13901

Moorea is not exactly my style of holiday but I do understand why people would want to go there!

offerendum

What a nightmare! Didn't know someone really offers this caricature of a car for rental... Hope it was at least very cheap

Pausanias

What do you expect on an island like this? A Mercedes S63AMG or an Audi RS6 or a BMW M5? I do note there is a Cayenne behind the car but frankly on Moorea the best car you can rent is something like a Renault Clio. Believe me, I have driven around Moorea many times and the last thing you need is a luxury car.

offerendum

At least not a Dacia. A Clio, Smart, Polo or whatever would be fine. In my eyes Dacias are not only on an ancient technical level, it's also not a very agile car. It's simply bad (and needs a lot of fuel compared to other cars on the same level)

Hut

Our last morning marked the end of our holiday, but it would take 2-3 days to get home – depending on how you think about the dateline!



While Tahiti was sort of tacked on the end, it was a super relaxing way to end a big holiday!



We retraced our footsteps back to the wharf and took the ferry back to the bigger island.

InterContinental Resort Tahiti

Our second visit to the InterContinental was pretty poor.



After booking a King room with a lagoon view, we were assigned a twin room…



… with a view of the trees. I wouldn’t normally care, but person at the front desk didn’t point out that the room we booked wasn’t available and so, it wasn’t apparent until we arrived. What was worse was when I queried it after we’d arrived in the room, I was told there was nothing else available and that I was welcome to find another hotel – despite them still having the room we’d booked, plus higher for sale online. When I pointed this out they said it didn’t matter and no rate reduction was available as I’d booked a room during a sale.



Things didn’t get much better as this was the night where they had the buffet and dance show. The main restaurant was virtually empty, while the other bar was packed with a queue just to get on the wait list.



The only other food available was room service or poke bowls at the rooftop bar… along with a half hour wait for it to turn up and no sign of the drinks we’d ordered. The staff couldn’t be more different from the Hilton, and when we pointed out nothing had arrived – they didn’t seem to care. It took a couple of follow ups before they realised; we’d been forgotten. Apologies were not forthcoming.

On check out, when they asked how the stay was – I mentioned the poor service and not getting the room we’d booked. The response probably summed things up nicely, well it was only for one night. I suspect they will thrive on their proximity to the airport – regardless of the service. If we came back, we’d probably grudgingly stay there again.



Check in was super quick and the staff were happy to short check one bag to Auckland where we would be catching up with my parents on the way past.

Air Tahiti Nui Lounge



The lounge upstairs is hidden way behind a solid door…



… which gives way to a bright and colourful waiting area behind it.



There were a range of snacks, but no substantial breakfast options.



Out the window, was our ride – plus a few other exotic ones…



… at least when you live in Western Australia!

Air Tahiti Nui TN181
Boeing 787-9 (F-OMUA)
Papeete (PPT) -> Auckland (AKL)
Depart 08:36, Arrive 12:38, Flight Time: 05:02



Boarding for business class started quite a bit before economy, as we had time to get from the lounge to the gate and then were seated before the economy line started moving.



On board the cabin looked great. I think they have the branding all sorted – great livery, interiors, lounges etc.



The crew were also fantastic, welcoming, and soon dishing out the early morning drinks!



The IFE was great…



… other than a couple of hiccups that required a reset. Talking with the crew, while the new system looks great, it is not as stable as the old one.



We got some great views as we departed, and reality set in – we were on our way home.



The meal service started with towels on a nice shell, which was to be taken home.



The meal would be called brunch and there were a couple of options.



The appetiser was common.



For the main part, I had the pancakes which were really nice – its hard to go wrong with that much sugar!



Mrs Hut had the omelette, which was nicer than it looks!



For the rest of the flight, the crew frequently passed through the cabin. They were generous with the refills and offered snacks throughout the flight.



The flight passed quickly with a movie and a couple of games of scrabble.



We arrived at a remote gate and with 4 busses lined up there was lots of space and soon on our way to the terminal. Despite a quick trip through the border, our bag was already waiting for us on the carrousel. The quick trip through the arrival process continued at quarantine, even after declaring the shell from the flight and the present for my parents!

We caught up with my parents for a couple of drinks but had to cut it a bit short as there was a security issue of some sort. Everyone had to be cleared out of the secure area and reprocessed. We were very, very lucky to have access to the express path which cut most of the monster queue for security – but even for us it took 30 mins. I can’t imagine how long it would have taken for those at the back of the queue.

The packed theme continued at the lounge with both the First and Business class sides being full. There were a few announcements about being courteous and resourceful about where you leave your bags… but there were still some travellers who felt their bag needed its own seat.

