize he truly is just one with nature and might be smarter than the rest of us. We enjoy a lunch of produce from their farm, including three kinds of sweet potatoes, fresh squeezed coconut milk, and a seedless papaya Mato picked on the drive. We spend the afternoon swimming in their waterfall and learning from them about plants and herbs. The lesson is a reminder that while looking at fish through the Tahitian TV in a bungalow is certainly special, the real magic of Tahiti lies in the experiences to be had outside of the bungalows, with the locals, in the valleys and oceans. * tahititourisme.com