"TROPICAL ROMANCE"
by
Philip Barrington
When you live in a tropical paradise like Los Cabos, Baja, Mexico, the
last place you’d think of for a vacation would be another tropical
paradise like Tahiti. Well if you love the romantic feel of tropical
paradise and spending your birthday on Bora Bora, Tahiti is the place to
be. Now if you want to kick it up a notch, why not throw in cruising
around the islands Windstar style. If the world is your oyster, Tahiti is
the home to the Pacific Black pearl and a super vacation. Visit their
Official Tourism Bureau: www.tahititourism.com for a taste.
French Polynesia and her 189 islands, mostly Tahiti though, has
experienced significant tourism growth in 2002. Air Tahiti Nui flew in
over 200,000 visitors from Europe, the Far East, Australia & the US
– thankfully it has been good for their economy with little ill effects
on the old world charm. Offering three classes of service, this relatively
new airline operating the newest of Air Buses, makes one feel a special
Tahitian welcome when stepping on board. We flew the eight hours from
L.A., a long flight, save to say you have six movies, games & music to
choose from to pass away the time, but as soon as you step off the plane
and are greeted by a Tahitian hostess with a fragrant Tiare lei…ahhh you
feel revived. Off to the ship for a casual check-in, cool libation and
dinner. Listening to the departure ‘signature tune’ from Vangelis as
you set sail into a starry starry night headed for Raiatea, your topical
romance has begun.
Our ship was the 148 passenger “Wind Star” with 96 of us
aboard we were, in inimitable Windstar fashion, well
catered to by their
ever attentive staff. Whether it be your cabin steward, barmen, waiter,
excursion directors or the ship’s Hotel Manager, they all magically seem
to know your name. You cannot help but be impressed with this level of
service which is maintained on every deck through out the cruise, even if
you are Alumni and might expect it, it is genuinely sincere and consistent
every time you sail on a Windstar cruise be it in the Mediterranean,
Caribbean or as in this case Tahiti – first class, casual elegance all
the way! As one writer/critic said before, as a critic one is here to show
impartiality, but when it’s this good, it’s hard to find fault. You be
the judge. www.windstarcruises.com
I
overheard one repeat passenger say to another, ‘Tahiti is as
beautiful as it looks in all the aerial photographs you’ve seen.’
It’s true, colors that astound, blues that defy description, vivid
jungle greens, ink black skies dotted with a million silver points of light and sunsets that will literally take your breath away.
And that’s just the scenery. One thing that you absorb in time is the
tranquility and pace of the islands and their people. (Well, Papette might
be the exception, but what it looses on peacefulness, it makes up for in
the French/Polynesian influences on every corner). For life in Tahiti is a
cultural blend and where a quite life does exist. After 12 o’clock on
Saturday’s that’s it, the shops are closed and most likely all of
Sunday. There is no feeling of a mercantile mentality. Maybe it is a
‘hang-over’ of by-gone missionary days or just the natural pace of island living unspoiled by commercial interests.
So on with our journey among the friendly smiling faces and islands,
with waving hands or tropical breezes in the palms as we come and go in
this sleek unobtrusive ship we have come to call home. Huahine, the magic
island. As with all islands in the Pacific, each has their own special
story, steeped in legends of old, together
with their own ‘Mana’ life
force or spirit. To miss the connection is to miss the heart & soul of
such beauty. We tapped into Huahine’s magic in a place you can again
only get to by boat, the remote Te Tiare Beach Resort – www.tetiarebeachresort.com This get-a-way with it’s over water bungalows inside the reef
lagoon was definitely the days treat. Swimming is crystal aqua-marine
colored waters, the occasional rum punch, a light lunch and to top it off
a ride back to the ship by personal zodiac – does it get any better than
this – read on.
Bora Bora the name itself evokes tropical beauty & romance. What a
place to spend your birthday, it literally made me wonder why I was born and so thankful I had been allowed to see and share this place with the new found love in my life. We
marveled at the high peaks, the white laced reefs and again those blues of
so many hues which seem only to be intensified by ones sunglasses. An
around the island drive (in one of the smallest car I’ve ever seen),
once again brought us to a slow meandering pace, stopping and staring and
occasionally talking in broken English /French to a playful group of kids
playing in the street. An obligatory drink at Bloody Mary’s, watering
hole & eatery for the famous & not so famous. Speaking of which,
it would be remiss no to mention probably the most famous of all who have
drawn attention to the islands, the adventurer of the arts, Paul Gauguin.
For raving fans of his work there is much to see.
Tonight we were guests of a
private Tahitian dance troupe who came on board, the hips are fun to watch
but it’s the hands that tell the story, what a magical expression, the
music, the rhythm the smiles. Dinner on board 
this evening was a tropical
buffet, which although not madly keen on buffets (we actually had made a
reservation in this cute little bayside French Bistro on the island for
dinner) but on seeing the display put on by the Wind Star’s Executive
Chef & his team, together with the gaiety being shown by our fellow
cruise mates, it was irresistible and a gastronomic feast of untold
proportions, with the Southern Cross high above to guide us back for more
delectables and on into the night and our next surprise anchorage.
Breakfast at 7:30 on the Veranda deck over looking the water to dense
tropical jungle, seeing distant waterfalls and colorful rainbows, you
understand why this place is so special and that it is right in the middle
of the biggest ocean on our planet…amazing to think we are really here.
Something also dawns on you as you savor
island fruits, coffee and a fresh
baked croissant, Tahiti has not become spoiled with over population, high
rises and massive housing developments, touting paradise found. It has
somehow managed to escape modern mans ability to take something beautiful
and alter it’s true essence. For those interested in the legendary Noni
plant, it’s juices and creams, your best to visit your favorite search
engine on the net and research from there – there are wonders to be
found in this not so great tasting extract, but mixed with some other
favored juice, well discover for your self the powers of Tahitian Noni.
Before long and a couple of days on Moorea, like all good things, our trip has to come to an end. A Windstar cruise is a beautiful way to experience you first kiss with these islands. One can only imagine what the first peoples felt when the arrived. Watching the original Mutiny on the Bounty on the plane ride home was yet another insight of what she has endured and the love she has given. I have long been drawn to Tahiti, and would like to say, “MARURU” (thank you from the bottom of my heart) for Tahiti is a place unique unto herself, like an un spoilt child, precious in her innocence, like the blessing of true love newly discovered – do do Tahiti, for you shall find, tropical beauty and romance in abundance.
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The author, Philip Barrington can be contacted at: philip@cpbw.net