Qantas QF146
Airbus A330-200 (VH-EBB)
Auckland (AKL) -> Sydney (SYD)
Depart 16:31, Arrive 17:50, Flight Time: 03:19



Boarding was quick and we were soon aboard. The Qantas business layout is awesome when travelling alone for a couple it means no window…



Still, these are small worries for a three-hour flight. We have been super lucky that competition has resulted in an awesome premium product.



The crew were offering drinks on the ground…



… and there were lots of options for dinner.



Once we were in the air, dinner arrived, albeit at the usual Qantas pace… the starter was a bit meh.



We both had the pork and roast apple pie, which was fantastic and much, much better than it looks!



Finally, there was ice cream and I have a soft spot for Kapiti ice cream! It was only second dinner on the next flight that stopped me having seconds!

Soon enough we arrived in Sydney, where unlike the super quick bags in Auckland – it was a long wait. Customs and quarantine were quick, but the transfer bus was very busy. We stopped by the lounge for a shower and food – but I must have been tired as I forgot to take any photos!

Qantas QF583
Airbus A330-200 (VH-EBD)
Sydney (SYD) -> Perth (PER)
Depart 20:48, Arrive 22:07, Flight Time: 04:19



Boarding was delayed due to some sort of maintenance problems.



Once we were on board, the captain explained they’d put on extra fuel for speedy trip and we might make up the time. Pre-departure drink options included strawberry and vanilla guava juice, which was very tasty.



Even on a domestic flight, the menu still looked great.



Drinks were served shortly after take-off, and it was nice to be having a G&T again as LATAM doesn’t stock gin.



Like the flight before the food took a while to arrive; in fact we were well past Adelaide! I had the seared kingfish starter which was maybe a little dry…



… and the lamb burger which was great. We both had a couple hours sleep on the way over – which after stating the day in Tahiti was in the early hours of the morning! I was woken by the bumpy descent into Perth and after a very firm landing – we were home.

Normally, I’d sign off the trip report talking about the next big travel adventure, however I’m not sure what awaits us in the future… For the remainder of 2020 we didn’t leave the state, and I didn’t miss travelling in the slightest.

In hindsight, we got super lucky on the timing. Having this trip before our wedding means we got an amazing trip to close out the pre-Covid era. We had our wedding in early March – just before Coivd really hit and all of our guests were able to get home safely. A couple of weeks later and we’d probably still be waiting.

I have often complained about living in a remote corner of the world and the time it takes to go anywhere. Today in late Jan 2021, our last community case was around 10 months ago and life has returned to something close to normal. So, maybe living in the middle of nowhere has benefits!

Hut

Don't forget its the middle of the Pacific! That also means, no... it definitely wasn't!

Yeah, it was everything we needed to get about, something a little smaller might have been better!

I'm thinking about doing a report of a trip last year out to the western desert of Western Australia. I think a key learning from that trip is that small, inexpensive cars can do amazing things!

13901

A Dacia has a lot in common (the engine, the platform I believe) with a Clio and, to be honest with you, I find the Duster quite a nifty little car. Drove one quite extensively in Kazakhstan and I found it to be quite sturdy and reliable. It's almost a larger Fiat Panda 4x4.

Anyway, what an awesome trip Hut, I enjoyed every post. Too bad it's over, hope you're able to travel (and write) again soon!

Pausanias

James May is a big Dacia fan and the latest Duster has won Car of the Year from one of the UK's car magazines.

Second the big thank you to Hut for an enjoyable and extended and extensive account of his trip. There is a lot more to French Polynesia than a resort on Moorea - the Australs, Tuamotus and the Marquesas are all worthy of attention. And please avoid the ghastly Inter-Continental on Tahiti.

13901

I had a Duster booked for my three-week trip in Patagonia last March... almost all dirt roads from Punta Arenas to Peninsula Valdes via Cerro Torre... sigh.

Hut

Thanks! When we looked at going, I quickly realised that we had nowhere near enough time to French Polynesia justice! I hope we will return one day with the time go exploring properly and, if all goes well, time the flights in a way that avoids the Intercon!

Booboo892

Amazing trip report. Just wanted to thank you for taking the time/effort to write such a thorough report! Many thanks!

rdurlabhji

Great TR. My mom just went to Antarctica and really enjoyed the trip so the penguin pics were familiar, but it's definitely on the bucket list for me.

Hut

Ah, yes, the penguin photos! I tried very hard to limit each post to just a few penguin shots... Clearly I failed, but in my defense, I only posted a fraction of what I took! Plus, they were such a key part of the experience that they ought to be seen.